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Edward KocheEdward Koche
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Session:         Page of 617

Congressmen say, “What did you start? Now we have to turn down invitations.” (laughs) That's really very funny, and the correspondence is very funny on this whole business. And Dick Cohen tries very hard to be friendly to me. I'm very difficult to be friendly with once you've insulted me, but I'm trying. (laughs)

Q:

Now, is there anything else on this Jewish topic or going back to the black...?

Koch:

Yes, I'll tell you one other story about the black-Jewish area. Some time in June of ‘75 there was a vote on a cutback in our military forces, and I had supported that proposal at least once and maybe twice in prior years. It was called the O'Neil - Mansfield proposal, it would cut back something like 100- or 125,000 manpower. But the considered opinion at that point was that to do that, immediately after our withdrawal from Vietnam, it would be a signal to all of our other allies that we're giving up on them in Europe and elsewhere. So Mansfield and O'Neil and many others had withdrawn their support of that proposal, and I had, too. So I vote against it. It loses. It got maybe 100 votes. The year before it had gotten maybe 175. Those figures are not exactly accurate, but approximately so. And the fight was led by Ron Dellums. Ron Dellums is a black, looks like a prince of a tribe. He's an incredible figure; he's about six foot six maybe and a huge Afro and a very dapper





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