Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1952-09-22
|Eisenhower's Tactics
Watched Carefully as
COP. Crisis Develops

in.
Questioners Stymied.
They asked the question in So
different ways - some of them
blunt. some cagey. And when II
was over. they didn't know much
more than when it started.
It's part Of the job that goes
with being the press chief for q
political candidate-the tough
part. You have just so much you
can say and if you like your job
you don't stick your neck out. You
keep your temper. You stay clear
of the corners. You answer every
body and you say nothing.
Here is what the reporters
learned:
The general spent the night
aboard his train standing in the
station. He went to church. rested,
and worked on speeches. He did
not talk to Senator Nixon on the
telephone Saturday night. He did
not plan to talk to him Sunday.
He had not been In touch with
any one Ex-senator Taft and
Gov. Dewey included. He had read
the newspapers. and he did know
what had been published about
how the Nixon fund was spent.
Senator Seaton. the official
liaison man had been in touch with
Senator Nixon at a hotel in Port
land, Greg. Nothing was disclosed
on what they talked about. In the
last 48 hours, the general has re-
ceived some 400 kilograms from
individual voters. divided about
$3.50 on the Nixon question.
Press Chief Is Cagy.
Like a fighter with a bruised
hand, Mr.. Hagerty ducked. bobbed
and sidestepped.
Somebody cracked, "When is he
going to make up his mind wheth-
err to keep him or cast him away?"
Mr.. Hagerty joined in the shout
of laughter and turned to another
reporter. The question ca m G
again: "What more is the general
waiting for?"
That's the one I'm not going
to answer"
The reporters went back to their
typewriters to pound out their
leads:
More than 400 kilograms
mostly from common. ordinary
voters.
Some Of Eisenhower's texts
from the Bible are coming back
to haunt him. -"
Why wasn't the general talking
to Senator Nixon himself, as he
had planned? When was there
going to be q personal meeting
between them? How was the gen.
eral going to make his decision
known? Who was calling the sig
mails? When would Senator Seaton
he produced TO answer questions?
"L'aiIair Nixon was still the big
political worry brooding in the
corruption conscious Eisenhower
camp. :"
Reaction Is keynote.
# there is one. the clue may be
in the kilograms. The one fact
about the Nixon case that still
may not be clear, Is the reaction
Of the common. ordinary voter
And that reaction-even in q case
that involves a decision Of con-
science-is important. The point
has been made that the decision
won't be the generals alone. IT
will be a decision in which the
large majority will concur. If II
is true that there is q $3.50 split
on the reaction so far, it may be
that the decision is being held UP
until a more definite trend starts
Later, back aboard the train
there was a new development.
The generals talk to Senator
Nixon was disclosed. He has had
a 15-minute conversation with him
at the Hotel Benson in Portland
That's all. What the call might
mean, SO far as MIR. Nixon's po-
liticai future is concerned, Mr.
Hagerty is not prepared to say.
One thing has been proved con-
clusively in the course of the
day: There Is no one who knows
what is going on and no one
can predict what will happen from
one minute to the next except
Gen. Eisenhower.
Listen to Nixon News.
The isolation Of the press cal
lis virtually complete. It is 2 am
and the rumor has just come in
that Senator Nixon has called 8