Union Now?

The national Republican Coordinat ing Committee, which first met in March to get the G.O.P. working to gether again after the 1964 electoral fiasco, assembled in Washington last week -- and showed a singular lack of coordination.

On hand were former President Dwight D. Eisenhower, now describing himself as a "politician emeritus"; Los ing Presidential Nominees Tom Dewey, Dick Nixon and Barry Goldwater (the only other one still living, Alfred M.

Landon of Kansas, turned down an in vitation); Congressional Leaders Ev Dirksen and Tom Kuchel from the Sen ate, Gerry Ford and Les Arends from the House; Governors George Romney of Michigan and Bill Scranton of Penn sylvania, both top prospects for the 1968 presidential nomination; G.O.P.

National Committee Chairman Ray Bliss, and twelve others.

"The Same Problems." First off, Bar ry Goldwater got waylaid by newsmen on the question of what he thought about Republican Congressman John V. Lindsay, now running for mayor of New York City while industriously trying to disassociate himself from the Republican label. Barry knew what he thought, all right. Said he: "I'd think a man who's registered as a Republican would be proud to run as one in a partisan election." Pressed further, Goldwater added: "I don't know enough about Lindsay to give you the time of day. I know he's a member of Congress, that he's attractive, that he's a veteran with a good war record, and that he has a lot of kids. But then a lot of us have the same problems."

Most of the other G.O.P. leaders could hardly have agreed less with Goldwater. Tom Dewey, noting the top-heavy registration advantage that Democrats have in New York City, said, "Naturally, labels are attractive to Democrats and unattractive to Republicans." Said Nixon of Lindsay: "For him to be identified on a partisan basis would not help his cause." Then Nixon offered Lindsay his help--although he had not yet been asked for it.

"That's Cute." During its two-day session, the Coordinating Committee issued five position papers, ranging from criticism of the Democratic Administration for inadequate enforcement of civil rights laws to charges of military impotence in South Viet Nam. But all this was overshadowed by another small squabble. House Republicans announced that they were sending a four-man delegation to Europe to investigate the disrepair into which NATO has fallen because of the Johnson Administration's neglect. House Minority Leader Ford called the mission "one of the major undertakings" of this year's congressional session.

But Senate Republican Leader Dirksen, upon first hearing the news, was derisive. "Are you kidding?" he asked. When told that Illinois' Representative Paul Findley, leader of the delegation, had surmised that NATO's problems might be the result of some sort of misunderstanding, Dirksen chortled: "That's cute." Next day Dirksen had a second thought, issued a statement saying: "It is regrettable that this jovial exchange with the press was reported." By that time, the Coordinating Committee's meeting was over, and Politician Emeritus Eisenhower had already had dinner at the White House and exchanged glowing toasts with Democrat Lyndon Johnson.

This file is automatically generated by a robot program, so reader's discretion is required.