186
Letter to the President of the Senate and to the Speaker of the House Concerning Regulation of International Air Transport.
May 14, 1963

Dear Mr.___________:

I am transmitting for the consideration of the Congress a draft bill to provide for the regulation, by the Civil Aeronautics Board, of rates and practices of United States and foreign air carriers in foreign air transportation.

The statement of International Air Transportation policy recently submitted to me by an Interagency Steering Committee recommends maintenance of the present mechanism for establishing international air transport rates, under which rates are recommended by the international carriers themselves, acting through the International Air Transport Association, and approved by the governments concerned.

The policy statement notes, however, that we cannot abdicate our responsibility to protect the traveler and the shipper, and that we should continue to press for rates we consider reasonable. It therefore recommends that Congress enact legislation giving the Civil Aeronautics Board authority, subject to approval by the President, m control rates in international air transport to and from the United States. The draft bill will carry out this recommendation.

The attached letter from the Chairman of the Civil Aeronautics Board, with the accompanying statement of purpose, provides more detailed justification for this bill.

I urge that prompt and favorable consideration be given to this legislation.
Sincerely,
JOHN F. KENNEDY

NOTE: This is the text of identical letters addressed to the Honorable Lyndon B. Johnson, President of the Senate, and to the Honorable John W. McCormack, Speaker of the House of Representatives.

The letter from the Chairman of the Civil Aeronautics Board, Alan S. Boyd, was also released. It is printed in the Congressional Record (vol. 109, p. 8136; May 15, 1963), together with the Interagency Steering Committee statement on international air transportation policy.