Kennedy 'Stupid' and 'Demagogic,' Candidate Nixon Says in Interview

MILWAUKEE, Wisc., Thursday, March 28--Richard M. Nixon last night called Senator Robert F. Kennedy's appeals to young people on the issue of Vietnam "stupid" and "demagogic."

At the same time, Nixon, the leading Republican contender for the Presidential nomination, praised the "low-keyed, dignified approach" of Senator Eugene J. McCarthy.

Nixon made the comments in an exclusive interview with the CRIMSON.

The former Vice-President cited two factors contributing to McCarthy's ability to enlist the support of college students. "Firstly," he said, "there's the fact that there is great disillusionment among young people over Vietnam, and, of course, McCarthy tells them what they want to hear.

Fair To McCarthy

"But to be fair to McCarthy," he continued, "he doesn't do it in the stupid demagogic way that Kennedy does."

Nixon said that McCarthy's style is the second factor. He described it as "honest and candid." "I think that McCarthy will wear better than Bobby," he said. "Bobby appeals to all the base emotions."

"The college student at his best respects dissent," he said. "The thing he dislikes is fakery."

Nixon, however, said that support for Senator McCarthy was "a typical college reaction" to the difficult situation created by the war.

"They [students who support McCarthy] don't think in terms of preventing future wars; all they can see is the desire for peace now," he said. "It is unfortunate not to have a sense of history."

Order Essential

Turning to urban problems, Nixon emphasized that "order is essential to progress and to the preservation of freedom."

"Now with the Negro, let's face it, there has been oppression for a hundred years," he said. "But now the doors have basically been opened. I don't think that just going out and breaking the law is justified.

"Now, I'm very familiar with the doctrine that there are good laws and bad laws, and that a man is bound to disobey bad laws. I do not accept that doctrine in the United States," he said, because legal channels for change remain open to all Americans."

(Turn to pages three and seven for more stories on the spirited Democratic primary in Wisconsin.)