European Stars and Stripes (Newspaper) - November 17, 1973, Darmstadt, Hesse                              Doily Magazine a 1 Jar  Albert the House is my life. Ford a narrow Road by Marjorie Hunter. New York times you might pass them on the Street without a second glance one a tall and trim but now older football hero the other a Bantam sized wrestling Champion who became a Rhodes scholar. They Are to All outward appearance Middle America. Yet with one stroke of Fate either of them could become the next president of the United states president Carl Bert Al Bert. President Gerald Rudolph Ford. The dizzy succession of events of recent weeks the resignation of vice president Spiro t. Agnew the widespread demands for the impeachment of president Nixon have placed Albert and Ford in highly unusual situations in american political his tory. As speaker of the House Albert a Democrat now stands next in line to the presi Dency. He is trailed Day and night by a Large detail of secret service agents. As Nixon s nominee for vice president Ford the House Republican Leader will replace Albert in the presidential line of succession if he is confirmed by Congress. He too is surrounded by Large numbers of secret service agents. While they have been political antagonists throughout their years in the House the two men Are close personal friends and they Confer daily sometimes laughing and consoling one another Over the tight Security now surrounding them. I m not jealous of him and obviously he s not jealous of me Ford said recently. Yet they find themselves caught up in a tangled web involving the confirmation of Ford and the possible impeachment of Nixon. The situation has posed deep problems for both men politically socially an personally. Albert is concerned that any undue delay in the confirmation of Ford might be viewed by the republicans and americans As an Effort on his own part to capture the presidency if Nixon resigns Dies or is impeached. He is equally concerned that speedy action on the Ford nomination not appear to be what he Calls an act of  i be told Jerry and he agrees that it s far More important that he go into the vice presidency with the country feeling comfortable about him the speaker  cries for impeachment of the presi Dent after his dismissal of Archibald Cox the special watergate prosecutor has also posed problems for Albert and Ford. Albert is worried that impeachment action might be viewed As an Effort by the democratic controlled Congress to oust a Republican president and replace him with a Democrat in this Case the speaker himself. To fend off prompt impeachment proceedings Albert endorsed a preliminary inquiry by the House judiciary committee into whether the president had committed impeachable offences. P possible impeachment of the presi Dent has proved troublesome both personally and politically to Ford too. While firmly against impeaching his old Friend Nixon Ford agreed to the inquiry in order not to antagonize those democrats who might otherwise have held his own nomination As hostage. It s a kind of narrow Road to follow Ford said thoughtfully one night recently As he flew Home from a Republican rally in Wisconsin. I m sort of torn Between my inclinations and my personal desire to sup port the president on the one hand yet on the other hand not wanting to antagonize or irritate the situation Between myself and some of the people in Congress on the other Side of the political  he said he thought that both the presi Dent and my democratic friends under stood his dilemma and would not give me the Devil for equiv Cating which i be never done in the  the changes in his Way of life were on evidence that night. Instead of hopping a commercial Airliner he flew to and from Wisconsin in one of the White House s smaller planes a Turboprop. Silhouetted against the darkening sky As Ford arrived at a Motel for a Brief rest was a uniformed policeman. Other police men and his own secret service agents formed a cordon through which he entered the lobby. Al used to be a Lone Wolf he observe later. If i travelled i travelled alone. If i were at Home i was alone with the  i walked around the Capitol i was alone. This is All new to  four to eight secret service agents Are stationed around the Ford Home in suburban Alexandria a. A similar number of them guard the lobby and hallway of the Albert apartment in Washington s embassy Row area. Agents ride with both men in their limousines. Others follow in cars behind them. Agents stand guard outside their Capitol offices follow them through the corridors leaving them Only when they enter the House chamber. And even there they Are under the watchful eyes of agents stationed in the galleries above. A confirmed worrier Albert looks even More perplexed these Days As crisis Fol lows crisis. He has confided to associates that he feels that his possible succession to the presidency would further Divide a Trou bled nation. Furthermore he has no desire to be president now or later. I want to stay on As speaker he said recently. I be geared my whole political life to the speaker ship. The House is  yet he says that if he has to become president i would assume the responsibility. I am trying to be Alert and make sure i do everything i should do. I d stick tout if i could help the  despite the turmoil of the past weeks he says i sleep better than i Ever did in my life. Why sometimes i go to bed at 9 30 an sleep like a  Ford too disclaims any ambition to be president saying i really would not like to be. I was t even anxious to be the vice presidential  furthermore he believes that Nixon will serve out his term. He insists that the present turmoil while troublesome has not caused him any loss of sleep. Saturday november 17, 1973 the stars and stripes Page 11