Evening star., 1960-07-08
BY ROBERT X. WALSH
Star stan Writer

Star staf Writer
Republicans directly con-
cerned with drafting a platform
for their Chicago convention
July 25 are not letting the
Democratic convention resolu-
tions committee in Los Angeles
claim a monopoly in head
aches this week.
The two top G. o. P. officials
in this undertaking, Republi-
can National Chairman Thrus-
ton B. Morton and Platform
Committee Chairman Charles
H. Percy, believe that "areas of
debate and disagreement" in
their party arena are limited
mainly to the farm problem,
old-age health care and per-
haps foreign relations and de-
fense spending.
None of these issues, they
said at a news conference at
Republican national headquar-
ters here yesterday, is as
troublesome as the civil rights
question is to the Democrats.
They anticipate Republican
convention unity on that issue.
9 Platform Speakers
They announced that the
Tuesday, July 19 start of hear
ings for the platform will take
a new approach. The initial
meeting will bring together the
entire 140-member committee
for q public session to hear nine
outstanding guest speakers dis
cuss various aspect of the plat
form theme, Building a Bet
ter America" .,.......-
Those speakers viii be Gov.
Nelson A. Rockefeller of New
York, Secretary of the Treasury
Anderson, Admiral Arthur w.
Radford, retired, former Joint
Chiefs of Staff chairman;
Clarence B. Randall, Special
Assistant to the President for
foreign economic policy; Rep
resentative Byrnes of Wiscon-
sin, chairman of the House
Republican Policy Committee;
Senator Goldwater of Arizona,
representing Senator Bridges
of New Hampshire as chair
man of the Senate Republican
Policy Committee: DR.. Lee A.
DuBridge, president of the
California Institute of Tech
nology and chairman of the
Scientific Advisory Committee
to the Office of Defense Mo-
bilization: DR.. Laurence M.
Gould, Carlton College presi-
dent, who was director of the
Antarctica program for the
United States Commission for
participation in the Interna-
tional GeophySical Year, and
Chairman Morton.
The full committee then will
divide into eight subcommittee
for public hearings July 20 and
21 on specific proposals for in
clusion in the platform. To
save time and cut down dupli-
cation, the committee already
has sent questionnaires to sew
eral hundred organizations in
terested in special fields.
Mr.. Percy said the question:
naire asks what those groups
consider to be this country's
greatest opportunities and most
pressing needs, what specifically
should be done, and what the
Republican Party can do to help
all concerned make the great
est contributions to the ma
tional welfare. Resolutions
committee members also are
being asked whether they think
the platform to be submitted to
the convention July 81 should
be long, short or of medium
length. The 1856 platform con-
tanned $4,000 words.
Mr.. Percy planned to confer
again today with Vice President
Nixon. He said Mr.. Nixon con-
SiderS the platform and cam
paign issues more important
than anything else" and has
been extremely generous in his
time" in giving the committee
his stand on issues.
Mr.. Percy emphasized, how
ever, that neither Mr.. Nixon
nor anyone else "is telling lis
what to do" He reported that
he conferred for three hours
Wednesday with Gov. Nelson A.
Rockefeller in New York and
discussed some obvious areas
where there are differences of
opinion" between Mr.. Nixon
and the New York Governor.
But this is not to be de-
plored," Mr.. Percy declared.