Talk of Politics

On the air-conditioned, glass-enclosed porch of a farmhouse on the old battlefield's edge, a little boy spilled his toy soldiers to the floor, arranged them into armies before the rain-splattered windows. As his grandfather watched, eight-year-old David Eisenhower proceeded to wage the Battle of Gettysburg, ended 93 years before as the rain fell on the blood-drenched field and on Lee's army, in retreat toward the Potomac. Former General of the Army Dwight D. Eisenhower gave young David no professional advice. Cracked Press Secretary Jim Hagerty: "The President lets David fight his own battles."

Old Soldier Eisenhower was winning some of his own battles. His pre-operation daily diet of 1,800 calories had been increased to 2,500; slowly, he was recovering some of his lost weight. He was feeling "stronger and stronger," he told his doctors. The physicians--the White House's Howard Snyder, Walter Reed Hospital's Leonard Heaton, Philadelphia Specialist Isidor Ravdin--all agreed. "The President," they reported, "has had a very satisfactory week. His convalescent progress has been steady and uneventful."

During the brief hours of sunny weather, the President strolled around his fields, practiced chips and putts on the golf green east of the house. Between periods of relaxation and strength-building, he attended to some White House business. At week's end the nation finally got word that Dwight Eisenhower had talked about "politics."

Grinning like a Cheshire cat, Press Secretary Hagerty bounded into the converted basketball court in town, where newsmen had been standing by impatiently. The President, he said, had discussed future plans, as well as "politics generally," with Hagerty and, on the telephone, with Presidential Assistant Sherman Adams. But newsmen could not squeeze a smidgen more from Hagerty. Said he, darting his tongue into his cheek: "I'm merely trying to keep you informed."

For a specific statement, the newsmen held to the hope that the President might schedule a press conference before he takes off on July 20 for his meeting in Panama with heads of other American states.

Last week the President also:

P: Received a direct report from Air Force Chief of Staff Nathan Twining on Twining's trip to the Soviet Union (see below).

P: Signed 30 bills, including the $34.6 billion defense appropriation and an $863 million public-works bill, but not without a rap on congressional knuckles for having included in the public-works bill unbudgeted regional projects that he felt would have a "serious effect ... on the future financial commitments of the Federal Government."

P: Approved the payment of $964,000 to Vatican City for damages resulting from accidental bombings by U.S. aircraft during World War II.

P: Commuted to 55 years in prison the death sentence of Army Private Richard A. Hagelberger of East Aurora, N.Y., who had been sentenced to die for the murder of two German civilians in 1952.

P:Let it be known, through Hagerty, that he "will continue to urge the Congress" to pass a school-aid bill, despite the bill's resounding defeat last week (see below).

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