LODGE REPORTED
QUITTING AS KY'S BOSS
In a very prominently placed front-page story, the New York Times reported March 7 that Henry Cabot Lodge "has asked to be relieved of his duties in Saigon late in the spring or early in the summer, according to friends." The staid, authoritative newspaper of the eastern seaboard capitalists described Lodge approvingly as "A tall, elegant New England Brahmin" now serving his second term as Johnson's ambassador to Saigon. Less staid newspapers have described Lodge as the American “proconsul" in charge of ei the Ky puppet government. A still more accurate au label would be "gauleiter."
The Times quoted "observers" as believing that Lodge would not leave Saigon until after the new constitution had been promulgated. Lodge, said the Times, considers passage of the constitution to be "a major step forward not only for South Vietnam but also for American policy here."
The White House, again according to the Times, “was conducting an intensive search for a successor. The search has proved more difficult than expected...so the Ambassador's departure date has not yet been set." .
On March 8, Lodge denied that he intended to resign soon. The Times gave this a brief notice at the bottom of page 5 in the next day's edition, a sufficient commentary on how much stock can be placed in the tall, elegant Brahmin's disclaimer that he intends to pull out, that reports like this have cropped up "every so often" and that he has "no definite. plans or firm decisions whatsoever."
The political interest in Lodge's possible HENRY CABOT LODGE resignation lies in the fact that he is a Republican and a possible presidential candidate. Johnson picked him in the first place in order to commit the Republican party leadership to directly sharing the responsibility for his policies in Vietnam. It was a routine move under the two-party system in the United States. In foreign policy in particular both Democrats and Republicans seek to maintain a "bipartisan" stance no matter which party holds the White House.
Lodge's motive in accepting the assignment was clear enough. As a politically ambitious figure, he no doubt counted on the gains that would accrue to him through prominent association with the "honor and the glory" of advancing the American flag on the Asian mainland. It might even become a ticket good for the White House under.a favorable set of circumstances.
If the sources quoted by the Times are accurate about Lodge having asked to be "pelieved of his duties," the question at once arises: Is Lodge calculating his move in relation to the Republican convention that will choose the candidates for the 1968 election? If so, does it mean that Lodge now feels that further association with Johnson's war constitutes a grave danger for his own political prospects?
What goes on in a tall, elegant Brahmin's head is, of course, an impenetrable mystery to most mortal souls. But it is not without interest that Johnson's search for a successor has proved more difficult than expected. Could the old adage be true after all about rats deserting a sinking ship?
BRAZILIAN COMMUNIST