Republicans: After the Moratorium

When the self-declared 30-day Republican moratorium on presidential politicking ended last week, G.O.P. contenders could publicly start working again. They had, of course, already done a lot in private.

New York's Governor Rockefeller, still the only announced major G.O.P. candidate, finally put together the nucleus of a national organization. He corralled more than a dozen regional coordinators—including Washington State's Mort Frayn, onetime aide to Richard Nixon, and Maine Congressman Stanley Tupper. Charles Moore Jr., retired Ford Motor Co. vice-president for public relations, moved into New York to supervise Rockefeller press and communications operations. A high-powered California public relations firm (Spencer-Roberts & Associates) was try- ing to enhance Rocky's image on the West Coast.

The Governor and his wife were set to plunge almost full time into the New Hampshire primary wars this week. But Rocky still lagged badly behind other G.O.P. contenders in most polls, and this was discouraging. Said a Republican close to Rocky's organization: "They've got almost everything: money, men, all the resources. They've got everything but spirit."

"Assurances." There was still some talk that Barry Goldwater might drop out of the running altogether. His poll ratings had slumped; in 13 Southern states where he had consistently led President Kennedy by a big margin, the Gallup poll now found him trailing Lyndon Johnson 78% to 19%. But Goldwater's backers remained loyal. Insisted Peter O'Donnell Jr., chairman of the National Draft Goldwater Committee, quite accurately: "Senator Goldwater has more announced delegate strength than any other Republican." And J. Drake Edens Jr., South Carolina's G.O.P. state chairman, let it be known that Barry had met early in December with top Republicans in Washington and that "assurances have been given to key people where it was necessary for them to know" that Goldwater would definitely announce his candidacy in January.

Coming up fast on the outside was Pennsylvania's Governor William Scranton. In the next two months, Scranton, who rarely has appeared outside his own state, has political speeches scheduled in New York, Detroit, Kansas City, Indianapolis and New Haven. Already, Scranton had become the pundits' and editorialists' winter-book favorite (see THE PRESS). The New York Herald Tribune, owned by Millionaire John Hay ("Jock") Whitney, all but endorsed Scranton last week in a 1,000-word editorial that said: "Neither the most liberal nor the most conservative of Republicans, he appears to be a common-sense man, one who could mobilize the best in all branches of the party, one with whom both 'liberals' and 'conservatives' could find common cause." Scranton said he was still reluctant, but newly "flexible" about trying for the nomination after listening to Dwight Eisenhower's urging that he make himself available (TIME, Dec. 27).