Town & Country Life

At 2:10 o'clock one afternoon last week, a black Cadillac limousine pulled away from the White House, moved out of Washington and sped across the countryside toward Gettysburg, Pa. In it were the President of the U.S. and Washington Building Contractor Charles H. Tompkins, who is remodeling the house on Dwight Eisenhower's 189-acre farm at the edge of the Gettysburg battlefield. Behind came another White House car, its back seat piled high with bedding and some pots and pans from the White House kitchen. At the farm Dwight Eisenhower discussed final rebuilding details, grilled steaks for dinner, spent his first night in the first house he has ever owned. Next morning he fried bacon and eggs for breakfast before starting back to Washington.

A Question of Climate. President Eisenhower's fascinated interest in his Gettysburg farm has added a special interest to his plans for the future. At the President's news conference last week, his 1956 intentions seemed to be on the mind of almost every one of the 188 reporters present. What did the President think of the opinion expressed by some Republicans, that the G.O.P. cannot win the presidency in 1956 unless he runs? Replied Eisenhower: "Did you ever think of what a fate civilization would suffer if there was such a thing as an indispensable man? When he went the way of all flesh, what would happen? It would be a calamity, wouldn't it? I don't think we need to fear that."

How did he feel about holding the 1956 Republican national convention in San Francisco? "Well, when they asked me ... I said I knew the climate of the areas, and I liked that of San Francisco better than I did Chicago." Then was it safe to assume that he will attend the convention? His answer was one word: "No."

A Date for Next Year. While both the questioners and the answerer were obviously enjoying the banter, almost everyone in the game realized that GOPoliti-cians are clearly assuming the President will run. To them the only unanswered question is: When will he make the announcement? One reporter recalled that the President had promised to discuss, some time, the pros and cons of running for reelection. Could the newsmen make a date with him to have that discussion at his next news conference? "I will tell you. If we can have a complete moratorium on it," said Ike, "I might make a date, let's say, a year from today."

Last week the President also:

P: Bade farewell and paid tribute to Veteran (68) Diplomat Jefferson Caffery, retiring after 44 years in the U.S. Foreign Service. Said Old Soldier Eisenhower, mindful of recruiting and morale: "The interesting life he has led ... would seem to me to provide some inspiration for able young Americans to go into that same service, a service that is constantly dedicating itself to the welfare of the U.S. all over the world."

P: Received, from the Department of Justice, an opinion interpreting U.S. law as prohibiting sale or barter of surplus farm commodities to Russia or other Soviet-dominated countries.

P: Offered to give (since the law does not prohibit giving) Communist Albania $850,000 worth of wheat flour, corn, dried beans and vegetable oil to see the population (1,246,000) through the annual late-winter-early-spring food crisis. The offer was promptly denounced in Moscow as a hypocritical propaganda maneuver, if Received, from Colorado's new Democratic Governor (and former U.S. Senator) Edwin C. Johnson, Colorado's 1955 nonresident fishing license No. 1.

P: Lunched with new members of the Senate and spent most of the time talking to Kentucky's Alben Barkley about the best varieties of pasture grass; lunched with new members of the House and accepted from Georgia's Iris Blitch (once named the "Queen Bee" of the Georgia legislature because of her work for beekeepers) a gift of two quarts of Georgia honey.

P: Announced, through Press Secretary James C. Hagerty, that the White House will no longer volunteer information about after-business-hours personal guests and social events. President Eisenhower was said to be angry about the rash of news stories and speculation concerning his recent stag dinners and about jealous protests from people who were not invited. The announced guest lists for 38 of the dinners had included the names of 294 businessmen; 81 Administration officials; 51 editors, publishers and writers; 30 educators; 23 Republican Party leaders; 18 scientists, artists and sportsmen; 16 military friends; ten heads of foundations or charities; nine farmers and farm leaders; eight union leaders; six church leaders; five relatives, and four state and local officials. While some observers have concluded that the White House stag dinner is a potent political instrument, Hagerty said: "Personal guests of the President of the U.S. are in no way connected with the Government of the U.S."

P: Attended services at Washington's National Presbyterian Church, met and listened attentively to Guest Preacher Billy Graham (see RELIGION), who told the congregation: "The problem we're wrestling with today is not Communism, not the hydrogen bomb--it's human nature."

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