Television: Mr. Godfrey Yields

Elder Statesman Arthur Godfrey made it known last week that he has turned down two invitations to run for the U.S. Senate. He protected the identity of those who asked him to run and withheld whether he was to be a candidate from Virginia, where he lives, or for Senator-at-large. "As a Senator or Congressman," Godfrey explained to TV Guide, "I might be able to achieve something if I had enough time. But look—I'm almost 55 now. I don't know when the next elections are, but I'd be at least 56 or 57 then. And as a freshman Senator—heck, it takes any freshman Senator six years just to learn where the men's room is. I know I'd be most valuable in a committee like Military Affairs, and I wouldn't be eligible for that for two or three terms."

The CBS star also ruled politics out of bounds for such interlopers as Defense Secretary Neil McElroy and his predecessor, Godfrey's former good friend Charlie Wilson: "As far as I'm concerned, professional politicians are the men who should be the leaders in Washington. This business of bringing in auto and soap manufacturers is darned foolish. They simply cannot know their way around the intricacies of Government . . . Since I've learned the intricacies of the Government, I spend as much time as possible briefing Senators and Congressmen about air power as I know it."

In giving up any idea of a political career, Godfrey felt one consolation: "If I stay where I am, I can concern myself only with our country's survival." Out of concern for his own survival on TV, Godfrey has added a $5,000-a-week giveaway to his Talent Scouts.