Evening star., 1945-10-14
Sfassen 10 Quit Navy;
Plans Speaking Tour
For 1948 Campaign
BY the Associated Press.

Capt. Harold E. Stassen is leav-
ing the Navy soon and going
back to the political wars with
Nationwide speaking cam
paign.
Friends OF the former Minnesota
Governor, who expects to be in
civilian clothes before December
Is, said yesterday he is a definite. if
unannounced, candidate for the Re-
publican Presidential nomination
in 1948.
Unless he changes his plans, they
said he will not seek any public
office in the meantime. He resigned
as Governor to enter the Navy,
where he served as flag secretary to
Admiral William Halsey.
Plans Active Party Role.
Capt. Stassen apparently plans to
take an active part in Republican
politics in his own State and ma
tionally. In Minnesota, he report
edly will support another candi-
rate against Senator Shipstead, Re-
publicankof Minnesota, but will not
be an as. .5irant himself.
Nationally Capt. Stassen plans to
lay out program in a series of
speeches he will make between now
and convention time in 1948. He
also hopes to build support within
the party for what now seems to
be an uphill battle for the Presi-
dental nomination.
He apparently figures that by
stating the issues he can keep him
self In the public eye and gain sup
port among the younger and less
tradition-minded elements of the
Republican party. He is counting
heavily on the men and women who
are leaving the armed forces to
rally around him.
Domestic Issues Are High.
Because his views on international
affairs are rather widely known,
Capt. Stassen plans to devote much
Of his speaking time to domestic
issues. Before he entered the Navy
he was in the forefront of those who
urged all-out international Coop
GRAFTON to preserve future peace. He
served as one of the American dele
gates to the San Francisco Confer
ence which produced the United Ma
tions Charter.
On the domestic front, friends said
Capt. Stassen will bear down on
proposals to improve labor industry
relations. His most outstanding sug-
gestion along this line is for the es-
tablishment of judicial tribunal,
such as exists in Sweden, for the
settlement Of jurisdictional strikes.
Proposals for balanced budget
and for conservation of natural re-
sources depleted by the war are ex-
pected to be key points in his pro-
gram.
Scattered Backing in Congress.
AS a sort of Independent aspirant,
Capt. Stassen apparently can expect
only scattered backing in Congress.
His proposed program may dovetail
in some respects with that being
worked out by Senate and House
members sof his party, but observ-
ers believe 1t will differ more than
it agrees. .,-..s
Apparently the Stassefl forces will
seek no early test of their strength
within the party.
In the first place, the younger
members who have been in uni
form will need some time to get
interested in politics again. In the
second place, Capt. Stassen's friends
think Gov. Thomas E. Dewey of
New York is too thoroughly en-
trenched in the Republican organi-
zation to be challenged now. They
want to see what happens to Gov.
Dewey in 1916 when he Is expected
to run for reelection as Governor.
Thus the meeting of the party's
national committee in Chicago
early in December is likely to pass
without any attempt by the Stassen
people to attack the leadership of
National Chairman Herbert Brown
ell,