National Affairs: A Man Who

Speaking in Los Angeles, senior Democratic Politico Harry Truman ventured a prediction: “I am telling you that the man, in my opinion, who will not be nominated for President on the Democratic ticket is one who will divide the country on race, religion or foreign policy.” That prediction could be taken as a poke at such leading Democratic possibilities as Massachusetts’ Jack Kennedy, a Roman Catholic, and Minnesota’s Hubert Humphrey, who has strongly liberal foreign policy notions. But Truman’s reverse description of The Man Who was also carefully tailored to promote the Democrat that Truman actually would like to see get the nomination: Missouri’s Senator Stuart Symington, who. even while making all the moves of a presidential candidate, has carefully avoided getting himself entangled with divisive issues.

Last week, back from a tour of Europe (a must for potential candidates), where he visited NATO’s General Lauris Norstad and West Berlin’s Mayor Willy Brandt (“great fella”), handsome Stu Symington held a news conference. Was he a candidate for the Democratic nomination? Reply: “I appreciate the thought. But at this time I have no organization and no plans.” But would he refuse a draft? Reply: “I’m in the business of politics. Of course I wouldn’t refuse. I wouldn’t refuse anything like that.” Stu Symington had avoided saying anything divisive: everyone who understood politics’ language could agree that he meant that he wanted the nomination—bad.