Evening star., 1952-01-20

HARRY TRUMAN seemed to be
IL having the time Of his life.
Topic A in every political camp
In the country-Republican as well
as Democratic-was the Presidents
intention for 1852. The whole Re-
publican machinery was geared to
beat Truman, regardless Of who
happened to be nominated. by the
G. o. P. in July. The Southern
mavericks, at a Governors meet
ing, in effect served notice that
they would take q walk again If
the champion of civil rights car
ried the Democratic standard in
the campaign.
Well-informed observers (who
upon occasion had turned out to
be neither well-informed nor OBJ
servant) were predicting that The
Man would or that The Man
wouldn't. Often they used the
same set Of facts, suppositions and
indications to bolster their respec-
tive arguments.
A Democratic national commit
teeman opined that the President
needed rest and ought to run for
the Senate. Other politicos under
wrote the Chief Executives physi-
cal fitness and assured listeners
that he would be in there fighting
come Democratic: convention time
July 21.
Senator Kefauver, the coonskin-
capped Tennessee Democrat whose
1851 Hooper rating on Tv rivaled
Milton Berle's, went to the White
House to talk politics. Himself
Democratic hopeful for '52, he had
nothing to say about his meeting
with the Chief Executive after 1t
was over. His Kefauver-for-Presi
dent clubs continued to navigate
uncharted waters in their effort to
make port at 1900 Pennsylvania
avenue NV. next January.
Out at the grass roots (that
fabled land that exists mainly in
politicians minds, up at the long
oak bar of the National Press Club,
in the cloakrooms and galleries of
Capitol Hill, the professional and
amateur politicians doped his in
tentions with all the calm confu-
sion and studied inefficiency of con-
f1rmed horse players.
Late last week, a political col
umnist asserted fatty that Presi-
dent Truman had given up the
idea of running, and was in favor
of Gov. Adlai Stevenson of Illinois
as the Democratic nominee. And,
simultaneously, a freshman Demo-
cratic Congressman quoted the
President as having told him pri-
vately, II have never quit a fight
or run away from anything"
1t was simple, anywhere, to find
some one who would tell you the
President was going to run-and
undertake to prove it. It was
equally easy to locate some one
vino knew positively-and could
prove-that Mr.. Truman would not
run. The man who dared admit
that he could not read the Presi-
dents mind was in the minority.
But of all the wise ones, he seemed
to be the wisest of all.
Senator Paul Douglas proved
himself to be such a man last week.
Asked his opinion of Mr.. Truman's
intention, the Illinois Democrat
said in a television interview, II
don't think he knows himself. But
he is enjoying himself to the full.
I, for one, do not begrudge him
that pleasure"
Through it all, Mr.. Truman sat
back and gave every indication OF
the enjoyment Senator Douglas
had noticed. In nearly seven years
in the White House, things had
come at him with a speed and fire.
quency that would give any one
misgivings. But the problem OF
outguessing the wise ones about
his intentions was not one Of them.
He was playing game he knew as
well as any man and relished better
than most-the great game Of
politicS.