TEXAS GETS THE PLUMS

• Document Type: CREST
• Collection: General CIA Records
• Document Number (FOIA) /ESDN (CREST): CIA-RDP75-00001R000100100063-7
• Release Decision: RIPPUB
• Original Classification: K
• Document Page Count: 2
• Document Creation Date: November 17, 2016
• Document Release Date: June 26, 2000
• Sequence Number: 63
• Publication Date: August 29, 1965
• Content Type: NSPR

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RALD? ~ _ _
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3,: G1-A~DR.~r.~.-
By Dofti P~onafc~e ..''
Ol The Herald Tribrene st2!/
WASHINGTON..-
~{ singing, "The -Eyes of Wash-
~~ ; ington Are Upon You." I
With increasing frequency'
gr during the last few months
;= President Johnson has reached
~~? dovm into his native state and'
'~~ picked himself a government
i~< appointee. Not too surpris-
~' ingly, the appointee more
p, often than 'not has;been an
i?.old personal or business friend.
~. - With politics being 'a cut-
+.. and-slash rumble, the cry of
-?" "government by crony" in- .
i~; evitably will' arise in the ]and. ? ~
Republican stalkers ~ o! ? .
~` Democratic prey-filed away for
~? future use an incident that
occured last- week before the
~' Senate Commerce Committee..
~ Willard Deacon, a longtime
l friend who was the President's
l roommate at. Southwest State,;
~T
Commissioner. "Mr. Deason,'~~
G who comes from the Presi-~
w dents own city of Austin, was`,'
G: nominated fo"r a vacancy on?1
k~the commission 'by Mr? John-.''
~! son. ?
~? Under questioning by Sen:~
1 Winston Prouty, R., Vt., Mr..~
p~DCason acknowledged- that he,5
t had no experience in the trans- '
;: portation field. Mr. Deacon rem '
sported he is 9n the same busi~
ness as the Johnson family. HA''
KVET in Austir:, - ~ ~; ---^i
~` Both Texas, Senators, Ralph:
~~ h~.'~a~.~~~u~1c
heaped praise on Mr. Deacon, ? ~ behind them and wa1kC into accused oL "government bye
vfrttiahy assuring his approval :the horizon, the New Frontier ~ cot?ny," principally because of
as -art-ICG commissioner, will truly belong ? to the Jiis- .his appointment and associa-,~i
torians: Lion with Mn,i. Gen. Hnrry~
'Mi?: Deasnn'is the latest of a To fill the vacuum, , .Mr. Vaughn, his military Hide.
group ai friends tapped by the Johnson first showed little 'Knowing people from all~~
President ~ fqr Federal lobs in? faVOritism. He selected men sectors has not been one of?~
`wha:t amounts to almost a ` from all corners of the coun- `President Johnson's problems.i
xeversai of form. try. It is to his. credit that .
When 7VIr. Johnson moved Furthermore, he had a reser+'?
into the Presidency after Dal-. he 'did ? not, as his legion p! , voir' left over from the Ken-
lac onr,.af his first acts was to ? half the Texans and put them. nedy administration. ~,
appeal to the high priests off' o?ir the U: S. payroll. , ?? But about eight months agog
the New F'rontler to stay at As one of his recent bio=.~) as the New Frontiersmen con-Y
their posts. Out. oJ; allegiance graphers observed, President tinned to drift out of Wash' 1
to their dead leader,- most Kennedy had trouble filling ' ington, Mr. Johnson found he;
fide the transitiior4 into :the,. top-level posts' because he was ' had' more -jobs open than men!
scat- Society, b'ormer Har- ~ unacquainted with "the eatab-' s
arA 'Prnf e+?F'h,... cs.i,...r.. liehmnn4.~i ...,~eaa.. .,.- ,..,._,.,~ t0 fill them. It~was about~then.
er fir, was tha first ?to leave.. ~ of politics, President, Eisen. Lnac ne pegan .ta .turn more
he nthe exodus, On the note ~ '1?~uwer was in .worse -$hape, .~ and more- to fits ~irienda.: ~.,~
oo-distant day ,that Larry ~ haling spent all oL his adult.' ~ _ among his more, recent ap1?
'Brien and Richard C3ood~acin ~ life among military, types > ~intments:? : ?~ ,~
lose bhb ~ White House ;door Earlie>r,~Harry Ttuman waA"x: ,{, QLIoYd Hand, irorlper iresi
~.('n .Y'..4:w5 tF) i_.Y??.~.... S . t .d .1 . .4: :iy Y. v. w. ~ a, ~.. x .. .. ~ .. _
ass 2000/08103 :.-CIA-RDP75=040018000100100063-7
 ? Approved For Release 2000t08t03 :CIA-RDPT5-000018000100100063-7
CPYRGHT
_. _ . ~.
LL'r~derit oL, the .University of i'~and flamboyant character.
f,~.Texas student body, member'~'Named U. S. Ambassador tio,
,;?o! Mr. Johnson's Senatorial Australia. ,
r~'staff and Carifornia co-ord- .: "(ILeonard H. Marks, WaBh-
~,i inaf.or for the Johnson-Hum- .in~ton lawyer whose firm rep-'
phrey campaign. named State resents the Johnson family
Department Chief of Protocol. ~?adio-TV interests, selected as
4i" QMarvin'Watson, a -Texas ~. head of the U. S. Information'
f;?business .executive, who was .Agency.
~~.added to the White House. nShclden Cohen, President
~. staff ~as chief housekeepers Johnson's personal, tax layer,.
~~ overseeing the personnel and ~ narocd ? commissioner of. th, ,
i~`the President's schedule. . ' Internal Revenue Service.
~' QAdm. William F. Raburn, ~-. ~j Robert {Wood Akers, re?
'born .in Degatur, Tex., and a? tired Beaumont, Tex., news-
i`f'1.fend of the President's tor- ,raper editor and personal
:;'about 15 Years, appointed di-;" friend of the Johnsons for 30.
'.~xeci;or of the Central Intelll- years, picked as deputy dlrec-;
",genCe Agency.? ,. '; for of the U. S. Information
? ,d~dward A: Clark, an:Aus-i 'A;ez~cy.
F'tin . -;lawyer "and - ~. lobbyist,. 4IAbe Fortas, Washington !,
>~nowri four" yhis ~8eiahy ;dre9s;,lawycr, longtime friend, ad-'
%~..~?~.:~,~ ~-~~~ ~-??--? ??' ? ? viler and ex-officio assistant,
appointed Justice of the U. 8.
?. Supreme Court.
y1?' At one time or' another,
-four of the , appointees-
1Kessrs, Marks, Cohen, Clark
~' and Fortas-all served the
I,BJ family interests.
~. Few. of these, recent ap-:
~`~pointees have been at their
'" Sobs long enough to be pro-
t, perly assessed. However, other
friends of Mr. Johnson who
I have, been serving in during
~.-his Presidency have performed
g admirably. Thew include Bill'
,; D. Moyers, press secretary ,~.
E~and Cheif confida,zte; Horace ',
k BusbS'. White House Cabinet.
~:. co~prdinator; Jack VAlenti, ~
;`White House scheduling chief "~
? poet laureate, and Iu~ Car- .
penter, Mrs,? Johnson's pr ae"
~ aU0 ~ ~ ~sss
Approved For Release'200010~r03 : CfA=I~DP75=000.0180001,00100063-7