Nader on McGovern

Press, Volume CXII, Issue 33060, 30 October 1972, Page 5

Nader on McGovern

(N.Z. Press Assn.—Copyright) WASHINGTON, October 29. The Ralph Nader Group has released a controversial series of profiles of Congressmen in which Senator George McGovern is portrayed as a political realist who tacitly endorsed United States involvement in Vietnam during the early part of the conflict. But the McGovern profile also says that he became the first senator to break publicly with the White House on the Vietnam issue. The study on the Democratic Presidential nominee said that as a political realist he voted for funds for United States participation in the war, and once spoke in 1965, in his home state, in support of the war. “Although the South Dakota Senator was the first member of Congress to take a dove position on the war

... he consistently showed a politically realistic side,” the study said, adding that he avoided attacking the former President, Mr Lyndon Johnson, on the war until 1967.

The profiles, which vary in length from 20 to 40 pages each on members of Congress, are a sequel to a Nader study of Congress released on October 3.

Mr Nader, turning his attention from consumer affairs to the Washington political apparatus for the first time, said in that study that Congress had abdicated its power to the White House and to vested interests.

The profiles provide information about members’ positions on important issues, their voting record on about 90 issues since the early 1960 s and their legislative interests. SENATORS’ VIEWS

The profiles were supplied in advance to 380 of the 484 Congressmen and Senators, and 16 per cent were critical of them. Fourteen per cent called the profiles biased and 2 per cent said they contained

major inaccuracies, the Nader group reported. Senator Gordon AUott, of Colorado, a senior Republican, said they were politically motivated because of their release just before the Presidential election next month.

Mr Nader said the importance of the profiles went beyond the election, because for the first time they provided voters with comprehensive information about their Congressmen.

The profile on Senator Edward Kennedy said that he, like most of his colleagues, had not been “exactly a dove.” In 1966, soon after United States ground troops became involved in the war, Senator Kennedy made a statement supporting “our fundamental committment in Vietnam,” the study said.

It said that in the same year he declined to place his name on a letter sent by dovish Senators to Mr Johnson urging him not to resume the United States bombing of North Vietnam.