JOHN WARNER: Good morning, everyone.
I'm sorry we're a few minutes late,
but we had the privilege of being escorted by Mr. Walter
Barrett, a great benefactor of the university,
through the famous rare book collection
and saw original manuscripts by Walt Whitman,
and the Declaration of Independence.
And it was quite an absorbing experience.
And it took just a little longer than we had planned.
Today is a very special day in my life.
I've been invited by my university
to return and commence a collection of my papers
of eight years in public life.
It was exactly eight years ago this month
that I became Undersecretary of the Navy,
later Secretary of the Navy, and occupied those positions
for 5 and 1/2 years, one of the longest
periods in recent times of a civilian holding those offices.
That was a strenuous and difficult period
in our country's history, and my duties
took me all over the world many times
to Vietnam, with occasional pleasant excursions
to such places as the North Pole and the South Pole.
And during that time, I was asked by the president
to negotiate on behalf of the United States
an agreement with the Soviet Navy.
And it was completed in 1972, and signed the day
before the first salt treaty at the Moscow summit
in Moscow in 1972.
And this volume holds a copy of that treaty, which
I'm giving to the university as symbolic
of the papers collected in 5 and 1/2
years in the department the Navy.
The president then asked if I would take over
the leadership of the nation's bicentennial,
and that was a rare privilege because I
will be the only man in living history
to be the head of the nation's bicentennial.
And I'm including, as part of the papers, this record, which
compiles close to 70,000 programs and events put
together at the initiative and with the imagination
and with the money of the citizens of the United States.
One of the things that I did during the bicentennial
was to make certain that future generations would
have a clear record of what the citizens of the United States
did to honor their nation.
And I felt it appropriate that my collection of the nation's
bicentennial papers should go back
to Mr. Jefferson's university.
We all know the inspiration that he provided
with the formation of this country,
drafting the Declaration of Independence,
and how the Declaration of Independence
and the Constitution, and the Bill of Rights
have put together a government which today remains
as the oldest continuously surviving
democratic republic on earth.
And an added volume that I picked up at the last moment
was the book on the Magna Carta.
I had the idea to bring to the United States
on the occasion of the bicentennial
a copy of that document which is, as you know,
the basis for so much of our law in the free world.
And now I'll be happy to answer any questions
that you might have.
Thank you.
SPEAKER 1: Senator, do you get any tax
break at all for donating [INAUDIBLE] to the university?
JOHN WARNER: Thank you.
I am eligible for some tax treatment
under the federal Revenue Code.
But I've made a decision that I will not
seek one penny of tax relief for any of these documents.
I feel that it was a privilege for me
to hold public office, and most particularly the bicentennial,
since no other person will ever hold that office.
And I'm happy to give these documents to the university
and take not one penny of tax relief.
SPEAKER 1: If I could ask another--
JOHN WARNER: Yes.
SPEAKER 1: --question, sir.
In the last senatorial campaign, Senator Bird
criticized [INAUDIBLE] for not being, I guess,
one of the good ole boys from Virginia.
And I understand that you and your new wife
intend to make other appearances around the state.
And is this one effort to help the [INAUDIBLE] get to know you
in case should decide to run for office?
JOHN WARNER: Well, when I was at Washington University in VMI,
I made the statement that I felt that any time you were
privileged to be invited back to a campus on any state campus--
and we'll be visiting others--
you should not use that opportunity
for partisan politics.
And therefore, I'm not going to talk about politics today.
I have said publicly though, that Ms. Warner and I are
very anxious to work in public life in the state of Virginia
and elsewhere and that we will be traveling.
So that we can offer the opportunity,
as Ms. Warner did yesterday, to students and others
to ask us about our careers on behalf of the nation.
Thank you.
SPEAKER 2: Mr. Warner?
JOHN WARNER: Yes.
SPEAKER 2: Here in Charlottesville,
the bicentennial tour [INAUDIBLE] to a certain point
didn't materialize.
We had a lot of visitors.
But they didn't stay in our hotels.
They didn't always eat in our restaurants.
They didn't come to our Heritage Theater,
which extended its hours.
From your vantage point, was this true
in other areas across the country?
Was it the [INAUDIBLE] tourist related businesses?
Did they enjoy the great boom that they
thought they were going to?
JOHN WARNER: The bicentennial did not
meet the expectations of the commercial interest
in terms of the tourism and so forth.
And there's a very interesting reason for that.
And I think it's found in these volumes.
The American citizen, once it was
determined that the United States government would not
take control of the bicentennial and would not
build a big World's Fair--
and I'm pleased to say I participated in that decision
and voted strongly against it.
And throughout my travels to each of the 50 states,
I reminded the people that the government would not
seize control of the bicentennial nor would
we spend millions and millions of dollars.
Then Mr. And Mrs. America determined
that the bicentennial would be at home, wherever they lived.
And as such, the bicentennial became a hometown celebration.
And I think that's part of the magnificence
of the bicentennial.
That the people themselves stood up, took charge,
and created this wonderful mosaic
of activities that stretched throughout the 50 states.
And therefore, they just didn't travel.
They stayed home to celebrate the bicentennial.
SPEAKER 2: Have you any feeling for the amount of attractions
or businesses that perhaps suffered because they over
anticipated what they would expect?
JOHN WARNER: No, there's been no means by which
to make such a calculation.
I think on the whole that the bicentennial
provided a tremendous impetus.
It just didn't reach that high level that they had hoped.
You'll find that the bicentennial
was the biggest tourist attraction
in the history of this country.
And I think the statistics show that the state of Virginia
enjoyed a very high level of visitation.
It perhaps just didn't reach the expectations of some.
SPEAKER 3: I wonder if your lovely wife would join you
at the podium so we could ask her
what she thinks of Virginia since she's living here.
Would you be willing to do that?
JOHN WARNER: Sure.
SPEAKER 3: Just wanted to know what
it's like living in northern Virginia
on a farm after you've traveled so
many places all over the world and some reaction [INAUDIBLE]??
ELIZABETH TAYLOR: Well, I feel like I've come home.
Virginia reminds me very much of my home in England, actually
in Kent.
And the first time I visited the farm,
the similarity struck me so much that I even cried.
So I feel like I belong here.
I don't feel like I've come to a farm or alien land at all.
JOHN WARNER: And I do believe you
came through Charlottesville to make Giant when you were 22.
ELIZABETH TAYLOR: Yes, I did.
JOHN WARNER: And we just saw in the library a collection
of pictures that apparently the library
has kept through these many years of when you were here.
Yes?
SPEAKER 4: Mr. And Mrs. Warner?
As a resident of Foster county, I'd
like to say Foster county's very happy to have you
in our county.
ELIZABETH TAYLOR: Thank you.
Thank you very much.
Everybody's done everything to make me feel so welcome.
It's lovely.
It's very warm.
Thank you.
JOHN WARNER: Yes?
SPEAKER 5: Yes, for both of you, but especially Mrs. Warner.
You said yesterday that you are a housewife now,
being a housewife.
And one of the issues that concerns a lot of Virginia
housewives this year is the passage
of the ERA, which did not [INAUDIBLE] bicentennial
[INAUDIBLE] it would.
I'd like your comments as a Virginia
housewife on the passage of the ERA in the state of Virginia.
ELIZABETH TAYLOR: Well, that's rather difficult for me
to get into.
JOHN WARNER: Let me try and then you follow up.
There was one very astute member of your profession--
is she here today-- who asked me following my speech last night
to Lee Jackson--
there she is-- if Mrs. Warner and I
had different philosophies towards life?
And I confess that I felt that Mrs. Warner was slightly more
liberal than I, I being somewhat of a conservative.
And then she pinned me down on what issues.
And I thought for a moment.
And I did suggest that if the ERA were here in Virginia
today, you'd vote for it.
And I would have to give it some consideration.
ELIZABETH TAYLOR: That's true.
JOHN WARNER: From a technical standpoint,
I think the Constitution to this great state
does provide most, if not all, of the things that
are in the ERA amendment.
I think that's one of the great things about Virginia,
that we have a constitution, which has provided for women.
Much of the opportunity has been denied elsewhere.
I know in our discussions, you've
told me that since you've worked since the age of 10,
you have felt the discrimination that really has in the past
been accorded against women.
ELIZABETH TAYLOR: Well, I've sort of all my life
since I was 10 working have thunked out for myself
and shouted out for myself and achieved
certain goals for myself without any society helping me.
And I think women must continue to do that individually as
well, with the ERA or what.
SPEAKER 6: Can we construe your answer then, Mr. Warner,
as saying that if in fact you were
involved in Virginia politics you
would not be an ERA supporter?
JOHN WARNER: No, no, no.
You asked a hypothetical question.
ELIZABETH TAYLOR: Oh, sure he would.
JOHN WARNER: I beg your pardon.
ELIZABETH TAYLOR: Sure he would.
You answer for me.
I'll answer for you.
JOHN WARNER: [INAUDIBLE] I'll bear with it a minute.
We have a-- we're on a honeymoon.
And we're just as happy as two people could possibly be.
ELIZABETH TAYLOR: I think this is called a cop-out.
JOHN WARNER: And we have talked quite frankly,
if there were an opportunity in political life in Virginia,
we would share it together, as you say, on a 50-50 basis.
ELIZABETH TAYLOR: 51-51.
JOHN WARNER: 51-51.
And on the ERA, my position would be--
and I rarely, if ever, answer hypothetical questions--
but I think that the people of Virginia
should have an opportunity to address
that issue in a referendum.
That would be my position on the ERA.
SPEAKER 7: Mr. Warner?
JOHN WARNER: Yes?
SPEAKER 7: It has been assumed that you've been
testing the political waters.
How are your-- how is your testing process?
What are you finding?
And when could we maybe expect some sort of an announcement?
JOHN WARNER: Well, again, I feel very keenly
that here at the invitation of the university, which
is a nonpartisan institution, we shouldn't talk politics.
What Mrs. Warner and I are doing now-- and it's a great joy--
is accepting many invitations to visit throughout the state
in a variety of functions.
Come on, Frank, sit down.
SPEAKER 8: [INAUDIBLE] How are you [INAUDIBLE]??
ELIZABETH TAYLOR: Fine.
JOHN WARNER: I have a keen, keen interest in history.
And last night, I had the privilege
of talking to the Lee Jackson Foundation.
This week we'll be traveling to Meridian, Virginia
where we'll be at Emory Henry.
I will be talking to the Chamber of Commerce,
Mrs. Warner, again, the seminar.
Saturday we'll be in Richmond.
In a week or two, we'll be in Stanton.
We're just active in the life of Virginians.
And as such, any political considerations, again,
would have to await some period of time.
In the presence of you, Mr. President,
I told the press that in no way would I
seek the opportunity of your kind invitation
to be here today for any political discussion.
SPEAKER 8: Well, it's wonderful to have you
here on any occasion, John.
JOHN WARNER: Thank you very much.
ELIZABETH TAYLOR: Thank you.
JOHN WARNER: All right, thank you very much,
ladies and gentlemen.
Mr. President, I can hand you these documents here.
Elizabeth, stand up.
ELIZABETH TAYLOR: Am I part of the bicentennial now?
JOHN WARNER: Yes, here.
You're part of the bicentennial.
If we have a picture.
And then this is to the tendering of the documents.
Tighten in closer.
Elizabeth, you move closer.
That's [INAUDIBLE].
SPEAKER 9: One more, everybody.
JOHN WARNER: Yes.
SPEAKER 9: Please.
That's it right there.
All right, thank you.
JOHN WARNER: Thank you.
SPEAKER 8: Thank you so much.
I would like to say before all of you leave how very much
the university appreciates receiving
these documents, which reflect on your service as Secretary
of the Navy and a treaty that was negotiated,
which I understand has been very [INAUDIBLE] in practice,
and also, the documents that relate
to the bicentennial of Mr. Jefferson's university.
We like to think that we were a major part of the nation's
bicentennial.
JOHN WARNER: [INAUDIBLE]
SPEAKER 8: And we are grateful to you, John,
for being here on so many occasions last year.
And we are especially grateful to you this time
for bringing your bride.
JOHN WARNER: Thank you.
ELIZABETH TAYLOR: Thank you.
JOHN WARNER: All right, I guess that's it.
Thank you.
SPEAKER 8: Thank you.
SPEAKER 6: Mr. Warner?
JOHN WARNER: Yes.
SPEAKER 6: One last question.
JOHN WARNER: Yes.
SPEAKER 6: [INAUDIBLE] You had your dinner last night
at Farmington, which Farmington has caused some local
[INAUDIBLE]