European Stars and Stripes (Newspaper) - March 11, 1968, Darmstadt, Hesse Elegant and unflappable by Saul Pett a staff writer some years ago Clark Clifford was entertaining his Mother at dinner in a downtown restaurant when he was called to the phone. Returning to the table he announced with no change of expression Mother our House is on fire. I m afraid you Llave to skip people who know him agree that the new Secretary of defense is a Monument of Unflat ability. They May disagree another traits on the depth of his think ing and convictions for example Butto a Man they agree on his elegant poise. This obviously is no Small qual Ity in a Man who Heads the most powerful most Complex military establishment in the world. Unflappable himself Clark Mcadam Clifford adviser to presidents and one of the country s wealthiest lawyers habitually encourages others to Cool it. His clients were among the biggest corporate giants anywhere and to those about to hit the panic Button he was fond of telling about the Man in the old Western town who saw a building burning. He ran into the nearest Saloon and yelled fire and everybody now has As he likes to say Only one client Uncle Sam who presumably is Given the same Cooling advice for much less Money. His Law income it is said Range from $500,000 to ?1 million a year his Cabinet salary now is $35,000.what Uncle Sam is getting for his Money is a spectacularly successful Man of 61, who has been a consultant and troubleshooter for three presidents a Man said to be a hard nosed realist with the soothing bedside manner of Park Avenue doctor attending dowager hypochondriac a Man who knows his Way through the Snake pits of govern ment and around the palpitating egos of Congress a highly methodical analytical Man who disdains the Lazy slovenly thinking behind the use of such labels As Hawks and doves a Man whose admirers insist will be no body s Pigeon foreign or Domestic. Clifford s critics tend to find him hawkish. If True he is a selective Hawk. In All the fiery talk that followed the North korean seizure of the . Intelligence ship Pueblo it was Cliffor who pointed out that none of the angry countermeasures being suggested by the vengeance seekers or the dashing plots pushed by the Errol Flynn strategist would bring the ship or men Back. In other matters those familiar wit the thinking of the new Secretary Pic Ture his views thus he opposed bombing pause in Vietnam in the belief that Hanoi would regard it As a sign of wavering american will and the first step toward our ultimately he thinks the enemy will finally grind Down and quit but Only after heis convinced of our determination and realizes that after All we Are no like the a Lufford does not regard communist states As a monolithic menace to be feared equally everywhere. He makes a distinction Between the aggressiveness of red China and red Russia and hop ing for a detente with the one says i am not willing to proceed on the Assumption that the soviet Union mus always be our but where his predecessor Robert , spoke of moving toward nuclear parity with the russians Clifford talks of the need for nuclear in support he cites hypothetical figures. If intelligence tells us the russians have 100 nuclear missiles do we limit ourselves to 100? what he asks is the margin of error in our intelligence Twenty five per cent then do we still limit ourselves to 100 mis Siles when they May have 125? Clark Clifford is a tall elegant Man with Broad shoulders Sandy Gray hair that Rolls Back in serenely eve Waves a handsome Resolute profile resembling the a american virility reused to see in the shirt ads a soft voice that can be As caressing As Mink and the general appearance of a silent screen Star who Well remembers the Days of Gold plated Rolls royces. He favors striped suits with padded Shoul Ders wide lapels double breasted Jack ets wide trousers one wonders whether he uses Adolph Menjou s tailor. Mentally or physically he is a Man who never appears rumpled. Even on the Golf course playing Bare chested inthe heat of a Washington summer. Clark Clifford still looks Well turned people who have observed him in High level White House meetings say that even in the trauma of crisis his careful reasoning and Calm analysis never lose their crease. Mcnamara too is famed for his methodical approach but a White House source notes Mcnamara appears super charged and you can see his mind racing. Clifford s May be Rac ing too but it is never visible and he never seems on the razor s same source close to Lyndon Johnson says the president is so impressed with the breadth of Clifford s talents and experience he could have with equal Confidence appointed him Secretary of state or attorney general. Conversationally Clifford is a Man Given to wry understatement expressed in an admixture of vernacular an words of starched formality. Early in february when All hell was breaking Loose when Washington lights were burning late Over the Pueblo seizure and the enemy offensive in Viet Nam Clifford was trying to do three things at once. He was involved in the complicated process of divesting him self of his Law practice and vast Stock holdings he was Reading furiously Al the things a defense Secretary designate must read and he was taking part Dayan night in crucial White House conferences. How a visitor asked was he managing under the triple pressures i have the feeling said Clifford that if i can weather this period with some equilibrium it la be Good preparation for the new Secretary of confers with or. Johnson. Dpi then of went through his mind when the president asked him to take the Job i enjoyed the practice of Law and hated to give it up. I have Given enough time to three administrations so that my conscience was Clear on the ques Tion of contributing to my country. Iwas perfectly Happy doing what i was doing. I Felt More valuable serving the president As a general Counselor than one burdened with administrative responsibility. I was not conscious of any inner compulsion from my ego to take the Job. I knew the various Vicissitudes that go with it. I had absolutely no illusions about it. I did t see it in terms of Power of approbation. I saw the impossibility of satisfying very Many people in the conduct of the Job. I saw inevitable criticism denigration vituperation. But then. When the president asks you a specific Call is issued like when you think of All his acc difficulties and the posture of our try and its Complex problems god you see an incredible Opportunity service. I May get chewed up i process but. Who would want into the Cabinet in Coolidge s Ai stration this is the time to is the Gravity of the decisions beings sobering beyond what were his first impression Job the scope of the problem Isthan anyone can imagine until 1 tally comes in Contact with Tham beginning to perceive the number of decisions that the see must make himself. He cannot sit and confine himself to High level pronouncements. He must get into thick of was he aware As a former High Cial of the Pentagon said that the1 was loaded with admirals and Gei waiting to ambush a new Sec with the old chestnuts rejected Mcnamara i am aware of it. I knew time that there were men who no feel their opinion is Superior Towas previously accepted. I win to winnow through these ideas abut i am comforted by the fact after More than 20 years in moment work you get an instinct v certain things.". As a Man of great self dig Clark Clifford continually pres wife children and friends with that he can sleep any time be the drinks no liquor and confines himself to three cigarettes a Day one after lunch two after dinner no less no More no matter How Rich the Satis faction of the last draw. All sources appear to agree that Clifford will get along better with con Gress than Mcnamara no Small Factor Las Lyndon Johnson gets ready for the quadrennial super bowl of american polities. Mcnamara said a Clifford Friend who also is a knowing Washington hand gave the impression he suffered fools badly. Clark May not suffer them gladly but he s been in politics Longi enough to be More tolerant to take the few extra Steps to avoid the years Clifford s services to presidents have been Many and special counsel he wrote speeches for Harry Truman and helped write the Law that unified and created the de Jense department. He advised Truman on everything from the cold War to How to win reelection in 1948 to the tiniest details of image making. Have Albert Einstein to lunch at your next pres conference mention a current affairs wok you re Reading said one Lon Clifford memo. Or John f. Kennedy Clifford sup plied the blueprint for the transition of Power from Dwight d. Eisenhower helped investigate . Intelligence after the disaster at the Bay of pigs late headed the president s foreign intelligence advisory Board and represented Kennedy in his fight with the steel Industry in 1962. For Lyndon Johnson Clifford has among other things made fact finding � is to Vietnam accompanied thei 1 resident to the Manila conference i be cd draw up the strategy by which Johnson eliminated Robert Kennedy As vice presidential nominee in 1964 and. Wore recently been consulted on the 6 1 resident s last state of the Union ,5n, us Pueblo and assorted crises. Ihas in Short become known As a of a Woen presidential missions Clarki Mcadams Clifford practice Law in i most frequently represent in people with government problems. A corporate clients have included do f of general electric radio corpor i a Ion of America International Tele phone and Telegraph Hughes tool and Page 11 the stars and stripes up when the president asks you when a specific Call is issued. Then by god you go Standard Oil. Clifford made a to Ted Sorenson president Kennedy once said of Clifford he has asked for nothing whatsoever in return for services to the president except the right to advertise his Law firm on the Back of $1 that was a joke. But it is serious fact of life in Washington that Many of its leading lawyers Are me known to have important connections in government. The line Between Lega Success and political influence never has been Shan by defined does the lawyer serve the client Only with his talents and experience or does he a so make a few Telephone Calls to the right people at Clifford s firm a senior partner said we get a lot of referral Busi Ness other Law firms May write a Brief in behalf of a client with business be fore some government Agency they May seek our judgment. Frequently we rewrite the Brief and advise them what to do ordinarily we Are not the at Torney of record. That is about -0 per cent of the Are counsellors at Law to major corporations which have problems wit government. They want to know the alternatives the Best direction to come u us for our judgment not our an advisory to presidents Clifford left some associates less Clear about the depth of his ideas and convictions than his mental a decidedly Dove senator who Calls himself a Friend of the new Secre tary says my feeling is that Clark will always be inclined to agree with whoever i president possibly because he s not sure enough of his own convictions or be cause he suffers from this tribal instinct of americans to rally around the chief in time of Clanger. If Johnson were to change his mind tomorrow about the War Clark would too within the _ another Man who was Active in the Kennedy administration and is still consulted by the White House says i m not sure it s a Lack of conviction in Clark. I be always Boon by the depth of his ideas. As has boo said he has a Way of making the com plex sound simple and the simple pro found. Also he accommodates himself to presidents the Way he did to his men were inclined to picture Clifford As an elegant yes Man to presi dents a Point which ignites hot rebuttal among the Secretary s friendlier intends. Monday the stars and stripes one of these a Man of Eminence in government and himself a presiden tial adviser says he has shown great courage and Wisdom in advising presi dents. He is Able to say no to the president and the whole Damn Cabinet. He is a Tough professional. He know the difference Between reality and illusion and that s a hard difference toehold on to in this town. He does not confuse policy and tactics. He knowhow to hold on to the one inflexibly and How to be flexible about the once How a Man says no to a president of the United states Clif Ford answered with a smile he does it courteously and respectfully of needs to be certain of his facts and have his arguments Well marshalled so he won t shift his position under presidential pressure. The Best posture to to in As a presidential advisor is to have no further ambitions in government it saves Wear and tear. It is important that they presi dents know you won t Cut and trim for personal it or not Clark Clifford is now in a position now to him. He goes from the privacy accorded a presiden tial advisor and his opinions to the very Public position of Sec rotary of defense. Lie will now have to defend his opinion in Public. Life will be different. Page 13
