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Show Of all the members of President-elect John Kennedy's new cabinet, the one to watch most carefully is his Secretary of the Treasury, Douglas Dillon. Sen. Kennedy is felt to have pulled off an amazing political coup by his selection of Dean Rusk as Secretary of State; Robert Rob-ert McNamara as Secretary of Defense and Dillon as Secretary of the Treasury. These are unquestionably the three very highest posts in the Cabinet, with that of Attorney General, to which Kennedy has named his brother, Robert, rated next in importance, power and prestige. Suddenly, all of the three top cabinet posts are to be filled by retiring Treasury Secretary Anderson An-derson urged Dillon not to accept the Treasury, post without a firm Kennedy pledge repudiating the Democratic platform and statements state-ments on fiscal policy made in the campaign. Kennedy may have "clarified" his views on fiscal policy which are actually more middle of the road than popularly supposed, in recruiting Dillon. Kennedy could hardly give the GOP a device for dividing . his own Democratic party by repudiating its campaign cam-paign pledges. Dillon's willingnes to work with, rather than oppose Kennedy, Ken-nedy, also set back a GOP come back plan to rebuilt a big population popu-lation bloc, including Pennsyl vania. New York, New Jersey, California, Michigan, and Illinois. Illi-nois. GOP comeback strategists are booming strong candidates such as Rockefeller in New York and Nixon in California to strengthen the GOP in each of these key states. A powerful Dillon for governor boom in New Jersey collapsed, leaving the GOP with a string of weaker candidates, when Financier Diplomat Dillon agreed to be Kennedy's fiscal architect. Congressional Republicans, led by conservative GOP Senator Barry Goldwater of Arizona and Indiana Rep. Charles Halleck, House GOP Leader were furious at Dillon. They had hoped to form a powerful coalition of conservative conserva-tive Southern Democrats and Republicans in Congress to halt persons unmistakably identified with the Republican party, Vice President Nixon or New York's Gov. Rockefeller, much to the consternation of many partisan Democrats who felt Kennedy should have given at least one of the three to Cabinet posts to a member of his own party, but many Republicans are also dismayed. dis-mayed. The selection of Dean Rusk as Secretary of State, gives Rockefeller Rocke-feller Republicanism representation represen-tation in the Cabinet. Although Rusk himself served as the Tru-man-Acheson Assitant Secretary of. State for Far Eastern Affairs he comes via the Presidency of the powerful Rockefeller Foundation. Foun-dation. Rusk's selection is certain to make it extremely difficult, if not impossible, for presidential honeful Nelsnn Rockefeller to critcize the Kenedy Administration Administra-tion .foreign policies if Rocky seeks the Presidency himself in 1964, as expected. Meantime the country will also find it easier to support a united policy in meeting the Communist Commu-nist threat. The selection of Robert S. McNamara, president of the traditionally tra-ditionally pro-GOP Ford Motor Co., gives the more conservative Nixon Republicanism a voice in the Cabinet too. This si not expected to deter Nixon in his inevitable criticism of Kennedy Administration policies poli-cies if, as expected Nixon plans another try for the Presidency, but it will keep many powerful figures in the business community commu-nity from joining Nixon in attacking at-tacking Kennedy. It was among rising young industrialist in-dustrialist leaders, typified by Ford's McNamara, that Nixon enjoyed his greatest support. Now, not only in McNamara, like Rusk, unlikely to propose policies Nixon, Rockefeller and the GOP can easily oppose, but the GOP would find itself in an awkward position if they did. But the selection of Douglas Dillon as Kennedy's Secretary of the Treasury exploded like a bombshell in the Republicans' camp. It came while Nixon, Rockefeller Rocke-feller and also retiring President Eisenhower had hoped that no Republicans would accept key positions in the Kennedy administration. admin-istration. They know that to do so would restrict Republican criticism of Kennedy Administration policies during the 1962 Congressional election in which the GOP hopes to make a comeback and again in 1964, when the Presidency will again be at stake, following the close 1960 elections. There were even some widespread wide-spread reports last week that President Eisensower, Nixon and Kenedy's "fiscal irresponsibility and wild spending schemes." By his selection of comparative compara-tive conservatives in the three very Cabinet posts most directly affecting fiscal policy, Kennedy has undercut fiscal conservatives bent on opposing him. Kennedy's spending plans to Congress are certain to be more conservative than expected. Fiscal conservatives conserva-tives may find themselves with little to oppose. Political benefits Kennedy may derive from his appointment of moderate Secretaries of State, Defense and Treasury, are incidental inci-dental to his belief that these posts should be held by persons with widespread national support. sup-port. He believes the country can only unite behind a foreign fiscal defense policy combating communism, com-munism, if these policies represent repre-sent a broad base of national support. This theme will be developed, de-veloped, making it even more difficult for partisans to attack policies able moderates will form and execute. Both Rusk and McNamara will also, of course, have great power and influence in the Kennedy administration ad-ministration as a result. But Treasury Secretary Dillon's is likely to be greater. Sound fiscal policies form the base for strong foreign and defense de-fense policies. Everything the Kennedy administration hopes to achieve will rest largely upon the fiscal policies Dillon will develop. de-velop. Falling almost exclusively under Dillon's domain will be such towering problems as record rec-ord defense spending, foreign aid, the U. S. gold crisis, the Soviet economic challenge, U.S. economic growth, unemployment taxes, price stability, inflation, the budget, soical welfare spending spend-ing and overall U.S. Government spendin g.What great power nnd responsibility for a Republican Repub-lican in a Democratic Administration. Adminis-tration. ' |