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I have been greatly frustrated about how to counter this and I don't know as of today, April 24th, 1963, what effect Mr. Oren Harris' hearings of today and yesterday will have on the markup in the House in the full Committee on Appropriations which will take up tomorrow morning. I fear that there will be attacks on the bill to reduce it.

The President's budget for the National Institutes of Health was increased over what the Senate and House voted last year by 50 million dollars. In other words, his budget was 930 million. The House subcommittee just subtracted 12 million from the Mental Health Institute's figure, which we thought was scandalous but which we fear cannot be put back in because of the general temper of cutting in the House and the general business of the Republicans wishing to make trouble for Democrats and to “save money.” And we think that we're going to be lucky if we get away with 918 million dollars, which is virtually holding the line, And we don't know what can be done in the Senate, because, of course, Senator Proxmire will undoubtedly be active again and we haven't got him under control at all.

Does anybody?

Nobody has.

So, what the future will be, I don't know, but this is up to date on straight appropriations now, and as we go on with other things, we can add the latest developments.

You said that the NIH is devoid of any public relations