Evening star., 1960-04-24

passion Tor facts" backed up by
a belief-formed in years Of ex-
perience in business and govern
ment management - that men.
properly selected and organized,
can cope successfully with the
challenges that confront them.
The person who looks for Sena-
tor Symington's Program for the
1960S" will come away disap-
pointed. In large areas, no such
program exists.
What the Record Shows
Judging by his public pronounce
ments, the MiSsourian would come
to the presidency with:
. Specific, detailed programs in
the areas in which he has spe-
cialized, notably defense, space
and agriculture.
. A clearly defined approach to
other domestic problems, based on
application of the businessman
belief in MISUNDERSTANDING
in education and resource devel-
opment-and his adherence OF
waste, whether it stems from bu-
reaucratic inefficiency, strikes, un-
employment or racial discrimina-
ton. He likes to predict that he
could bring about Federal savings
of 5000 million a week-$l0 billion
year.
. And some rather hazy notions
of what would constitute wise pol
icy in several areas of foreign
affairs.
Senator Symington's approach
to decision making-working up
from the facts rather than work.
ing down from general principles
is so fundamental to the kind
of President he would be that it's
Importance cannot be overstressed.
A hundred examples could be
cited by anyone who has ever
dealt with the Senator, but one
will suffice. Here is Senator Sy-
mington in a 1854 foreign trade
speech: Il am not much impressed
with theoretical rehash, no mat
ter how we'll phraSed, of that old
debate-free trade as against tar
ifs. Such arguments are not per-
suasive. They lack factual con-
tent. . Let each industry argue
its own tariff position on the mer-
its of its own case"
The same insistence on the facts
has been Senator Symington's
great strength in his 15-year
struggle for increased military
preparedness. Time and again, he
has used facts to force his adver-
saries to acknowledge error, mis-
statement or exaggeration..
Freedom Of information
This respect for facts undoubt-
edly is reflected in his emphasis on
freedom of information. When
Senator Symington opened his air
power hearings in 1856, he said:
IF censorship bars the citizen
from access to necessary facts and
expert opinion, his right freely to
speak, freely to publish and freely
to debate the grave and far
reaching problems incident to ma
tional defense become but empty
and useless idealisms."
He has applied this doctrine,
not only as an investigating Sem
ator but as Government admin
istrator When he took over the
scandal-ridden Reconstruction FL
nance Corporation in 1851, his
first step was to orde IA goldfish
bowl" policy that made every step
in the agency's loan operations
open to public scrutiny. If SYM
1ngton as President did not pur-
sue a freedom of information
policy, it would be a startling form
reversal.
Knowing how the Senator ap-
proacheS a problem, one can an
swer three of the questions raised
most frequently about the likely
character of Symington admins
tration.
l. How liberal would it be?
Senator Symington has almost as
liberal a voting record as Senator
Humphrey, but his policies would
probably be several degrees to
the right of Senator Humphrey.
Senator Symington rarely par
ticipates in the process of shaping
legislation outside the fields of his
committee assignmentS-cu
ly, defense, space affairs and ag-
rlculture. That means that most
OF his votes represent judgments
on programs others have concoct-
ed; the programs he votes for are
not necessarily those he would
propose.
NonetheleSS. the fact that hs
votes with Senator Humphrey
nine out of ten times does indi-
cate something about his general
political orientation.
2. Would Symington as Presi-
dent be preoccupied with his own
special interest, defense? Probably
not.
He has certainly been a defense
specialist, as most Senators are
specialists in their chosen fields.
But he has shown a capacity to
learn new fields when he has to.
Aides say, for example. that he