Capital Notes: Behind the Scenes

Boos for Bobby

Mail to Democratic National Headquarters has run nearly 100 to 1 against the appointment of Bobby Kennedy as Attorney General, while weightier Cabinet choices, e.g., Dean Rusk for Secretary of State, have hardly drawn a postcard of comment either way. Bobby has been told. He will take great pains to watch his step.

Ready Recruits

University professors and union leaders have been among the most eager to serve in the new Administration. Reasons, according to a Kennedy talent scout: professors find the money attractive, labor men want to infiltrate and wield administrative power.

Treasured Security

Ever since Florida cops caught the New Hampshire postal clerk who intended to blow himself up in Kennedy's presence (TIME, Dec. 26), the President-elect has reluctantly begun to pay more attention to the security advice of his Secret Service guards, now holds them in new esteem.

Soapy's Second Thought

Fortnight ago "Soapy" Williams, the new Assistant Secretary of State for African Affairs, canceled his plans for a pre-inaugural inspection trip of Africa, explaining that "the press of business" in Michigan had kept him home. The fact: Soapy, as a mere Governor, did not yet qualify for free military or State Department transportation, would have to travel around Africa at his own expense. Neither Millionaire Williams nor the debt-ridden Democratic National Committee were prepared to put up an estimated $70,000 to foot the bill.

Fallout in Minnesota

The appointment of Minnesota's Governor Orville Freeman as Agriculture Secretary was strongly opposed by his lifelong friend and political ally, Minnesota's Senator Hubert Humphrey. The night before Kennedy decided to name Freeman, Humphrey—who had backed Missouri Farmers Association President Fred Heinkel for the job—strongly protested the presidential choice. Kennedy was not impressed.

No Time for Charlie

One jobless Democrat likely to be left behind in the march to the New Frontier is Oregon's rambunctious ex-Congressman Charles O. Porter. Defeated in a third-term bid last November, Porter swiftly submitted his "qualifications" for 23 different patronage jobs to the Democratic National Committee. Admits Porter: "They haven't given me the time of day."