A Question of Technicalities

Jon M. Jonkel may go down in political history. He invented "the Big Doubt."

A high-pressure Chicago publicity man, he was imported for $1,250 a month by Maryland's Republican John Butler to run his successful campaign for Senator against Senator Millard Tydings last year. Jonkel had promptly seized on the Tydings investigation of Communism in the State Department. Explained Jonkel: "I don't think anyone cares whether Senator McCarthy is right or wrong . . . We worked with the fact that a very, very big doubt existed in the minds of the people of Maryland. I said: 'Let's not get into the business of proving whether or not it was a whitewash, let's stay in the business that a doubt does exist.' " They did.

He routed his almost unknown candidate around the state on split-second schedules. "We would have to dictate part of his releases and part of his statements over the telephone to him. He followed that, day in and day out, across the state." To let Butler's friends use more intemperate material "that I didn't approve of as coming from him," Jonkel suggested a campaign tabloid, the chief achievement of which was a "composite photograph" (i.e., faked picture) showing Millard Tydings apparently listening attentively to old Communist Earl Browder.

But Jonkel had overlooked some details. Last week he pleaded guilty to six charges under Maryland's corrupt practices act, paid a fine of $5,000. He had acted as Butler's agent without being a resident of Maryland, had failed to report some $27,000 in out-of-state contributions until days past the deadline. Said Jon ("Big Doubt") Jonkel: "Technical violations . . . The campaign was clean."

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