Date: June 24, 1924
Location: Washington, D.C.
(Original document available here)
I haven’t had any report for two or three days from the Treasury Department about the members of the Tax Appeal Board. You know that they are working on the list of men which will be appointed just as soon as they can determine what appointments ought to be made.
No date has been selected for my notification, and I haven’t any plans for speaking engagements. I think Mr. Dawes is coming down the latter part of this week or the first of next. I am not exactly certain.
I don’t think any invitations have been received to participate in the allied conference on reparations, though I notice some suggestions in the press about it. I suppose that the attitude of our Government would be the same about that as it has been constantly about European affairs of that nature. We wouldn’t want to take a part in their political discussions over there, and on the other hand we want to do everything we possible can to assist in any way we can without getting into their political difficulties. Their political difficulties they can determine and decide themselves. Such assistance as we can give we will are of course willing and anxious to give.
Mr. President, do you think we are likely to be represented by an unofficial observer?
I don’t think there will be any representation by our Government. It is very likely that what we should do would be to keep someone there who would keep us informed of what course affairs were taking. Of course it is recognized always that we have some interest in Europe direct and indirect about which we need to have information in order to protect our Government and protect our citizens. I shouldn’t suppose that General Dawes would attend the conference on account of his participation in the campaign. Secretary Hughes would not reach London anyway until after July 16th, and as our Government would not be a participant in it, I do not think he would attend a conference of that kind even if he were there.
I haven’t any plan for a conference with members of the Shipping Board. I have talked to the Chairman once or twice things, but no particular problem in the Shipping Board, and am conferring with him and with other departments relative to their plans for keeping within the appropriation that has been made for the coming year. I expect to talk with Mr. O’Connor further about that. They are working out their plan to keep within the appropriations just made, which runs from the first of next July to the 30th of June, 1925.
Now, I think I have made it plain about the conference. We have had no invitation, and while I don’t like to anticipate very much about what we could do if an invitation came, my idea would be that we would go on in the same way we have been going on, without undertaking to interfere in their political activities over there, and while refraining from that, doing anything that we can that would be helpful to the situation. I suppose everyone knows that we are hopeful that the Dawes plan will be accepted and put into operation. While we want to be helpful, we don’t want to interfere.
Citation: Calvin Coolidge: Remarks by the President to Newspaper Correspondents
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