Practical Politics Plus

Nineteen UpperclassmSummer Working — LearningAs Public Affairs Internes

FOR NINETEEN Dartmouth upperclassmen, June through September was one long lesson in practical politics.

The students wrote project reports for the United Nations Special Fund, special studies for Congressmen and Senators, budgetary analyses for the Department of Defense, and political prophecies for the Republican National Committee. They served papers for the Assistant Attorney General of the State of New York, conducted research for a New Hampshire State committee studying constitutional reform, dealt with race relations and youth development in Cleveland, Ohio, and studied the state of the stock market for the Securities and Exchange Commission.

This was education in the public service, a program organized and coordinated by Dartmouth's Public Affairs Center. Serving as internes in public offices, the students learned about government and politics at first hand. Some of them have had their appetites whetted and are now seriously considering public service as a career. All of them have a deeper understanding of the dynamics of the democratic process and an increased zeal to participate in public affairs as concerned citizens.

Dartmouth internes have been invading government offices every summer since the late 1930's. The pioneering Class of 1926 Fellowship Program, set up and annually supported by a member of that class, was expanded with the establishment of the Public Affairs Center in 1961. Today the 1926 Fellowships continue to be awarded and increased support for student interneships is possible through grants made to the Center by other alumni and, through this year, under a Ford Foundation grant made to the College for work in public affairs. Some of the students also received regular salaries as summer appointees by their sponsoring agencies.

Of the nineteen internes, twelve were in Washington: David Jung, Tuck '64, in the Securities and Exchange Commission; John Timbers '64, in the office of Congressman Thomas B. Curtis '32; John Topping '64, with the Republican National Committee; Eric Veblen '64, in the office of Senator Thomas Kuchel; Michael MacMurray '64, in the office of the Secretary of Defense; James Marx '64, in the Department of State; James Verdier '64, in the office of Congressman David T. Martin '29; Michael Moore '64, in the office of Senator Frank Church; Louis Goodman '64, with the Inter-American Development Bank; Douglas Montgomery '64, with the Federal Power Commission; Jeffrey Pannitt '65, with USIA; and James Hollabaugh '65, in the office of Senator J. W. Fulbright. Henry Clay '64 spent the summer months in the office of Massachusetts State Senator Philip Graham, and then moved down to Washington in September to serve in the office of Senator Leverett Saltonstall during the fall term. Michael Moore is also continuing his internship with Senator Church through the fall.

Outside of Washington, the internes stretched from New Hampshire to Ohio. David Blanchette '64 was with the New Hampshire Planning and Development Commission; William Fisher '64, in the office of the Governor of New Hampshire; Jules Marling '64, with the UN Special Fund in New York; Thomas Sliney '64, in the Rochester office of the Assistant Attorney General of New York; Roger Aaron '64 with the Greater Cleveland Associated Foundation; and William Barnett '64, with the New York State Legislative Reference Service in Albany.

The Washington internes had a number of opportunities to get together, to exchange views and government gossip, and to meet with alumni. Among the alumni who met with the students were Congressmen Clark MacGregor '44, John S. Monagan '33, Curtis, and Martin; W. Howard Wriggins '40 and William L. Krieg '35 of the Department of State; Robert E. Asher '31 of the Senior Staff of the Brookings Institution; Harold H. Leich '29 of the U.S. Civil Service Commission; Edward B. Marks '32 of the Agency for International Development; James I. Loeb Jr. '29, Ambassador to Guinea; and Richard J. H. Barnes '51 and Richard E. Wright '54, both of NASA. They had lunch at the White House with Richard K. Donahue '48, a member of the Presidential staff, and the evening before the Civil Rights March were given a background briefing by Louis F. Oberdorfer '39, Assistant Attorney General, at a dinner organized by John L. Steele '39, Chief of the Time-Life Bureau in Washington.

The Washington internes also participated in the research project on Congressional reorganization being undertaken by the Public Affairs Center. Almost all of the students helped in administering the more than 100 interviews gathered to learn the views of Congressmen on proposals for reorganizing the procedures of the House of Representatives. This research is being supervised by three members of the faculty - Michael O'Leary of the Public Affairs Center and Roger Davidson and David Kovenock of the Government Department - each of whom spent time in Washington working with the internes.

Back on campus, much of the experience, knowledge, and bundles of documents the internes accumulated during the summer are finding their way into class presentations, term papers, and senior theses. Periodically the students meet with the Director of the Public Affairs Center, Professor Gene M. Lyons, to report to one another on their summer's work, to compare notes on problems of public administration and practical politics, and to think through the complexities of staffing the public service in an age of specialization and change. Beyond their own group, their interest and sense of involvement spread to their fellow students and strengthen, in still another way, the College's commitment to serve the public interest.

Californian Eric Veblen '64 worked forSenator Thomas Kuchel from home state.

Three Dartmouth instructors who spent the summer buttonholing Congressmen (withaid from the internes) meet with Congressmen Curtis and James C. Cleveland (N. H.).From left: Curtis, Cleveland, David Kovenock, Roger Davidson, M. O'Leary.

John Timbers '64 (standing) assisted in office of Representative Thomas Curtis '32,

Michael MacMurray '64 in Office of the Defense Secretary.

John Topping '64 in Republican National Committee office.