Word: downplay
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...that "the Johnson Administration's position is to move north, and we are prepared to move north," the President told a news conference: "I know of no plans that have been made to that effect." Laird stuck to his guns, but in Hawaii, Rusk, McNamara & Co. sought to downplay talk of any bold new measures...
...Careful Downplay. Despite such potential roadblocks, the decision was hailed by railroaders, whose fortunes are improving after a long slump. From 1955 to 1961 the profits of the 102 Class I railroads sagged from $921 million to $382 million. In the past year or so, however, the railroads have begun to hum along again. This year their revenues will rise 2% to $9.6 billion, and profits will jump 10% to a six-year high of $630 million...
Railroaders are going out of their way to downplay their improvement, for fear that it will add to wage demands, make the Interstate Commerce Commission less willing to permit rail mergers, and stall the railroads' drive for relief from high city and state taxes. Railroaders argue that their profit picture has been artificially brightened by the new 7% investment tax credit and liberalized depreciation rules, which together added more than $100 million to railroad earnings in 1962. Though freight revenues are running 2.5% ahead of 1962, railroaders also point out that passenger revenues will slide 4% this year...
Neither brother ever misses an opportunity to downplay himself. Says Jacob, who is chairman of 13 companies: "The only reason I'm on so many boards is that I've been around so long." Marcus is even more self-effacing: "I am nothing," he says, "but a hyphen between generations." In one sense, he is right. His son Marc, 38, has already taken over the presidency of the Enskilda Bank, and is being groomed to be the next head of the clan...
...Macmillan cherished any idea that Kennedy would relent on Skybolt. that hope was foredoomed. Kennedy had been convinced by U.S. Defense Secretary Robert McNamara that Skybolt was not worth the money or effort. The U.S. team at Nassau therefore tried to downplay Skybolt's significance to the conference...