Between the Lines

In his years in the White House, Dwight Eisenhower has not only become a faithful daily newspaper reader (New York Times, New York Herald Tribune, Washington Post), but he has learned to read between the lines of inspired political stories as well. Thus, over the past few weeks, he began to feel that he was being pressured by inspired "leaks" about the future of Charles E. Bohlen, bright star State Department careerman of the Roosevelt and Truman administrations, longtime (1953-57) Ambassador to Russia, and since 1957 U.S. Ambassador to the Philippines. His friends let out word that Bohlen would soon come home from Manila to head a State Department policy-planning group dealing with Soviet problems. A later story from unnamed sources in Manila said that "Chip"' Bohlen, 54, eligible for retirement at the maximum allowable pension, would quit the Foreign Service unless he got just such a Washington job.

Ike was still highly disturbed about government-by-leak when he went to his press conference last week. Asked whether Secretary of State Christian Herter had discussed a new job for Bohlen. the President replied that Herter had twice brought up the newspaper stories, but "had done nothing about it," and added that "his report to me was completely negative." When an astonished reporter attempted to point out that Herter had confirmed at his own press conference that he was trying to persuade Bohlen to come to Washington, Ike angrily cut the question off, snapped: "I don't care what he may have said."

Since this quickly came to be regarded as a slap not only at Bohlen but at Herter, Press Secretary Jim Hagerty worked fast to get the record straightened out. The President, in fact, had known and admired Chip Bohlen for years, had stood of Joe McCarthy and other powerful Senate Republicans (who grumbled that Russian-speaking Bohlen was a key figure at Yalta) to get him nominated in 1953 to Moscow. At week's end, after he simmered down, Ike by cable fired off statements of confidence to Bohlen in Manila. Chances were good that personable Chip Bohlen would eventually get his Washington job despite new grumbling from Republicans on Capitol Hill.

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