Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1958-03-05
|DisabilityPact
SCALED Legal.
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Continued From First Page
ever had been acting Presi-
dent" at any time during Mr.
Eisenhower's three illness-his
1855 heart attack. his 1856
ileitis operation and his stroke
like cerebral occlusion last
November rs.
He replied with q fiat mo-
| Mr.. Eisenhower said he had
thought a question like that
lcould be posed on the basis OF
whether Mr.. Nixon would have
been acting President If any
presidential decisions had been
rquired at certain times when
he was i'll. He added that Il
would say yes to that.
As it was, Mr.. Eisenhower
Isaid no occasion for exercising
presidential duties and powers
had arisen when he was unable
Ito carry them out himself.
He remarked that il some-
thing had come up during the
flew hours he was unconscious
lon the operating table during
This ileitis operation, Mr.. Nixon
would have had to make the
decision.
Asked If bills signed by Mr..
Nixon as acting President DUR
ing a possible long disability Of
the President would have the
effect of law. Mr.. Eisenhower
said he believes the Vice Pres
ident would have to do any
thing that the President would
be required to do as long as he
was discharging the Presi-
Dental powers and duties.
He added that Attorney Gen.
eral Rogers is planning a press
conference at which he will try
to answer in more detail such
constitutional questions.
Mr.. Eisenhower emphasized
that he and Mr.. Nixon were not
trying to rewrite the Constitu-
ton, but Just provide some ar
rangement to take care of a
possible crisis before Congress
acted to resolve uncertainties in
the Constitution.
Anything Imaginable
Asked If the arrangement
might not lead to a sort Of
musical chairs" Of changing
back and forth, Mr.. Eisenhower
said that of course most any
kind Of situation could be inn
agined.
But he stressed that he and
Mr.. Nixon are acting in good
faith, trying to do what's good
for the country.
Under their arrangement,
Mr.. Eisenhower said the Vice
President would have the "ulti-
mate and exclusive decision" in
regard to taking over as "act-
ing President" in event the
President should be unable to
communicate with him.
Then, Mr.. Eisenhower added,
1t would be his own exclusive
decision as to when he was
recovered sufficiently to resume.
his duties.
! He told a questioner that If
b man should be so deranged
as to think he was recovered
when he was not, then there
would have to be something
else.
Favors Amendment
While situations can be
imagined for which it would
be almost impossible to write
a workable formula, the Presi-
dent said he believed the con-
stitutional amendment intro
duced in the Senate yesterday
was completely sound.
The proposed amendment,
sponsored by a group of nine
Democratic and Republican
members Of the Senate Judici-
airy Committee, would provide
for the Vice President to be-
come acting President when
ever the President declared in
writing his inability to dis
charge his duties.
If an ailing President failed
or was unable to declare his
inability, the Vice President
coul dtake over upon approval
by a majority of the cabinet.
The President could resume
his Office on seven days notice.
If the Vice President should not
agree that the presidential dis
ability had ended. he could
appeal to Congress which by
two-thirds vote could keep the
Vice President on as acting
President.
This proposal is in line with
an amendment previously pro-
posed by the administration
The main difference is the
seven days notice required for
a recovered President to resume
his duties.