On the Move

After three weeks of meditation and tropical anonymity in Nassau and Florida, former Vice President Richard Nixon emerged long enough to summon Hearst Reporter and bestselling Author Jim (The Day Christ Died) Bishop to reveal some intriguing inklings of his future plans. To all who would challenge his leadership of the Republican Party, he had a firm reply: "No one becomes a leader by saying, 'I am the leader.' The contributions I made to the party, their quality as well as their quantity, will make me the actual leader of the Republican Party. I am the leader of the party."

As for his future plans, Dick Nixon was biding his time. He was considering offers from law firms, he said, that would pay him up to $250,000 annually. But, "I'm not in a position to cut off public life. The making of money in private practice is not exciting to me. I would be bored." His solution: to settle for a legal job that would pay him well and at the same time give him unlimited time off to keep in the public eye.

Two political prospects were open to Nixon: 1) to run for California's governorship in 1962 and wait until 1968 to try again for the presidency, or 2) to pass up the four-year term as Governor and challenge Jack Kennedy again in 1964.

"Under no circumstances," said Nixon, "will I run for Governor of California in 1962 and run for President in 1964. If I win, I will serve the complete term." Then he added: "I can wait eight years, but in that time I would have to be doing something--publicly.''

Dick Nixon's careful words sent political Ouija boards twitching madly. There was no doubt that he could have either the 1962 gubernatorial or the 1964 presidential nomination for the asking--and some Washington sources wondered whether he could refuse a draft for a second race against Kennedy in four years. For the moment, the job in Sacramento seemed very tempting: Democratic Governor Edmund ("Pat") Brown was still sloshing around in troubled waters, churned up by his dithering over the execution of Caryl Chessman (TIME cover, March 21) and his ineffectual posturings as leader of the California delegation at the 1960 convention in Los Angeles. But Brown was completing a highly successful and popular legislative program (including a $1.75 billion water bond plan, the largest in the country), and in another year he might not be a pushover--even against so formidable an opponent as Dick Nixon.

As Private Citizen Nixon turned back toward California, the prediction was that next month he would announce his affiliation with the prestigious Los Angeles law firm of Gibson, Dunn & Crutcher--a job that will fulfill his salary requirements and give him the freedom he seeks. In the fall, when the political fortunes of Jack Kennedy and Pat Brown are clearer, he will make the momentous decision on where to run and when. For the moment, Dick Nixon was closing no doors, and there was only one certainty in his political future. Said he: "I will not retire from public life."

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