Schlesinger Sought by ADA As Election Foe for Herter

A proposal urging the candidacy of Arthur M. Schlesinger Jr. '38, associate professor of History, for the congressional seat of Representative Christian A. Herter '15 (R) was made at the third annual state convention of Americans for Democratic Action last Saturday evening. An informed source, however, disclosed last night that the chances of Schlesinger's running next fall were very unlikely.

The Pulitzer-prize-winning historian was one of nine men with University affiliations elected to the ADA State Executive Board at the dinner held in the Copley Plaza Hotel in Boston. Lawrence O'Dea, Jr. '48 LL.B., State Representative (D), was chosen first vice-chairman, Schlesinger vice-chairman, and Albert Sprague Coolidge '15, Lecturer on Chemistry, treasurer.

Doubts Possibility

Contacted yesterday afternoon at the Franklin Delano Roosevelt Memorial Library in Hyde Park, New York, Schlesinger said he felt talk of his possible candidacy was strictly "hotel lobby stuff." "It bears little resemblance to reality," he added.

So far, he disclosed, he has received no word whatsoever from the ADA on their proposal to push him as a potential candidate. Since he "seriously doubted that there was any possibility of this," he declined to comment on whether or not he would be available for the proposition.

Roy F. Gootenberg '49, president of the Harvard Liberal Union and newly-elected member of the ADA State Executive Board, felt that the ADA "was extremely interested in Professor Schlesinger as a candidate." He did not know, however, whether the organization had "enough political strength" to have him nominated by the Democratic Party.

Little Reaction

In the Republican ranks there was little or no reaction to the proposal. One spokesman said he thought Herter and Schlesinger were "pretty good friends and saw eye-to-eye on most things."

The suggestion for Schlesinger's candidacy came from the ADA's Brookline Chapter, which operates in Herter's 10th congressional district. Although Saturday was the first time his name has been mentioned publicly as a possible draftee for Congress, it had been rumored earlier that sections of the labor movement have been considering him a potential candidate for some time.

Six New Officials

Besides the three officers mentioned above there were six other men with University connections who gained posts: James McGregor Burns '47 A.M.; Arthur M. Schlesinger Sr., Francis Lee Higginson Professor of History and Walter Channing Cabot Fellow; Roy F. Gootenburg '49; and Reginald Zalles, former instructor in Philosophy and Economics were elected to the State Board.

Merle Fainsed '21 A.M., Professor of Government, and Sevmour E. Harris '20, professor of Economics, were elected members of the Advisory Council.

Delay on H-bomb

At the opening plenary session of the ADA convention Schlesinger Jr. urged the postponement of construction of the new hydrogen bomb until another attempt had been made to reach agreement with the Soviet Union on control of atomic weapons.

He felt that the U.S. depended more heavily on the bomb than Russia, which has larger land armies, but considered it worthwhile to take the chance that the Soviet would not use its temporary military advantage, if we could get the atomic bomb outlawed.

Schlesinger, who is considered a Fair Dealer, was described at Saturday's dinner as the "ideal candidate" to challenge Herter's voting record on foreign and domestic policies.

The American military program depends more heavily on the bomb than the Russian program, he declared. Russia's land armies are larger than ours. If both nations outlawed the bomb, Russia would have superior military strength, until the United States could catch up.