portfolio" which might put him into conflicts of interest. He told Stennis that if
confirmed, he would resign as trustee of the Bush Children Fund and direct the other
trustees to stop disclosing to him any details of the operations of the Bush Children Trust.
Otherwise Bush said that he was not serving as officer, director, or partner of any
corporation, although he had a lump-sum retirement benefit from Zapata Corporation in
the amount of $40,000. According to his own account, he owned a home in Washington
DC, his summer house at Kennebunkport, a small residential lot in Houston, plus some
bank accounts and life insurance policies. He had a securities portfolio managed by T.
Rowe Price in Baltimore, and he assured Stennis he would be willing to divest any shares
that might pose conflict of interest problems. [fn 7]
Congressional reaction reaching the White House before Bush's hearings was not
enthusiastic. Dick Cheney of the White House staff advised Ford to call Senator John
Stennis on November 3, noting that Stennis "controls confirmation process for CIA and
DOD." Ford replied shortly after, "I did." [fn 8] A few days later Ford had a telephone
conversation with Senator Mike Mansfield, the Democratic majority leader, and one of
his notations was "Geo Bush--for him but he must say no politics." [fn 9]
Negative mail from both houses of Congress was also coming in to the White House. On
November 12, Ford received a singular note from GOP Congressman James M. Collins
of Dallas, Texas. Collins wrote to Ford: "I hope you will reconsider the appointment of
George Bush to the CIA. At this time it seems to me that it would be a greater service for
the country for George to continue his service in China. He is not the right man for the
CIA," wrote Collins, who had been willing to support Bush for the vice presidency back
in 1974. "Yesterday," wrote Collins, "I sat next to my friend Dale Milford who is the only
friendly Democrat on Pike's Committee. He strenuously questioned why Bush was being
put in charge of the CIA. He likes George but he is convinced that the Liberals will
contend from now to Doomsday that George is a partisan Republican voice. They are
going to sing this song about Republican Chairmen and let the liberal press beat it out in
headlines every day. I have heard this same story from many on the Hill who stand with
you. Please use George in some other way. They are going to crucify him on this job and
Senator Church will lead the procession. I hope you find an urgent need to keep Bush in
China," wrote Collins, a Republican and a Texan, to Ford. [fn 10]
There was also a letter to Ford from Democratic Congressman Lucien Nedzi of
Michigan, who had been the chairman of one of the principal House Watergate
investigating committees. Nedzi wrote as follows:
The purpose of my letter is to express deep concern over the announced appointment of George
Bush as the new Director of the Central Intelligence Agency.As Chairman of the Special Subcommittee on Intelligence of the House Armed Services
Committee since 1971, I have had the obligation and opportunity to closely observe the CIA, the
other intelligence agencies, the executive and legislative relationships of these agencies, and vice-
versa. We are at a critical juncture.After reassuring Ford that he had no personal animus against Bush, Nedzi went on: