MILLIONARIE H.L. HUNT TALKS POLITICS

• Document Type: CREST
• Collection: General CIA Records
• Document Number (FOIA) /ESDN (CREST): CIA-RDP70-00058R000300030039-3
• Release Decision: RIPPUB
• Original Classification: K
• Document Page Count: 2
• Document Creation Date: November 16, 2016
• Document Release Date: January 14, 1999
• Sequence Number: 39
• Publication Date: August 27, 1964
• Content Type: NSPR

Approved For Release 2000/05/23 :'CIA-RDP70-00
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CHICAGO, ILL.
NEWS
Page
DateAU G12 71964
496,980
Front Edit Other
Pau*' P.e.
BY'VERA GLASER ?_ '
Chicago Daily News Service
ATLANTIC CITY One
of the world's richest men is
holed up.here in a shoddy ho-
tel room, Watching the Demo-
-. crat:ic convenkiod on a
scratchy rented TV set.
He is-H., L. Hunt of Dallas,
':,,,who's worth an estimated
$700;000,000, give or take. 'a
few oil wells.
Without batting, an eye, he
'suggested. we go out to 'dinner
'ti,-at, a cafeteria. We settled
~` for a $9.65 dinner (for both.
:''of us) in his hotel room -.
' plus a $2 tip.
He talked politics, mostly
from a reclining position, and
confided he won't give one
thin dime to, the presidential
campaign of Lyndon Johnson
pqr Barry Goldwater.
HUNT'S extensive right-
wing activities have convinced
some that Goldwater is his
man but he insisted that he
,,won't make his choictr known
until shortly befoge election
At one point he observed:
"My being for Johnson or
Goldwater might, cost one of
them 200,000; to, 300,000
H. L. HUNT
Totes his.own luggage.
Asked why he is in Altantic
ity, Hunt said, "I go to con-
ntions. I, went to the Los
ngeles Democratic conven-
ton in 1960 for, the purpose
f getting Johnson nominated.
went from there to Chicago
t try to keep Henry Cabot
Bodge from getting the vice
esidential nomination."
Hunt also. appeared at the
epublican convention in San friendly and humorous..A tall,
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Francisco last month ands ear--,
tier at the Cleveland gover-'
nors' conference.
HUNT, FLEW into Atlantic
City on the second day of this
dull convention and went di-
rectly to Haddon Hall, a fad-'
ing Boardwalk' hbtel, where he
had been booked into mini-
mum-priced Room 910 under
an assumed name; He resisted
a bellhop's efforts to carry his
bag.
I was taken to Hunt by
Earle B. Mayfield Jr., a Dallas
attorney whose card reads
"Practice restricted to oil, gas
and tax matters."
Mayfield and two other men
received me in a hotel room
two floors below Hunt's. One'i
was "Pete" White of Dallas, a
lawyer. The other, a man
named Dwiggins who works
for the federal government in.-
El Paso, was described as an
old "college male" of Presi-
dent Johnson.
When' I asked if the trio
were on Hunt's staff, all three
hesistated, then said no. "I'm
just a- friend' of the family,"
Mayfield said. When/ he
phoned 910, we were told to
come up at once. .
HUNT. IS sofa- spoken,
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~srmething that looked like a
egg-shaped, man, he wore a
dark blue silk suit and bow tie,
blue monogramed shirt and
t gold watch. His skin is porce
lain) up to a, wavy fringe of,
:.white hair. The eyes are blue
flames. His mind is razor'sharp
and he looks like a gentle old
man, until he glares from be-
neath, his brows.
"Take notes on this, please."
"tFurn on the television before
you go:"
HE SEEMED somewhat
sour on President Johnson. "I
wanted Johnson for President
because of histremendous_ fac-
ulty for getting things done.' In
1960 he had a reputation as a
conservative.
`I thought if Kennedy was
elected he would turn as far
to the right as his father would
want him to and as, the Pope
would want him to. It would
be a great thing for freedom.
Kennedy had no chance to be
elected without Lyndon.
"This administration has
;been very bad. They have used
Republican New Dealers in it
of whom I thoroughly dis-
approve."V
He named Sec. 'of State
Dean R u.s k, Treasury . Sec.
Douglas Dillon, Defense Sec.
Robert McNamara, ' former
'Central Intelligence Agency
'chief Atten^Emrlt'rs; Christian
Herter and . John J. M.cCloy.
-HUNT JINGLED a hand-
.ful of coins as he phoned
? room service for dinner. When
,,the table' was squeezed ., he-
tween bed and chair he
signed. the check and scrawled
announce his support for the"
Democratic ticket.
"Lyndon had not a thought
in the world that, he would
take the vice presidential spot.
I began to advance 'the idea
that it was his duty, to do so
two days before the presiden-
tial balloting."
Hunt would not say how he
exercised his persuasion on`
then-San. Johnson.
HUNT SEES his prime mis
sion as "making anti-commu-
'nism, or patriotism, fashiona-.i
ble. It can be done. The coun-
try his to be saved at the grass ti
roots.
"I never made any talks un-
til I was 70 years old. I have
no formal education but read
newspapers avidly at the age
Hunt says he is "vastly over-
rated. in every way. I am not
as bad as they say I am. I
am not nearly as good as they.;
say I am.".
AS WE WALKED to the:{
elevator. Hunt. expressed the
view' that "people who are 1
'elected will turn in about as
good a performance as the
thinking of their constituents
permits. The press, which of
course is predominantly pink,
will respond when the think-
ing of the people improves." a
Asked why he recently re-
his ban on reporters and
laxed
photographers,' Hunt said he
wanted to get'more of his ideas,"
across. " '
"About five years ago I
changed my mind. Until then
.the only time ' a photographer
would take my picture was
[t.$2 tip. He 'polished off duck when he caught me picking my
and applesauce with a glass nose." 1
..drained 'the remainder.
creaim. As 'we wheeled the re -.A
mains . into the hall, '.Hu0t'
lifted my coffee clip iind%
of skim milk' and peach ice I%
fn 160 Hunt waited until
10 days, before the election to
AUG 2 7 1964
Approved For Release ?900/05/23