Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1956-05-04
Aides Defended
|RyPresidentin
Chotiner Case
Does Not Believe
Members Guilty Of
UnethicuI Conduct
BY GOULD LINCOLN

President Eisenhower today de-
Tended his staff against any
suggestion of unethical pro-
|cedure in contacts with Murray
Chotiner, California lawyer and
campaign manager for Vice
President Nixon, who has been
questioned by Senate investi-
gators regarding his employment
by two clothing manufacturers
on the Governments blacklist.
The President, questioned at
his press conference about the
testimony that Mr.. Chotiner had
on two occasions asked White
House aides to help him in other
cases, said that he had laid down
two rules for his staff in such
matters.
The first, he said, is that all
persons be treated courteously;
that there should be no arro-
gance in the treatment of any
visitor to the White House.
The second rule, the President
continued, is that If anyone ever
claims privilege, even in the mat
ter Of getting an introduction to
someone, he is to be promptly
thrown out.
Believes Rules Observed
The President said he couldn't
believe any member of his staff
had violated either of these rules.
In addition the President
pointed out that in each case in
which Mr.. Chotiner had request
ed a White House aide to help
him contact another Govern
ment official, the Civil Aeronau-
tics Board had ruled against Mr..
Chotiner'S clients. One case had
to do with the North American
Airlines and the other with Cali
fornia Central Airlines.
The President said he had not
reviewed the testimony before
the Senate committee, but that
he had received many reports
since Mr.. Chotiner testified. He
was asked if he had any recipe
for a code of conduct for White
House officials in dealing with
requests for introductions to
Government officials. It was in
reply that he mentioned the two
rules he had laid down.
The two White House staff
members to whom Mr.. Chotiner
had appealed were Maxwell
Rabb and Charles Willis. The
latter has since left the staff.
Nixon Timing" Questioned
The President was asked why
there had been a change in
timing for an announcement by
Vice President Nixon that he
would run again. A reporter said
it was understood earlier that
the President was not going to
have any comment on a vice
presidential choice until after
his own nomination.
The President replied he did
not know what was meant by a
change in the timing of Mr..
Nixon's announcement. He said
that when Mr.. Nixon did say he
would be available, he, the Pres
ident, had said he was "de-
lighted" But, the President
added, he had not said what the
convention will do.
1t has been generally believed.
however, that the Vice Presi-
dents announcement and the
Presidents expression of pleas
ure settled the makeup of the
Republican ticket.
The President was asked, too.
whether he intended to increase
his work schedule in the light
OF Democratic criticisms that he
would be only a part-time Presi-
dent. He replied that he was
carrying a full working schedule;
that his doctors had told him
he could carry it indefinitely.
The President commented that
when he had announced he
would run again, he had said he
would curtail some of his social
activities and he had done so,
limiting them to visiting heads
of states. He said he will resume
some of the normal social
See POLITICS, Page Az