Evening star., 1944-12-15
Six Stettinius
Aides Now Face
in Senate
Committee Rejects
MocLeish Twice, but
FinolIy Approves Him
By the Associated Press.

FInuHy approves him
By the Associated Press.
The Senate, a little bewildered
by the see-sawing antics of its
Foreign Relations Committee,
had a chance for itself today to
consider six new State Depart
ment appointments.
The see-sawing was largely over
Poet-Librarian Archibald MacLeish,
who was rejected twice by the COM
mittee and then squeaked through
by a lilo vote indorsing him for
Assistant Secretary of State.
Headed by Joseph c. Grew, named
for Undersecretary of State, the six
nominations by President Roosevelt
went on the calendar with COM
mittee< approval Chairman Con-
nally hoped for speedy action. but
said he had learned to expect al
most anything.
Wagner Proxy Aids MacLeish.
There remained the possibility the
Senate would insist on taking up
first the Presidents nominations OF
former Gov. Robert Hurley of Con-
necticut and 1t. Col. Edward Heller
to the Surplus War Property Board.
Or it might busy itself with other
affairs.
Five nominees for Assistant Secre-
tary of State got on the committees
approval list in addition to Mr..
Grew. But only belated tele-
phoned proxy from Senator Wagner.
Democrat, of New York put Mr..
MacLeish in the select company.
Along with Mr.. Grew, Brig. Gen.
Julius c. Holmes proved the most
popular of the six nominees, each
with a 15-4 committee vote of conf
dence. James c. Dunn won 1875
approval, Nelson Rockefeller 1877
and Will l.. Clayton III.
Mr.. MacLeish. a friend of the
President who has served as Lii
brarian of Congress for several
years, first was turned down by a
1878 vote when an unusual COM
bination of Republicans and New
Dealers opposed him. Then Sen
ators Pepper, Democrat, of Florida
and Murray. Democrat, of Montana
changed their votes to favor him.
but Mr.. MacLeish ran afoul of 4
1910 tie. That also meant an ad-
verse report.
Guffey Seeks to Change Vote.
| While Chairman Connally was an
nouncing the result at news con-
ference, however. Senator Guffey,
Democrat. of, Pennsylvania, tele-
lphoned him hurriedly and asked to
change his ballot, Senator Connally
then announced that Mr.. MacLeish
had been given 11-to-9 approval.
I But when Senator Clark, Demo-
crat, of Missouri, found out about
this, he demanded and got another
/ meeting in which he was said by
other Senators to have told his COL
leagues that if Senator Guffey got
chance to change his vote, the
nominations would be talked to
death in the Senate.
| Senator Connally said Senator
Guffey withdrew his request. The
Pennsylvania told reporters the
committee wouldn't let him change
| his vote.
| Previously, on the second ballot
on Mr.. MacLeish, Senator Connally
had attempted to vote the proxy Of
Senator Glass of Virginia who has
been i'll and has not attended
Senate session in months. ..,
Senator Clark objected, asserting
that he did not believe Senator
Glass personally had given approval
of the action. Senator Connally said
later no attempt would be made to
record Senator Glass on the issue.
/ The committee, however, kept the
roll open, meanwhile, for absentee
Senators Wagner and Nye, Repub-
lican, of North Dakota.
Unable to Reach Nye.
| Senator Wagner came through
with a proxy favorable to Mr., Mac
Leish early in the evening. Senator
Nye, expected to oppose the appoint
ment as had other committee Re-
publicans, was not reached Tiring
of waiting, Senator Connally filed
AiAso oAiSAoA 4CPoAb u. d SOuJlc Vi llOuTS
before the midnight deadline. He
explained he would tell the Senate
about it if Senator Nye,s vote was
received later.
All this left Mr. MacLeish the chief
target for projected bipartisan at
tack in the Senate. 1t will be spear
headed by Senator Clark. who saws
he can't understand Mr.. MacLeish's S
poetry.
The other nominees had their
directors, too.
! Senators Pepper, Murray, Guffey
and La Toilette, Progressive, of
Wisconsin were operating in a tight
combine attempting to send all OF
the appointments back to the Presi-
dent. They lost such move in the
committee yesterday, planned to
renew 1t in some form or other in
the Senate.