Friday, July 19, 1963
Summer Session Kansan
Page 5
YR Head Wants Goldwater and Tax Repeal
(Editor's note—Barry Goldwater for president . . . repeal of the federal income tax . . . withdrawal from the United Nations . . . arming of Cuban exiles: These are some of the policies advocated by the strongly conservative new head of the National Young Republican Federation, which has come to wield increasing influence in the GOP. What if Goldwater isn't the 1964 Republican presidential nominee? What about the Birchers? What has been the reaction of senior GOP leaders to the swing to the right by the "juniors"? Donald (Buz) Lukens, Young Republican President gives his candid views in the following interview.)
WASHINGTON — (UPI)—Donald E. (Buz) Lukens, elected Young Republican National Chairman after a public endorsement of Sen. Barry Goldwater for president, pledged himself today to a neutral stand on potential GOP candidates and promised to support whoever is nominated.
But the outspoken 32-year-old minority clerk of the House Rules Committee, in a question-and-answer session reaffirmed his belief in the Arizona senator's conservative philosophy; said a conservative Republican would run better next year than a "me too" candidate; and predicted defeat of President Kennedy no matter who gets the nod.
LUKENS, A bachelor from Xenia, Ohio, is a self-styled "amateur" and newcomer to politics. He won the chairmanship of the Young Republican Federation in San Francisco last month after what he conceded was a "tempestuous" convention and what his predecessor called a "nightmare" session at which police once were called to keep order.
In his campaign for the two-year office, Lukens, who previously had won chairmanship of the Federation's District of Columbia unit, publicly committed himself to Goldwater; advocated repeal of the income tax, and called for withdrawal of the United States from the United Nations.
Lukens, whose campaign and election prompted some concern among senior Republicans about the GOP image projected from the Young Republican convention, said nobody in the party hierarchy had censured him. And he said he had met nothing but friendly cooperation at party headquarters here.
HE SAID HE is not, never has been and never will be a member of the John Birch Society, and that he will neither condone nor condemn the right wing society members. He said they are welcome in the Republican party. At another point he termed the Birchers a GOP "scourge" comparable to the left-wing in the Democratic party.
Lukens is a 180-pounder, 5-foot $10^{\frac{1}{2}}$-inch veteran of seven years Air Force experience, much of it in overseas intelligence work. He is a swimmer, diver, boxer, and holds the "black belt" of the Japanese Police Academy for proficiency in judo and karate. His black hair is crew cut. His blue eyes are deep set and intense. He speaks five languages.
Q-Accounts of your convention appear to show the convention was solidly for Goldwater. Is that a correct assessment?
A—That accounting of the convention, yes. I wouldn't agree with many others.
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A-I can be neutral, simply by doing my job. The federation always has been neutral and as far as I am concerned, and as far as anybody working under me, it will be neutral. We will endorse any Republican nominee who has been officially selected.
Q—AND YOU yourself endorsed Goldwater. How can you be neutral now?
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Q—Haven't you violated the rule against alignment by any officer of the federation with any candidate prior to the nominating convention?
A-I HAVE not. Prior to the balloting I made a public statement (endorsing Goldwater) that is on the record. After visiting and talking with 21 consecutive caucuses, all of which greeted me with the opening question, "Whom do you prefer?" it became clear to me that these people had been led to believe that certain people believed certain things . . . and then after seeing them in public office, national or state, they found they weren't tied to anything. They were sick and tired of it.
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Q-Your predecessor in this job (Leonard Nadasdy of Minnesota, who presided at the convention) said in an interview that your supporters "used the old Communist technique of causing a lot of dissension and a lot of furor, at which they were eminently successful." He says he was shocked.
A—I'm sure he was shocked, because he was supporting my opponent (Charles McDevitt of Idaho). There were tactics employed by both sides which are in evidence in any convention, such as attempting to make political deals with one delegation after another. Nadasdy is entitled to his opinion.
Q—HE FURTHER indicates that he saw in the convention evidence that the real objective of the John Birch Society "is to subvert the Republican party and to seize control" of the party.
A-I don't know about the subverting, and I am not a member of the John Birch Society and never have been and never will be. Along the same line I will not condone or condemn them. My politics are Republican. I have room for anyone in the Republican party and I will not take part in any political activity outside the Republican party. I can't say what their aims are . . . But I see in these people the same scourge that the Democrat party enjoys, or
at least owns, in membership of same far ADA-ers (Americans for Democratic Action) or the Young Democrats of California.
Q—Do you think the position of conservatism espoused by this convention should be the position of the GOP?
A-BASICALLY I do think the conservative philosophy is the predominant philosophy at this time within the framework of the Republican party. And, yes, I think it should be listened to. I think the overriding conclusion from the convention is that young Republicans want to have a voice, and want their voice heard, and feel that the party machinery politically is not particularly in line with the choice of the people or the vote-getting potential of candidates now in the fore.
Lukens said an important factor in the coming presidential election is the possibility of Republican gains in Congress. He said that with a conservative standard bearer the party could pick up 10 to 25 House seats "permanently and quickly" from Southern areas previously written off to Democrats.
He conceded that such a stand by the party nationally could hurt chances of some liberal GOP candidates from the East but said, "I'm more concerned with the fate generally of the Republican party than with any specific area."
Q—IS IT TRUE you have recommended repeal of the personal income tax?
A—In essence, ves.
Q—Then where are you going to get the money?
A—There are 20 different ways of going at this problem. The first thing of course is to reduce federal spending to its absolute minimum. I think we spend too much money for example in the field of foreign aid. In other areas, I would like to see state assumption of more areas of social welfare.
Q—Wouldn't you have to pay more state taxes then?
A-That's true. I'm not against state taxes.
LUKENS SAID he favors withdrawal of the U.S. from the United Nations "as presently structured." He said the U.S. has not accomplished its mission. As a substitute he suggested creation of a "United Nations of the Free World," as proposed by former President Hoover. He said "if we must" remain in the
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As for Young Republican criticism of President Kennedy's Cuban policies, Lukens said he personally feels that the United States should arm, either openly or covertly, guerrilla forces organized under Cuban exile auspices.
U. N., this agency should be used as a debate forum.
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Q—Do you have any general advice for the Republican party on how to win elections?
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A-I THINK what we have not done is sell our positive accomplishments over the past 30 years. This is one of the things this new group (the Young Republicans) wants to (Continued on page 6)
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