This is an unofficial estimate of Senate support for Senator Harrison Williams’ (D-NJ) mass transit bill, dated March 6, 1963, taken by “a hastily convened meeting, including municipal people, [the American Transit Association], railroad, county, suppliers…” It was sent from Williams’ staffer Ardee Ames to White House Senate liaison Mike Manatos.

Instead of “yes” or “no,” the check sheet was filled out in terms of “R” (right) or “W” (wrong) from Williams’ perspective. The vote count shows 45 solid and 13 leaning Williams’ way in favor of final passage of the mass transit bill and also showed 38 solid and 16 leaning towards Williams’ position on whether or not the bill should make its funding guaranteed contract authority (which Williams favored) instead of leaving it up to future appropriations.

(The final bill passed by the Senate on April 4, did not have contract authority but the final passage vote was 52 to 41. Senators that the staff count had down as a lean or hard “yes” who wound up voting “no” were Boggs (R-DE), Bayh (D-IN), Cooper (R-KY), Muskie (D-ME), McIntyre (D-NH), Edmondson (D-OK) and McGee (D-WY). Senators who were down as “no” on the staff count but wound up voting for the bill were Russell (D-GA) and Andersen (D-NM).

From the folder “Transportation” in Box 10 of the Office Files of Mike Manatos in the Lyndon Johnson Presidential Library.