Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1961-10-01
BY ALAN EMORY
Contributing Writer

BY ALAN EMORY
Contributing Writer
Nelson A. Rockefeller is COM
plotting step one in his orsaniza-
ton plan to capture the 1864
Republican presidential nominal
ton.
The Governor of New York has
aimed the beam Of Rockefeller
charm and personality on the
nucleus Of G. o. P. conservatism
that has controlled the Republican
fortunes in the latest session of
Congress and forms the heart Of
Republican activity in the hust-
ings.
This means risking the unhap-
piness of the Republican liberals
who have led the Rockefeller
campaign efforts in the past-men
like Senator Jacob K. JavitS of
New York-but Gov. Rockefeller
has apparently determined that
the liberals have nowhere to go
except to his banner. The field
to be captured is that occupied
by the middle of-the-roaders and
the right-wingers who have stead
lastly opposed the idea of a
Rockefeller candidacy in the past.
To ingratiate himself with his
hitherto opponents. Gov Rookie
teller is now concentrating on the
Republican leaders in Congress.
Representative Halleck of Indiana
in the House and Senator McKin-
ley Dirksen of Illinois in the Sen
ate. Before adjournment Gov.
Rockefeller went from an Inter
state Commerce Commission hear
ing to the Capitol, where he
lunched for an hour with the
stars of the Ev and Charlie Show.
Skips the Liberals
The Governor skipped any visit
to the liberal Republicans and did
not bother to let the office Of
either New York Senator know he
was coming to the Capitol. The
important thing, from his view
point, was to see Mr.. Halleck and
Mr.. Dirksen and discuss the big
Issues with them.
Twice in upstate New York last
week, once in Watertown and
again in the lumber town of Tup-
per Lake. Mr.. Rockefeller at
tempted to erase the liberal label
SO often associated with his pol
ieieS. He called the terms lib
eral" and conservative" very
misleading. Issues. the Governor
declared, should be judged by how
a businessman would handle them,
rather than by the liberal or con-
sentative approach.
The drawback of such an APP
proach, he added. was that the
public figures policies had already
been prejudged by those who had
to agree or disagree.
Mr.. Rockefeller's major rival for
the 1864 nomination, former Vice
President Nixon, thinks the New
Workers. strategy is shrewd. The
Governor has, within the space
OF few weeks:
Reversed his position on financ-
ing the foreign aid program.
Shifted the emphasis Of his
views on Federal aid to educa-
ton.
Watered down his position ia
voring liberal welfare programs.
He even changed his position on
how to name a new school board
in New York City so abruptly that
he left the Republican candidate
for mayor stuck with the old
Rockefeller stand while Rocky
Joined up with the Democrats.
Risks Some Of Margin
Mr.. Rockefeller, in aiming for
1864 conservative delegates this
early, is obviously rlsking some of
the fat margin he hopes to roll
up in next years gubernatorial
campaign in New York. His
strategists had been aiming ct
Rockefeller spread of between
100000 and a million votes, COM
pared with the .00o-vote edge
in 1858. To get this margin the
Governor would have to receive
considerable support from Dem
ocrats and members of the Liberal
Party. In fact, the Governor
harbors a. secret hope Of becom-
ing the liberal, as well as the
Republican, nominee.
Yet the way Mr.. Rockefeller
has been acting lately, his chances
Of winning much of that support
are fading. He does have the ad-
vantage of the deep Democratic
split in New York that> was
dramatized by the mayoralty
primary won by Mayor Robert
F. Wagner over the organization
machine.
But his new positions on foreign
aid, school aid and welfare may
prove costly so far as New York
in 1862 is concerned, and that
precedes the 1854 convention by
a good 10 months.
One development that impelled
Mr. Rockefeller along the con-
sentative path was the response