Hot on the Campaign Trail

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But the trouble is they won't give you a key to the house. If you think you can move in and have any influence with Republicans, you're making a bad mistake." Connally "moved in" less than three years later. Why did he switch parties? He says he had become uncomfortable with high-spending Democratic policies and soaring national debt. He reminds Republicans that Watergate had already started when he joined the G.O.P. Says he: "I joined you in the greatest depths of the fortunes of this party, when the party was down, so I can't be accused of opportunism." He sometimes adds a footnote, that if lifelong Republicanism is a litmus test, then Reagan, who was a Democrat until 1962, must also be disqualified. 3) The White House tapes. When the existence of the White House tapes became public knowledge, Connally's aggressive advice to his friend Nixon was to destroy them quickly. "Call in a group of witnesses, make sure it's in the open, but burn them," he proposed. Nixon declined the advice, and lost his presidency.

The tapes are now being catalogued in a closely guarded Washington archive. Some Republicans fear that release of the tapes (not expected for at least two more years) could severely damage Connally, as could a few well-timed leaks. Although they must contain hours of pivotal talks between the two men, Connally says that there is "not a thing" on the tapes he is ashamed of and that he does not worry about their release.

4) The milk trial. In 1974 Connally was indicted by a Watergate grand jury for accepting $10,000 from milk producers while he was Treasury Secretary in return for urging the President to increase price supports. At the trial, a 1971 White House tape was played in which Connally urged Nixon to support the price rise for political reasons: "They're going to make their associations and alliances this year and they're going to spend a lot of money." Nixon received campaign pledges totaling $2 million from the dairy industry and raised price supports 270 per cwt. But Connally was acquitted of the charge. When the inevitable question aris es, Connally retorts: "I'm the only certified not-guilty candidate running in either party. The jury heard the evidence and said, 'not guilty.' What more do you want?"

Even though he was acquitted, Con nally's actions on behalf of the milk producers are considered by his critics an illustration of his view of corporate interests. Says one Texas politician who has followed Connally closely: "The real danger in the milk fund case is the manipulation of Government policy to fit business interests, encouraging Nixon to raise milk support prices to extract political money." Says former Texas Observer Publisher Ronnie Dugger, a longtime Connally critic: "Corporate interests and Government interests? They're all the same to him." Another Texas political foe asks, "Can you imagine Connally's administration going after some big corporation that was behaving badly?"

Self-Made Millionaire Connally, who as Treasury Secretary led the fight to bail out ailing Lockheed, makes no apologies for his ardent support of milk producers, large oil companies or Big Business in general. "Business creates jobs, and business needs help," he says, ci ing the declining productivity