Fire from the Right

How times do change. Only a year and a half ago, Richard Nixon was the hero of the national Republican Party--and his rallying of G.O.P. support took him breathlessly close to the White House.

Yet last week Nixon was in a desperate battle for Governor of California, and one of the most dangerous threats to his candidacy comes from a sizable segment of home-state Republicans.

Opposing him in California's June 5 primary is Los Angeles Assemblyman Joseph Shell, 43. A strapping (6 ft. 2 in., 200 lbs.) ex-U.S.C. halfback, Shell is the champion of the state's deep-dyed Republican conservatives, ranging rightward from the Barry Goldwater admirers. Shell has plenty of money, both from his own bank account (he made a fortune in oil exploration) and from wealthy followers.

And he makes no bones about the fact that he is out to get Nixon, even if it means a Republican loss to Democratic Governor Pat Brown in November. Says Shell: "Many of my supporters will not vote for Nixon under any circumstances.

He will be washed up if Brown defeats him. We will then be in a position to pick up the pieces. We conservatives will dominate the party." With this aim in mind, Shell in seven months has given 800 addresses and flown 150,000 campaign miles, some of them in his own Bonanza, which he pilots himself.

His precinct workers dish out blotters showing Shell riding a missile (TO GO GO

WITH JOE FOR GOVERNOR OF CALIFORNIA), with an acrostic added:

S INCERE

H ONEST

E FFICIENT

L IKABLE

L OYAL

Most California political observers sense a recent Shell upsurge--but even so, few think that Shell will get more than 35% of the primary vote. But even that modest showing could be a cause for Nixon concern. California's registration is heavily Democratic, and by rule of thumb a successful G.O.P. state candidate must pick up 90% of the Republican vote and 20% of the Democrats. If Shell's supporters, who view Nixon as little better than a left-wing radical, refuse to close ranks with the rest of the party after the primaries. Nixon will be in real trouble in November.

Winding up his primary campaign, Nixon plans to crisscross the state for giant rallies and late-hour major speeches. He has scheduled a "Win with Nixon" telethon (9 p.m. to 1 a.m.) in which he will answer questions called in by telephoning viewers. Most of all, his strategy depends on ignoring Shell--thereby not making the hard-Shell right any madder--and concentrating his fire on the shilly-shally administration of Pat Brown.

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