As the months went by following Sputnik, the evidence became clearer and clearer that the Soviet Union was moving rapidly and on a large scale in the missile field. It seemed to me this required a far greater response than we seemed prepared to make and I finally but reluctantly decided to resign. I hated to do so, because I had tremendous admiration for President Eisenhower and the great contributions he had made and was making for our country. d. Government Affairs Foundation My interest in the organization of government was not limited to the Federal Branch. Working at the county level, on the Westchester County Board of Health, I had seen a great deal of the relationship between local and state government. Before going to Washington in the early 50's, with President Eisenhower, I had come to know Frank Moore, then Lieutenant Governor of New York and formerly Comptroller of the State for many years. He was a strong advocate of local home rule and a keen student of government and sound governmental fiscal policy. When Lieutenant Governor Moore resigned, he and I set up the Government Affairs Foundation, which I financed and of which he became President and I the Chairman of the Board. A major issue at that time was whether or not city government should be merged with the surrounding towns, villages and county governments into one big megalopolis. The foundation made very extensive studies and held conferences on this subject. The work of the Foundation continued until 1968 at which time it was finally terminated. 2. Return to New York a. "Prospect for America" Study On leaving Washington, I had a very uneasy feeling about our national security. At the same time, I felt that we needed to take a fresh look at the national and international economic situation and our social programs at home. One of the members of the Quantico Panels who had impressed me very much was a young Harvard professor named Henry Kissinger who had played a very important role in developing the concept of the "Open Skies" proposal. I asked him if he would take a leave of absence to organize, as Study Director, a review of our domestic and international position as a nation. The Rockefeller Brothers Fund had agreed to underwrite the cost, which ultimately came to about $1 million. After some persuading, Dr. Kissinger agreed to take a six-month leave of absence to get the work organized and started-and as he himself describes the project, three years later he went back to Harvard. We had an outstanding group on the study commission, and they were supplemented by people of special knowledge on the various panels. We started issuing individual panel reports after a year or so; the last one came out in 1959. The following list gives the subjects of these panels: (1) "The Mid-Century Challenge To U.S. Foreign Policy"; (2) "International Security: The Military Aspect"; (3) "Foreign Economic Policy For The Twentieth Century"; (4) "The Challenge to America: Its Economic And Social Aspects"; (5) "The Pursuit Of Excellence: Education And The Future Of America"; (6) "The Power Of The Democratic Idea" My brother Laurance succeeded me as chairman of this project in 1958 after b. Rockefeller Center and IBEC When I returned to New York, I had reassumed the Presidency and Chairmanship of Rockefeller Center, the Chairmanship of IBEC and A.I.A., the Museum of Modern Art and the Rockefeller Brothers Fund. There was a great deal of work to be done in connection with each of these organizations, but they were all going concerns with established and experienced managements. c. Museum of Primitive Art While in Washington, I had already taken steps to get a charter for a new Museum of Indigenous Arts to house my collection of primitive art-which by this time was rather extensive. 1 I had wanted to avoid the words "primitive art" because I thought it very misleading. The great pre-Columbian civilizations of the Western Hemisphere, for instance, were anything but primitive. However, popular usage was too strong to overcome. So when I got back to New York in 1956, the name was changed to the Museum of Primitive Art and it opened to the public at 15 West 54th Street. My collection was on loan to the Museum. We had a series of changing exhibitions. There was great interest in artistic and professional circles. By this time, we had put together an excellent curatorial staff. We continued to add to the collection, and built up a small but high quality library of books and photographs. My son Michael was very interested in the arts and especially so in the Museum of Primitive Art. Tragically, in 1961 he lost his life in New Guinea, while collecting the work of Papuan artists in the Asmat Valley for the Museum. His untimely death and the latent interest in primitive art by the Metropolitan Museum in the late 1960's resulted in my turning over the Museum of Primitive Art collection to the Metropolitan Museum in 1969, to be housed in a new wing which they are building for this purpose, to be known as the Michael C. Rockefeller Collection of Primitive Art. The Metropolitan will keep the staff as well as the collection and continue the policy of changing exhibitions and the programs of acquisition of unique pieces as they become available. d. Constitutional Convention Preparatory Commission In 1956, due to a deadlock between the Democratic Governor and the Republican Legislature of New York over the chairmanship of the constitutionally required appointment of a Constitutional Convention Preparatory Commission, I was finally proposed by Governor Harriman, who had been a good friend of mine for years. The Republican legislative leaders accepted this proposal and then in turn so did I. I was very fortunate in securing the services of Dean William J. Ronan of New York University's Graduate School of Public Administration as the Director of the Study and Mr. George L. Hinman from Binghamton, New York, to be the Commission Counsel. I had not met either of these men before, but they were highly recommended-and I found them to be two of the ablest people with whom I had ever had the privilege of association. By the end of the Preparatory Commission work, we had produced 17 volumes of analysis of the State's constitution in relation to the economic, social and political needs of the people of New York State. When a proposition was put on the ballot the following year as to whether the people wanted to have the convention held, as is required every 20 years, the voters rejected the proposition. But we had produced a very scholarly work, and I had learned a great deal about the State and its construction. e. Decision to Run for Governor As time went on I recognized a growing desire to be as my Latin American friends would say “an authentic representative of the people." This meant a person elected by the people-one who therefore had the authority to make the decisions and to lead in meeting the emerging problems. Slowly I became more and more interested in running for Governor of New York in 1958. Frank Jamieson was my principal political adviser at the time. Although he advised me not to run for office in 1958 because a Democratic tide was running strongly throughout the country, I thought I should make the try, and I announced for Governor on June 30, 1958. I had always felt that politics was a means to an end and not an end in itself. The end or objective had to be good government. Therefore, I persuaded Dr. Ronan to head the substantive side of the campaign, organizing a series of studies relating to the solution of New York State's problems in economic and social spheres. George Hinman also agreed to work with me as special Counsel and upstate political adviser for the campaign. When I had gone to my Republican County Chairman in Westchester to feel him out about my becoming a candidate, he said that he'd already had a visit from a very brilliant and prominent Assemblyman from Westchester, named Malcolm Wilson, who was also interested in the nomination for Governor. The first thing I had better do was to talk with Mr. Wilson, he said. Malcolm Wilson knew the Republican party and the party leaders and office holders from one end of the state to the other and the history of the party in every county back to my grandfather's time. He was liked and respected for his leadership in the Legislature and for his political astuteness. When I emerged in the polls as a strong candidate, Malcolm agreed to work with me. We became close friends and he then agreed to manage my campaign. We ended up driving around the state in his old Buick, with my son Steve at the wheel, throughout the early part of 1958-visiting with every county committee at lunch or dinner in each of the 62 counties. At that time, the State didn't have statewide primaries and the candidates were selected by the delegates at the party conventions in the late spring. By the time we got to the convention, I had enough declared support to assure my nomination. With the material that Bill Ronan's task forces had developed, I was able to run a campaign largely on substantive issues relating to improving the quality of life of the people of New York State. I started from a position of about 35% of the vote in the polls. There was only one direction to go-and slowly but steadily I made progress. Finally, in the last month, the momentum carried to a victory on Election Day. 1. Albany a. Record as Governor F. THE SIXTIES My 15 years as Governor is a matter of public record. It was a highly rewarding opportunity for service to the people of New York State. As Governor, I was concerned to strengthen the role of state government in meeting the people's needs and, importantly, to establish within the state sound basis for economic growth and development. If the state were to continue to grow and develop, it was clear that it needed better educational and higher educational facilities. It needed better transportation. It needed more park and recreational facilities. It needed to encourage the development of additional energy resources. It had to help meet the problems of urban living and urban redevelopment. It had to meet the challenge of a changing market for its farmers. It had to provide equal opportunity for all its peoples. It had to update its social services and improve its health, mental health and hospital care. It had to set a better framework for labor-management relations and update workers' benefits. It had to take some of the burdens off local governments and help them to meet local problems on the local level. It had to finance itself realistically and take action to get results. I believed, as Governor, and I believe now that the states should be a vigorous force in our federal system. I did not, and I do not, believe that all ability and all wisdom resides at any level of government, but I do believe the states should take leadership in many of the areas in which they can act. Initiatives by the states have been important factors in our national history. My basic political assumption was that the voters wanted good governmentresponsive and responsible in meeting the people's needs. My basic thrust was to take those actions that were necessary to improve the climate of New York State as a place for business to invest and grow, to create constantly improving job opportunities, and to make it the best state in the country for people to live and work in. We had our share of successes in the 15 years I served as Governor and I know there were some mistakes. In particular, there were five events that I shall always deeply regret. The first occured early in my administration when corruption was uncovered by the District Attorney's office in Manhattan involving the Chairman of the State Liquor Authority, a man who I had appointed. I immediately removed the Chairman from office, and the case was presented to a grand jury by the District Attorney. The second, which was an even greater shock, came when the Republican State Chairman, who had been in office many years, who was highly respected and very popular, and with whom I had worked closely in connection with the 1958 election campaign, was also found to be involved in the corruption. The third related to my pledge during the campaign in 1962 not to raise taxes. At the time, the figures I had indicated new taxes would not be necessary. Yet, the very next year, the budget situation, the vital needs for state services, and increased state aid to local government clearly indicated the essentiality of additional tax revenue. I was torn between my public pledge not to raise taxes and my responsibility to serve the best interests of the people. I finally decided in favor of the latter but it was for me a difficult decision. The fourth-and most agonizing of all-related to the events at the Attica prison uprising that led to the loss of forty-three lives. These tragic developments will always remain in dispute but as one who had accepted the responsi bility to govern and to uphold the Constitution and the laws of the state, I had to do what I sincerely felt was best at the time under all of the existing circumstances. Fifth was the divisive situation that developed during my last year in office resulting from a complaint to the Attorney General's office about certain campaign activities that had been handled by the Speaker of the Assembly's office. The case was ultimately dismissed on constitutional grounds, but the rift that resulted was distressing to me after fifteen years of party unity and common effort. And those were productive years. The following list records some of the highlights of the legislative and administrative accomplishments during the years of my Governorship: SUMMARY OF MAJOR PROGRAMS OF THE ROCKEFELLER ADMINISTRATION The Arts Created the nation's first State Council on the Arts; Started the first program of direct state aid to cultural organizations faced with economic collapse, now aiding 850 symphony orchestras, museums, theatre and dance companies and other cultural resources; Sponsored and provided state funds for an average of over 7,000 cultural events every year; Provided state funds towards construction of the Saratoga Performing Arts Center and the New York State Theatre in Lincoln Center. Consumer Protection Created the State Consumer Protection Board and the permanent Consumer Frauds Bureau in the Attorney General's office, which has handled 270,000 consumer complaints; Initiated no-fault auto insurance; Required disclosure of actual installment buying interest charges through the "Truth in Lending" law; Outlawed assignment of wages in installment sales. Criminal Justice Doubled the size of the State police; Established the state-wide prosecutor of organized crime; Established a special prosecutor to investigate and prosecute corruption in the police and criminal justice system of New York City; Set the Nation's toughest drug penalty, a mandatory life sentence for hard drug pushing; Established the first special narcotics courts to speed the handling of drug crime cases; Authorized 228 additional judgeships to reduce court congestion and speed the administration of justice; Removed minor traffic and housing violations from the criminal courts, freeing more judges and courts for serious criminal cases. Drug Abuse Created the State Narcotics Addiction Control Commission-later the State Drug Abuse Control Commission-to help rehabilitate drug addicts and abusers; Initiated mandatory treatment for drug addiction; Financially supported research and carried out the Nation's largest methadone maintenance program; Mandated drug abuse education programs in all schools. Economic Growth Helped to attract over 9,300 new plants or major expansions to the state's economy; Created the State Job Development Authority to provide low-cost loans for business expansion, which created 21,000 new jobs and retained nearly 7,000 existing jobs in the state; Created the Job Incentive Board, which provided tax incentives for businesses to locate and expand in low-income areas, adding 6,200 new jobs and retaining 6,300 existing jobs in the state: Provided a one percent state tax credit for business plant expansion; Established New York State trade offices in major foreign cities and a Division of International Commerce which have stimulated nearly $1 billion in additional export sales; Completed or initiated 30 construction projects for industrial parks, commercial and community facilities through the state's Urban Development Corporation; Created the State Council of Economic Advisers; Created the State Science and Technology Foundation to encourage research; Created the New York State Atomic and Space Development Authority. Education Built the largest public university system in the world, which grew from 41 campuses and 38,000 students, to 72 campuses and 232,000 full-time students; Increased community colleges from 13 to 38; Initiated scholar incentive awards now aiding over 227,000 students, and increased all forms of state financial assistance to public and private college students by over 1,000 percent; Initiated and supported programs enabling nearly 23,000 students from disadvantaged backgrounds to attend both public and private colleges; Began the nation's first program of aid to financially pressed private colleges; Increased State aid to City University by nearly 20 times; Established the Empire State University, a "college without walls" to provide college credit and courses to students not enrolled in conventional college programs; Established 5 Einstein Chairs in the sciences and 5 Schweitzer Chairs in the humanities at various universities in the state; More than quadrupled state aid to primary and secondary schools, from $594 million to $2.5 billion, to improve education and help relieve pressure for further additional local school taxes; Provided state text-book aid and certain other assistance to private primary and secondary schools; Provided the first state financial support for educational television; Required special education for mentally retarded children in public schools; Established the Atmospheric Sciences Research Center; Established the Marine Science Research Center. Environmental Protection Launched the Pure Waters Program, the first and largest state bond issue in the nation to end water pollution-$1 billion later augmented by the $1.15 billion Environmental Bond Issue; Preserved the northeast's last great wilderness through creation of the Adirondack Park Agency; Created the Department of Environmental Conservation; Initiated the first state aid for the operation of local sewage treatment facilities; Created the Environmental Facilities Corporation to help local governments finance and construct waste treatment plants; Protected tidal wetlands; Established the Hudson River Valley Commission to help protect the environ ment and historic heritage of the Valley; Established the nation's first system for zoning air by purity standards for agri cultural, residential and industrial areas; Established a state-wide air quality monitoring network; Banned open burning and open dumps; Required air pollution exhaust controls on motor vehicles five years before the Federal government; Achieved reduction of air pollution in New York City and other urban areas; Established the use of state boards on Electric Generation Siting and the Environment to insure the environmental compatibility of new power plants; Added a "Conservation Bill of Rights" to the state Constitution. Farm Families Set up the agricultural districting program to insure the preservation of prime farm lands; Provided farmers with a 5-year property tax exemption on buildings; new farm 40-185 0-74-6 |