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Show - - -- 1,1 1 i A (Seltind lite J4eadfineA It's reliably reported that the controversial ultra-conservative anti-Communist John Birch Society So-ciety is on the verge of dissolving. dissolv-ing. Key leaders are quitting, many of them without so much as a letter of resignation to their leader, Robert Welch. The hope that the John Birch Society could become a major factor in American politics ended, end-ed, ironically, where he had drawn major support when retired re-tired Army General Edwin L. Walker, a Bircher, came in last in his race for the Democratic nomination for the governor of Texas. Ex vice presiden Nixon seems certain to at least overcome John Birch Society opposition in his California primary race for the nomination for governor. New York's Nelson A. Rockefeller seems unruffled by ultra conservative con-servative opposition to his re-nomination re-nomination and reelectoin. President John F. Kennedy, who had once expressed grave concern about the rapid rise of the JBS( seems now, for better or worse, to be taking quick advantage ad-vantage of the demise of ultra anti-Communism. v in placating restive conservatives and Conservative Commerce Secretary Sec-retary Luther Hodges has performed per-formed yeoman work in helping to keep conservatives in line with the "New Frontier." President Kennedy's success in stilling excessive wage demands by labor and quieting ultra inflationary in-flationary proposals by Democratic Demo-cratic liberals, has really made him a darling of many major business leaders, who are already deserting or straying from the GOP. The stroke suffered by the President's father, former Ambassador Am-bassador Joseph P. Kennedy, reminds re-minds many business leaders the President and whole "New Frontier" Fron-tier" clan are only a heartbeat away from assuming control of one of the country's greatest fortunes. for-tunes. The President is using the General Gen-eral Walker debacle, decline of the anti-Communist John Birch Society, ineffective GOP and conservative opposition and his own conservative strength to resume his policy of bending over backward to reach a Cold War settlement with the Communist Com-munist world. 1 First , ot an, tne resiaem is trying to develop a strong conservative con-servative following of his own by holding out the olive branch to business following his tiff with the steel industry. He has personally invited the idol of conservatives and others famed aviator Charles A. Lindbergh, Lind-bergh, to the White House. The President has developed personal ties to former Kansas Governor Alf Landon, the GOP unsuccessful candidate in 1936. President Kennedy continues to maintain good personal relations re-lations with former GOP President Presi-dent Herber Hoover, former President Eisenhower, General MacArthur and GOP Congressional Congres-sional leaders Etfrksen and Hal-leck. Hal-leck. He continues to get along fine with such key Republicans and quasi Republicans in his Cabinet Cabi-net as Treasury Secretary Dillon, Dil-lon, Defense Secretary McNa-mara, McNa-mara, CIA Director McCone and with Security Advisor Bundy, Disarmament Advisor Foster, A, ban negotiator Arthur Dean, Berlin Ber-lin Advisor Clay and Trade and Tariffs Advisor Petersen of Philadelphia's said League. The President has let Republicans Repub-licans Tom Dewey, Henry Cabot Lodge and Christian L. Herter know they can have "key" jobs in his administration any time they wish. President Kennedy and his brother, Attorney General Robert, Rob-ert, are also stressing the great respect they have for FBI Director Di-rector J. Edgar Hoover, whom they enlisted in denouncing the John Birch Society's domestic anti-Communist objectives at the same time the Birchers were praising him. By constant declarations that Communist, espionage, subversion, subver-sion, etc., are "the work of the FBI" the Brothers Kennedy have said in effect that the FBI has these problems under control without "vigilante" assistance. Domestic anti-Communists can not easily deny this without discrediting dis-crediting FBI Chief Hoover, of whom they so often quote. They are finding it increasingly difficult dif-ficult to praise the FBI's anti-Communism anti-Communism without allowing the President's brother, in particular, par-ticular, to bask in the FBI glory since Attorney General Kennedy is J. Edgar Hoover's boss. Vice President Lyndon Johnson John-son is also playing a major role It would have been politically impossible at the peak of the John Birch Society strength for example, for the President to seek a rapproachment with the Soviet Union, if not the whole Communist world. Now however, the President is making such a determined bid to "normalize" the Berlin access ac-cess problem that he alarmed West German Adenauer. Adenauer Ade-nauer has publicly declared that the Kennedy Administration is seeming to treat Russia as more of an ally than West Germany by its major effort to compromise compro-mise East-West differences. The U.S. is making a major bid to cooperate with the Soviet in the joint development of programs pro-grams for peaceful exploration of outer space. Cosmonaut Titov visit is expected to pave the way. A vast new Soviet American information exchange is under study. Proposals for expanding cultural exchanges are already well advanced. An East-West medical exchange is well developed. de-veloped. Joint Soviet American Ocean exploration is being proposed, just as joint exploration of the Antarctic is moving faster than had been hoped. I Both the U.S. and USSR believe be-lieve each other now have common com-mon goals in not wishing to be drawn into a major war by fanatical fa-natical leaders in the Congo, Cuba, or Arab worlds, by East Germany's Ulbricht, West Ger-mony's Ger-mony's Rightist, by Castro, Mao or Chiang Kai shek. India's defense against Red China is unofficially guaranteed by both the U.S. and USSR, just as the U.S. has sought to stabilize Laos through cooperation with the Soviet Union. The President has even said the U.S. might permit more East-West East-West trade and hints he would authorize food shipments to Red China if Peiping only "asks." All this East-West cooperation could again collape overnite in Laos, South Vietnam or elsewhere. But meantime, and especially since Bircher General Walker's defeat, it's in high gear on the "New Frontier." No one better realizes value of an education than someone who sends a youngster through college. |