those attending become involved in politics to ensure Canada adopted free enterprise enabling policies in a similar manner to attempt by President Reagan to cut regulations. On May 12, 1981, Ford called for the United States, the Soviet Union, and other countries to work toward avoiding what "could be a flash point of an outbreak of military conflict on a broad scale" within the Middle East. In August 1981, Ford stated that Reagan's advisors did not tamper anything in their delay to inform the president of the assault by Libyan jets on U.S. fighter planes, furthering that he was not in a position to criticize them and that President Reagan would have been notified were the attack to have been more costly. In September 1981, Ford advised Reagan against succumbing to Wall Street demands and follow his own agenda for the economic policies of the US during an appearance on Good Morning America: "He shouldn't let the gurus of Wall Street decide what the economic future of this country is going to be. They are wrong in my opinion." On October 14, Ford stated his disapproval for the House of Representatives voting against the Reagan administration's $8.5 billion Saudi arms package and his support for Reagan's economic policy, stating that Reagan "inherited an economic mess from his predecessor, and it needed shock therapy. In six months the economy should be turning upward." On October 20, 1981, Ford stated stopping the Reagan administration's Saudi arms package could have a large negative impact to American relations in the Middle East during a news conference. On November 12, in response to a published story in which Budget Director David Stockman referred to President Reagan's tax cut program as a "Trojan horse" effort to assist the wealthy, Ford stated that Stockman's inexperience had led him to "let his conversation run away." He also asserted that the comments would not hinder President Reagan's economic recovery program, which in his view would be vindicated with the passage of time should Americans approve of it. On December 11, Ford met with President Reagan in the Oval Office for discussions on Libyan threats against the United States and how the latter's administration would counter it. While speaking to reporters afterward, Ford stated that he believed the administration could achieve a balanced budget and "should set a goal and say we're going to have a balanced budget in 1983,