Evening star., 1961-01-19

90 you ike your JOD Oh CIle
The word outside" was
phasis. yearning. an envy. a
vicarious relish. the way a man
in Jail a long time asks about
the world beyond the walls.
"Mr. President" said Gen.
Bradley. "it's wonderful. Oh,
there are still decisions to make
but don't have to make them
the day they're brought in. I
can take several days or even
weeks to make up my mind"
And the President said, mar
yelling, THAT must be wonder
full"
Can't Wait
The incident, aides and as
sociates agree, is the best sim
gle mirror of Dwight D. Eli
senhower's mood in the last
days of his administration. He
is about to close out a half
century of public service and
20 years Of awesome burden,
and he can't wait. He has
been counting the days.
He leaves with a variety of
other emotions but the over
riding one appears to approach
relief. He hungers to relax and
escape tension. He longs for
the luxury. denied him most
of the last 20 years, of living
without fear that a mistake
by him could imperil a civil
lization or nation or army or
single platoon of men.
He leaves with a conviction
Of having done his best. with
pride in much Of his record
Fiscal policy, relative contain
ment of Russia and no shooting
war involving America) and a
deep, abiding disappointment
that In his eight years the
world came no closer to real
peace.
4 Some Sadness
He leaves, too, with some
sadness, with a feeling Of in
ner sentimentality that he
rarely shows in public. After
ALL" said a member Of his
cabinet, you can't be Presi-
dent and then just close the
door and walk out"
He leaves with a sense Of
nostalgia for the White House
he reveres as national symbol,
where in his worst moments OF
stress he wandered alone into
Abe Lincoln's bedroom for eno-
tional sustenance and perspec-
tive, where one long night in
1883 he sat alone waiting for
word that an armistice finally
had been signed in Korea.
He leaves with a private af-
lection for the old house, to
which he returned s.tter two
serious illnesses and a minor
stroke, in which he and Mamie
Eisenhower had the longest
single stay in their As years Of
much-traveled married life.
He leaves with a warm hope
of privacy and a soaring ex-
pectation that he can now play
golf without criticism. He leaves
with two tiny ambitions, poign-
ant in their smallness:
He would like to be able to
decide suddenly to go to a ball
game without fuss. without
galvanizing so people into ac-
ton. He would like. TOO. to be
able to wander through a super
market without commotion. He
is tired Of commotion and curl
GUS about supermarkets.
Fringe Benefits
What will he miss most? He
will miss. we are told. the
fringe benefits of command
and the presidency. He now
leaves the vast executive ma
chinery of Government a
personal staff of 20 and scores
of subordinates. After tomor-
row, he will have only two or
three people on his staff to
call on for help.
He goes from a choice of
airplanes (prop. jet or hell
copter), trains. Naval ships
and cars to his Gettysburg
farm, where the Eisenhowers
have one car "a 1856 Chrysler
limousine), one station wagon
and two jeeps.
He goes from the immense
power and prestige of. the
White House to a farm in
Pennsylvania where, despite
continuing fame and relative
comfort, mans ego will have
to make its own private ad-
justment.
Slowly, day by day. the era
called the Eisenhower years"
has been licked off in a series
OF farewells. In the past two
months, he has said goodby
personally to more than 1000
people, Government executives
and their families who came
in to shake his hand for the
last time.