Nation: ONCE AND FUTURE CANDIDATES

SLOWLY, the roll call proceeded down through the alphabet. When it came to W, West Virginia, then Wisconsin, spirits in the Rockefeller suite at the Hotel Americana fell as flat as the champagne that had earlier been ordered for a victory celebration. Bitterly disappointed as he was, Nelson Rockefeller seemed almost relieved at the same time. Hugging his wife Happy, he whispered, "Now we can really relax." Stepping out into the hall a few minutes later, he sighed to no one in particular: "Oh, my!"

Ronald Reagan's reaction to defeat was not much different. Arriving back at his Deauville Hotel headquarters shortly after Richard Nixon had been nominated, the Californian was greeted by milling campaign workers, still carrying placards. The signs, different from those that had been hoisted a few hours before, read: "Reagan for President in 1972." The Governor's reaction: "Oh, for heaven's sake!"

No Disagreement. Both Governors were gracious losers, with no complaints and no excuses. Stepping to the podium as soon as the result was clear, Reagan asked the convention to declare itself "unanimously united behind the candidacy of Richard Nixon for President of the United States."

Rockefeller was on the phone with congratulations to the winner almost immediately, finally ending his $6 million, 100-day campaign. While friendly enough, the three-minute conversation was somewhat stilted. "Your daughters looked nice on TV," Rocky told Nixon. The winner expressed hope that the two could get together soon. Rockefeller did not disagree but noted that after the convention, he was going to the family estate at Seal Harbor, Maine. "I'm off to California," replied Nixon. The conversation ended on that high note. The next night Rockefeller appeared on the platform in person to offer congratulations. Unlike 1964, when he was loudly booed by the convention, he was given a two minute ovation.

What had happened to all the optimistic predictions? "It looks like I didn't count properly," said Rocky. "I fell 75 short of what I estimated, and Ronnie fell 100 short of what he estimated." Reagan, for his part, said philosophically that he would not have done—could not have done—anything other than what he did.

Both promised to work for Nixon in the fall, though Rockefeller could not bring himself to even utter the name of Spiro Agnew. "It is the privilege and tradition of the man who is the nominee," he said, "to pick his running mate. This is Mr. Nixon's day, and I have no comment." Privately, however, Rocky was furious, looking upon the choice of the obscure Maryland Governor as not only a personal slap in the face but also a serious blunder on Nixon's part. Agnew, he felt, was simply not up to the job. "It's Nixon's idea of how to solve the nation's problems," said a Rockefeller aide, "mix oil and water. People are throwing up all along Collins Avenue."