Evening star., 1960-10-30
Nixon Appears Confident His Drive
Is looming Toword Successful Peak
By CECIL HOLLAND
Star star writer

N@A SsSAA NNAANSA
CHICAGO, Oct. 20. - With
the election only q little more
than a week OF, Vice President
Nixon feels confident Of VIC
tory.
This. it can be said, is not
just the traditional brave front
of the offlce-Seeker. It Is the
Republican nominees own per-
sonal conviction as his cam
paign enters a stretch drive
that will be topped of with a
visit to Alaska.
His confidence. expressed
even more in conversation than
In his platform performance.
has dispelled any pessimiSm
there may have been in the
Nixon camp in the face OF
widespread opinion that Sem
ator Kennedy, his opponent.
was gaining in strength.
Any doubts on this score, the
Vice President feels, should
have been removed by the In
tensive campaigning this week
through four major industrial
States where the outcome of
the election, in all likelihood,
win be determined - PennSyl-
vania. Ohio, Michigan and nli-
nois.
Stretch Counts
Mr.. Nixon, who made his
final appeal for the 27 electoral
votes of Illinois in a shopping
center tour of Chicago's sub
urban areas today, believes the
large and enthusiastic crowds
which greeted him have vindi-
Gated his campaign schedule
and timing and that his drive
is now zooming toward q peak.
In politics as on the race track,
he points out, it Is the stretch
drive that counts.
The decision to make the
Alaskan trip, which has been
officially announced, was the
Vice Presidents own. Aside
from fulfilling his promise to
campaign in all so States. it
reflects Mr.. Nixon'S own conf
dence.
Some Of his advisers coun-
Selled against the Alaskan trip
as q futile bid for three elec-
toral votes which Mr.. Nixon
has little or no hope of getting.
They argued that the time and
the money (about $30,000)
would be used better on a clos
ing television broadcast, but
they were overruled.
So far Mr.. Nixon has cam
paigned in Al States. He viii!
hit. two more-South Carolina
and Wyoming-in his closing
drive that will take him again
to Pennsylvania and New York
and then across the country to
his home State Of California.
Closing Boost
Mr.. Nixon. who was highly
pleased with President Eisen-
hower's ringing Endorsement
Dast night, was looking forward
TO next Wednesdays appear
Ance with the President and
his running mate, Henry Cabot
Lodge, to giving a closing boost
to his campaign.
The Republican nominee, 1t
is understood, also has some ,
campaign surprises up his po.
litical sleeve such as his prom
lse to visit RusSia's captive ma
tiors If he is elected President. I;
The" response received by the
Vice President to that, and an ,
other major policy statement
on nuclear testing that could
lead to summit meeting next
year, has been so good that Mr.. :
Nixon may have others to help
build the image in the minds
of voters that he is more quail
fed than Senator Kennedy to !
deal with the Russians.
However confident he is, Mr.. {
Nixon views the election as
exceedingly close, at least in
terms Of popular vote, with !
still a large number Of voters {
undecided or noncommittal on |
their choice.
For this reason the closing {
week Of the campaign will see
the Vice President concentra-
ting his drive in New York, (
Pennsylvania and California. t
The Nixon camp is aiming |
It's Sunday punch at New York S
next week. Besides the candi- 1
date himself, strategistS are
counting heavily on President
Eisenhower and the vice presi- Il