The people's voice. [volume] (Helena, Mont.) 1939-1969, 1961-12-15
WATCH ON The POTOMAC



from his State Department post still
looks, to outsiders, like victory for
the small clique of Bowles-haters who
are close to the President. In public
terms, it also may look like a White
House concession to the right-wing
extremists whom the President only
recently denounced.
1t was belief that group of inner
circle haters were out to get Adlai
Stevenson that caused so much con-
sternation here when stories began
to tell of Mayor Daley's sudden dis
covery that he needed Stevenson to
run for the Senate. Daley, it was felt,
would not act without consulting
National Chairman Bailey, who would
have checked the White House.
The stories had all the earmarks
of a Kennedy to Bailey to Daley
play or, as one writer put it, a poll
tical version of Thinkers to Evers to
Chance.
Stevenson moved quickly, however,
to end the speculation about running
for the Senate. The President ex-
pressed his pleasure that Stevenson
the United Nations. But this did not
end the discussion.
Why do the questions persist?
So far as conservative Republicans
are concerned they have drawn a bead
on Stevenson, Bowles and Mrs. Roose-
welt as a way of shooting down the
whole Administration. These attacks
are to be expected. If any of the trio
makes a major political error the con-
sequences will undoubtedly be swift
and sure.
But a hate-Bowles faction, un-
mindful of what the Democrats owe
Bowles for his work among Negroes
and civil rights groups, is still busy
in the White House and at the Ma
tional Committee. They may be a
little less open about their attacks
on Stevenson because his defenders
are more willing to fight in the
open than Bowles' friends. But they
will still try to get him, if they can.
Their motives, we are told, are
pure: they want only to protect the
President. But the so-called "hard-
boiled" advisers may turn out to be
less than brilliant. They may think
they are helping the President by
seeking to associate him from Stew
enson or by driving wedge between
the two men.
BY the ''hard cold logic" they so
fondly talk about, they may find that
such maneuvers grievously wound the
President. To thousands of Americans
Stevenson symbolizes gentility, civil
liked behavior and sensitivity to social
change. This is true even among
those who do not always agree with
MS policies, foreign or domestic.
There is still another aspect so far
as Stevenson is concerned.
LED EFFORT TO SAVE THE U. N.
Probably more than any one man
he can claim credit for having saved
he United Nations.
After Dag Hammarskjold's death
here developed a vacuum at the
j. N. The Russians were seeking by
he troika and other methods to de-
troy it. The French had behaved
,adly at the time of Hammarskj old's
'isit to Tunisia. The Tshombe clique
vas defying the u. N. at Elisabeth
lille.
Stevenson, practicing quiet diplo-
macy, filled that vacuum. He forced
1alerian Zorin, in the face of ire
nendous personal abuse from the
russian, to reverse himself and even
ually to accept u Thant as Acting
secretary General. He fought hard
or a strong secretariat so that the
oviets shelved their campaign for
he troika.
I mention these points lest some
f Stevenson's opponents are deluded
ITO thinking that his adherents have
eveloped sort of "cult of the per-
onality'' that is not solidly based