National Affairs: Firing Up the Calliope

Back from Europe came a group of House Republicans with an exhilarating report. They went to study the foreign-aid program, and used the occasion to study Ike Eisenhower. True, whenever they had tried to get politically confidential, Eisenhower had hurriedly called in two of his aides. One returning Republican said: “It was like getting ready to propose to your girl, then having her kid brothers bust in on you.” But each Republican got the same definite impression: although Ike was not saying, he would be available, in case anyone was still seriously in doubt. And his freely expressed fears about the growth of U.S. bureaucracy convinced them that “he sounds more & more like a Republican.”

Earthy Aura. Eisenhower men are wasting no time. Eisenhower-for-President headquarters are already staked out in Kansas, longtime home of the Eisenhower family. Ex-Senator Harry Darby of Kansas City, astute, wealthy G.O.P. national committeeman, who took over control of the state Republican machine from Alf Landon, is in charge. Kansas and Darby will give Ike’s candidacy a genuine home-grown and earthy aura. The Kansans are grateful for Eisenhower’s support from Eastern industrialists and political leaders, but do not want to get Ike too thoroughly identified with them. They are even thinking of balancing the ticket by agreeing to Illinois’ Senator Everett Dirksen for Vice President, though Dirksen’s senatorial toga often looks like the mantle of the Chicago Tribune.

Professionals from other quarters are coming into Eisenhower’s camp. Tom Dewey has already made a strong declaration for Ike (TIME, Oct. 23). Dewey’s 1948 campaign manager, Herbert Brownell, has conferred with another top Eisenhower strategist, Pennsylvania’s fiery redhead, Senator Jim Duff. One of Duff’s jobs, among many others, is to keep Pennsylvania from going over to Ohio’s Robert Taft, whom Duff supported in ’48, after first trying to put over Arthur Vandenberg.

Taft men are already beating the country: his good friend (and second cousin) David Sinton Ingalls, and Ben E. Tate have visited 23 states, talking up Taft.

Among the majority of Republican pros, particularly in the Midwest and South, Taft is a man of stature and strong appeal who talks their language and whose party identity is sure and clear. After Wendell Willkie, these professional Republicans had enough of winged political zebras.

Much as Taft reflects their convictions, however, many of the pros still have to be convinced that he could win the election.

They are sure that Ike could, not so sure that Ike would be as easy for party regulars to deal with, once he got into the White House.

Eisenhower supporters intend to wait until the last note of the MacArthur hullabaloo has faded away before they bring their man out. They also want to wait until Congress has adjourned and Taft no longer has his best sounding board. Their plan then is to fire up the calliope, and some time in the fall — probably around Sept. 15 — start the Ike Eisenhower band wagon really rolling. The timing trick is not to bring out Ike’s candidacy so soon that he can be knocked over, or to delay it so long that there will be no time for fence-building, campaigning. Ideal time for this first note on the calliope as the pros see it : nine months before next July’s Republican convention.