University of Virginia Library

ABC's Smith Advises Foresight
For National Problem Solving

By ROSS HETRICK

CD/Dan Grogan

ABC News Commentator And Co-Anchorman Howard K. Smith

Stressing the need for
"institutionalizing the quality
of foresight," ABC Television's
noted journalist Howard K.
Smith discussed how to solve
the "frustration in dealing with
our problems" before a
standing room only crowd in
Cabell Hall last night.

"Why does the most
efficient and the most
powerful country have so
many problems and so much
frustration in solving them?"
Mr. Smith asked at the start of
his twenty minute talk which
began a half hour late.

Mr. Smith stressed "our
abhorrence of using foresight
and letting events overtake us."
Using the examples of traffic,
population and agriculture
problems, he proposed a
national board to be set up
that would study how different
programs would affect the
future.

"We would stop going into
the future like somebody
stumbling into a dark room,"
Mr. Smith said.

Talked Crime To Death

He said we could have
solved such problems as the
agricultural revolution by
planning. "Agriculture has
become the most single
efficient industry in the United
States," Mr. Smith said.

However, this has caused
people to flock to the city and
has increased the drug and
crime problem according to
Mr. Smith.

He said we could solve our
problems if we had the ability
to get things done. "We talked
crime and pollution to death
but we never got any action,"
Mr. Smith said.

"I think our constitution is
the wrong one for the last
third of the twentieth century,
there are too many checks and
balances to get things done,"
Mr. Smith said.

Parliamentary System

Instead of the present
constitution, he said he would
like to see a parliamentary
system modeled after Britain's.
"The British Parliament beats
our system in many respects.
You do not have stalemates
because all the power lies in
the House of Commons.

Using the Vietnam War as
an indication of our relative
inefficiency, he said "The
single cause of acrimony in this
country, the Vietnam War, has
only had one vote–the Gulf of
Tonkin Resolution." This
would not have happened in
Britain, according to Mr.
Smith.

Fields Questions

After his brief speech, Mr.
Smith fielded questions from
the audience. Asked what role
the media should play in the
future, he said, "We should try
to be more affirmative than we
are."

He pointed out the race issue
as an example. He said the
media has made the issue
sound very depressing, that no
progress is being made.

"The truth is quite the
opposite, we have been the
most successful country in the
world in treating our race
problem," Mr. Smith said.

He was asked about the
publishing of stolen documents
such as the Pentagon Papers.
"I'm a little torn," Mr. Smith
said, surveying the problems
involved.

"The legal issue is: Did it
cause danger to the United
States and this is being decided
in court now." Mr. Smith said
he did not like the way the
Papers were presented,
especially in the New York
Times.

"I am not giving a
straightforward answer because
I do not feel straightforward
about it," Mr. Smith said.

On Vice President Agnew's
remarks concerning the press,
Mr. Smith said that "they were
all right but not a very good
speech. "A person does not lose
his freedom of speech when he
becomes Vice President."

"All I resent is threatening
legislation like Mr.
Whitehead's," Mr. Smith said,
referring to proposed FCC
regulation that would tie
licensing with television bias.