Evening star., 1961-05-07
(njes
and People
Weaver Popular
As Speechmuker
By ROBERT J. LEWIS

Weaver has turned into one
of the "moSt-in-demand"
Speechmakers of the Ken
nedy administration.
He is the Harvard-educated
Washington native who holds
one of the highest Federal
offices ever to go to a Negro
in this country.
Not since the hectic days
Of Wilson Wyatt has a ma
tional housing administrator
been plunged so completely
into the public spotlight.
When Mr.. Wyatt held the
office, the postwar housing
shortage was so acute as to
make it the No. / political
issue.
Today, the future Of Amer
lean cities has become one of
the country'S most obSeSSive
concerns.
What DR.. Weaver thinks
and does about this question
will affect, in one way or
another, the 70 per cent Of
U. S. citizens living in cities.
HHH
RIGHT NOW, he is booked
up heavily, and far into the
future.
Already he has delivered
almost a dozen major
speeches around the country.
He has appeared as a
televiSion guest on Meet the
Press" He has made an
appearance on the Dave Gar
roWay show.
Besides facing Senate in
terrogatorS in highly publi-
cized proceedings, he has
been confronted with the
acid test of news conferences,
and press, radio and maga-
zine interviews.
Strangers are beginning to
recognize him on the street.
Though not a member Of
the. Kennedy cabinet, he has
been accorded public treat
ment almost as a cabinet
member-a role he possibly
could play in the future in
case the housing agency is
raised to cabinet status as
the Department of Urban
Affairs and Housing.
AT FIRST, interest in the
new housing chief inevitably
centered on his being a Negro
and on how this might affect
his viewpoint in housing
matters.
He quickly cleared this up
by forthrightly saying he
believes Federally-supported
housing should be open,
without discrimination as to
race.
Then he explained that. as
a public official, his inten-
ton would be to carry out
the policies laid down by
Congress and the admins
tration.
Having got that issue out
Of the way, he went on to
other matters.
Within a few months, he
has deftly changed from
early status as President
Kennedy's most controver-
Sial nominee" to the more
certain image as a capable,
thinking administrator" as
one associate calls him.
He has accomplished this
largely through his words,
tact and sense of humor.
At Harvard University on
Friday, he told an audience
he had written his doctoral
thesis on the subject, 1.-The
High Wage Theory Of Pros
perity."
Fortunately" he added,
copies of that endeavor are
not now readily available"
IN HIS powerful role, DR..
Weaver has become an
eloquent spokesman for the
future of cities.
ITO abandon our central
cities would be to forsake
the cornerstones of our cul-
ture," he said last week.
1T is only through focus
ing the energies Of the entire
community that great uni
versities, and theaters, and
libraries, and churches, and
commercial and financial in
stitutions are made possible.
ITO fragment the city, and
scatter it's energies through a
score of communities. would
destroy the institutions that
gave it greatness, and the
culture they make possible"
What kind of cities does
DR.. Weaver expect the Gov
ernment to help shape for
the future?
The essence, he says, should
be diversity" in buildings, in
life, and in culture.
1T takes courage to build
the best Of today beside the
best Of yesterday-and to
refuse to be bound by those