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Question, Wm. L. Paul, Native Brotherhood of Alaska.
Did the organized Indians of the United States have anything material to do with your appointment as Commissioner of Indian Affairs?

Answer: I don't know. I suspect that they didn't have much to do with it because the responsibility rests with the President of the United States.

Question, Wm. L. Paul.
Do you believe a lot of time has been lost in arriving at your present program?

Answer: I have already said that I think a good many things have been done that lay a good solid foundation.

Question, Wm. L. Paul.
Why have we not progressed farther in 115 years in the solution of our problems than we have?

Answer: When I consider the fact that all of your ancestors were living on military reservations between the period of 18__ and 1887, it seems to me we have made a long hop from that day to what we are doing here today. It was only a few years ago that people began to come and go. I also suspect there have been a good many mistakes made in the last 120 years both by the people responsible in the Bureau of Indian Affairs and by some of the Indians. I promise you that we will work with you in trying to move on from here.

Question, Wm. L. Paul
What will be done with the conclusions and findings made in the areas or districts. Will they be adopted as received without modification by your office?

Answer: The program won't be made at the Area office. It must be made at the reservation level. The Area office can assist. I hope that when those programs come to Washington that we might have an opportunity to review them and raise questions if we are going to work together. It will depend on the people operating at the reservation level. If we can arrive at an agreement on principle I will do my best to get it through. We won't agree on every detail.

Question, Wm. L. Paul.
Do you think that the loss of time and the mistakes that have occurred were due to the fact that there was no real advisory opinions from the Indian groups that were concerned?

Answer: I don't know the answer to that because I wasn't here.

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