Well on the Way

The Republican presidential hopefuls are making most of the headlines. That is natural enough, since there is still an element of suspense in the G.O.P. race, while everyone knows who the Democratic nominee will be. Yet anybody who thinks that the incumbent President of the U.S. is resting on his laurels just doesn't know Jack Kennedy. As of last week, Kennedy and his tried, trusted, top campaign strategists were not just rarin' to go--they were already well on their way.

The team is almost exactly the same one that took Kennedy to the White House. Again Brother Bobby Kennedy will be the straw boss. He has been musing about whether to resign as Attorney General along about January to devote full time to the campaign. Chances are, though, that he will stay on in Justice.

Returning Veterans. White House Aides Ted Sorensen, Kenny O'Donnell, Pierre Salinger and Larry O'Brien, all veterans of the team, will perform as usual. Salinger has already detailed one of his staff helpers to write a compilation of Kennedy Administration feats. O'Brien refers constantly to an ever-thickening notebook packed with facts on Democratic state organizations. National Committee Chairman John Bai ley sees the President frequently, has made dozens of pep talks to local party leaders whipping up enthusiasm for "work on a political spectacular to be produced in November of 1964."

Brother-in-Law Steve Smith and Brother Teddy Kennedy have done--and will do--a lot of legwork. So far, Smith has been to New Jersey, New York, Ohio, Washington, Oregon, Nevada, Idaho and Indiana, examining state organizations for weaknesses. After he visited Ohio, where Democrats are badly split, Smith sent in two trusted troubleshooters--former Wisconsin Party Chairman Pat Lucey and Bostonian Helen Keyes--to act as "state coordinators." In Indianapolis, a Smith-inspired voter registration drive brought 32,000 new names to Democratic rolls, but similar registration efforts in New York, New Jersey and Ohio have met with less success.

Where the Votes Are. Most notable addition to the Kennedy team is U.S. Census Bureau Director Richard M. Scammon, 48. A towering (6 ft. 5 in.) native of Minnesota, Scammon has long specialized in election analysis. He was chairman of a U.S. group sent to Russia in 1958 to observe elections there, has written a book called America Votes, was a top man in the organization of Democratic Pollster Lou Harris. Appointed to the Census in 1961, Scammon has been called with increasing frequency into consultation with a President eager to know what people think and where the votes are.

At Democratic National Headquarters in Washington a staff of 90 has been assembling vast files of background material on all possible Republican opponents. The emphasis is increasingly on Barry Goldwater. In recent weeks the dossier of Goldwater quotes, Senate votes and news stories has grown to about 30 Ibs. Besides the formal file, there is a special memo kept on Goldwater. It now covers four single-spaced pages of legal-sized paper, includes easy-to-find references to points the Democrats, rightly or wrongly, consider devastating. Says one paragraph: "Goldwater would invade Cuba, encourage revolt among captive nations and 'seriously consider lending' American support forces to an invasion of China by Chiang Kai-shek." TheNational Committee has circulated thou sands of pamphlets and party-organ stories blasting Goldwater in particular and conservatism in general.

On the positive side, the National Committee has been grinding out press releases and pamphlets (see cuts) full of raves for John Kennedy--"a man of compassion, courage and peace."

Enthusiastic Pursuit. Yet when all is said and done, it remains up to the Democratic candidate himself to win the votes. And Jack Kennedy is nothing if not enthusiastic in that pursuit. He has been getting out of Washington more and more, making quick trips to states he may not have time to visit next year. Last week he spoke at the University of Maine, took a jet ride over the Passamaquoddy tidal power project, Franklin Roosevelt's pet proposal, and Campobello, F.D.R.'s summertime hideaway. That night Kennedy appeared at a boisterous, $100-a-plate fund-raising dinner in Boston, showed his obvious enjoyment of the fact that his '64 campaign is already rolling on wheels.

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