The Presidental Estate and the Parliament building are each connected with the sunken highway by a circular ramp. Kahn explained the revised proposal in his letter to Sir Robert Matthew of Scotland, on January 8, 1965:
"I have given more detailed study to the President's Estate, the Presidential Square and its buildings. I have changed the President's House to strengthen its architecture. The position of the entrance buildings and the President's Personal Secretariat is essentially the same... The landscaping of the two hills and the lake area harboured by the three hills is now more understandable.
"The National Monument on the square in place of the Cabinet Building is suggested out of the recent realization that it could be a new concept of Minaret embodying a small chapel raised above the level of the square, and a special platform from where one could preach facing Mecca towards a chapel and facing the multitude on the square. The square is being suggested as a roofless Hall of Meeting.
"The building for the Council of Islamic Ideology is simplified and woven into it the Cabinet Building. This building promises, I believe, to be one of the more interesting buildings I have designed. The Assembly Building has remained essentially the same. Its shape was praised by Noguchi who was in to see me a
few days ago. He helped to strengthen my mind about its relationship to the rest of the composition. I have improved the landscaping and the street and traffic conceptions."
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