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Show Despite a reluctance to discuss it, reports persist and indications are that Vice President Richard M. Nixon is quietly urging the President to "purge" any and all Administration officials proving embarrasing during the coming GOP campaign. This is certainly not to suggest that the Vice President will urge the President to drop every one of his aides whom Democrats criticize, which would be nonsense. non-sense. Or that everyone who might prove a liability can be eased off the Washington firing line. And certainly, there will be scores of official resignations in this final year of the President's term that have nothing to do with political liability. The Vice President does realize however, that there have been many key members of the official offi-cial family who, while possibly guiltless of actually violating savvy and finesse in their private pri-vate and official affairs. Such improprieties as are under un-der the scrutiny of the House Sub-committee on Legislative Oversight that is probing regulatory regula-tory agencies are also under the added scrutiny of the Vice President Presi-dent and his political ally, Attorney At-torney General William Rogs. Whenever there is the slightest impression of impropriety, the White House is being urged, often of-ten despite great political pressure, pres-sure, to make little or no effort whatsover to keep on the accused except when basic policies might be involved. The quick resignation under fire recently of John Doerfer, chairman of the Federal Communications Commu-nications Commission, after he accepted the "hospitality" of the radio-TV chain owner George Nixon backers say that his concern over the political effects of wrongdoing and conflicts of interest, etc., serve as a valuable insurance against it. Critics say that Nixon would be more inclined in-clined to avoid scandal by allowing allow-ing tainted aides to slip quietly out of office without prosecution. prosecu-tion. But former high administration administra-tion aides, notably Sherman L. Adams of the Bernard Goldfine fame) have charged that Nixon "threw them to the wolves," that he is a man who ruthlessly prunes people the moment they become liabilities in contrast to Harry Truman for example, who stuck by his cronies regardless, or Dean Acheson, who wouldn't "turn his back on Alger Hiss." President Eisenhower's recent endorsement of Nixon for the GOP nominating, while hardly surprising, is interpreted as a sign that he is to be given still greater power in the Administration. Adminis-tration. Nixon is expected to have a more potent, if not freer hand, in dealing with "political milstones" as well as those politically po-litically embarrassing for wrongdoing. wrong-doing. This is why rumors persist that Secretary of Agriculture Ezra Taft Benson will, despite denials, be eased out of the Administration Administra-tion before the election. Benson denies it. But there are growing rumors that Nixon would like Benson "kicked upstairs" into a key post with the United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization, to appease Farm Belt protests against his policies. A "Benson for Vice President" boomlet is also being encouraged, in belief that a pre-convention political test of Benson's policies might stimulate defense of his policies or hasten his retirement. Nixon now also has greater power with which to defeat any lingering hopes his rival, New York Governor Rockefeller may have for an upset presidentali nomination at the convention. One of the really intriguing aspects of Nixon's rise is the steady elimination of his open rivals and foes, either by accident acci-dent or design. Dewey, first regarded as anti-Nixon, anti-Nixon, has faded from prominence. promi-nence. California's Sen. Know-land Know-land og Gov. Knight, both anti-Nixon anti-Nixon White House Hopefuls, went down in the Nixon engineered engi-neered plan by which they each sought each other's offices and lost. Earl Warren, once a likely anti-Nixon rival, has been elevated ele-vated to the Supreme Court as Chief Justice. Harold Stassen, a longtime rival, is in a political limbo. Other avowed Nixon foes in the GOP to fade away from power are ex-House Leader Martin of Massachusetts. Nixonite Senator Dirksen of Illinois bested liberal GOP Senator Cooper of Kentucky Ken-tucky in a Senate leadership struggle. Controversial "Modern Republican" Chairman Meade Alcorn and Foe Sherman Adams have also faded away. Except for President Eisenhower, Nixon is all powerful in the GOP. Storer is regarded as a case in point. Nixon was seen as determined deter-mined to prevent the GOP from being tagged as a"Payola Party" as Democrats threatened in the FCC probe. There may be others, just as Doerfer was not the first emigre from the Eisenhower "team" under fire. Moreover, Democrats are eagerly seeking scandal to incluence the elections. Nixon is said to be less eager to defend the Eisenhower crusading cru-sading concept of government from scandal than he is to protect pro-tect his won image as a competent compe-tent administrator. But the important im-portant point is that he is now playing a more active role in "purging" the party of anyone in government who might jeopardize jeo-pardize his presidential ambitions. ambi-tions. The Vice President, often criticized criti-cized as a "tricky political operator" oper-ator" by foes who event hint that he condones wrongdoing, is determined de-termined that no avoidable scandal scan-dal mar his campaign. Nixon still is said to have vivid memories memo-ries of his own narrow brush with obscurity in 1952 when the "Nixon Fund" threatened to bump him from the GOP ticket. He can be expected to go through the financial dosiers of his prospective pros-pective vice presidential running mates with a fine tooth comb. There is general agreement of Nixon friends and foes alike that if elected President, he would be most unlikely to tolerate even the slightest hint of scandal by underlings. Critics say that Nixon is much more concerned about the appearance ap-pearance and political effect of wrong doing than with the ethics of wrong doing itself, or even whether the accused may be innocent in-nocent or guilty of charges that are headlined against them. |