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Page 4 College Station, Texas Wednesday, September 15, 1971
THE BAITALIO!
Connally, Barnes tried to cut Smith out of politics, PR man says
AUSTIN (A*)—Ben Barnes and
close friends of John Connally
tried for months to cut Preston
Smith out of politics completely,
says a former paid campaigner
for Smith.
Jerry Conn, an Austin public
relations man, wrote in an aca
demic paper recently that Smith,
as lieutenant governor, “simply
was not on the Connally team.
He did not want to be on the team
and they did not want him.”
During the latter part of Con-
nally’s final term as governor,
“his young protege, Ben Barnes,
who had become speaker of the
House, combined with Connally
forces to try completely to cut
Preston Smith out of politics,”
Conn said.
Conn said Harold Dudley, a
former aide to Smith, “recalls
that in the latter Connally years
it was quite lonely around the
Capitol for Preston Smith and
his supporters and staff. Few of
them were around the Capitol
and there were so many Connally
and Barnes people.
“Dudley was paid by Smith out
of his own pocket. Smith’s official
lieutenant governor’s staff in
cluded only four full-time secre
taries and one student who came
in to clip newspapers. There were
no official paid staff members
in the lieutenant governor’s office
when Smith went out in January
1969.’’
Conn was director of public
relations for Smith during his
successful 1968 race for gover
nor and was in charge of adver
tising when Smith was re-elected
in 1970.
He recently completed a thesis
on Smith’s 1968 race for a mas
ter’s degree from the University
Schultz to be
first full-time
A&M archivist
A&M’s first full-time archivist,
Dr. Charles R. Schultz, assumes
duties in the university library
Oct. 1.
Archives has been handled • in
the past on a part-time -basis by
retired faculty members. Ernest
Langford, professor emeritus of
architecture and College Station’s
first mayor, has been archivist
since 1957.
He will continue through Oc
tober to assist Dr. Schultz.
A&M archives are part of the
library program and housed on
the third floor of the university
library.
Schultz’ appointment with fac
ulty rank as assistant professor
was announced by Libraries Di
rector John B. Smith. The new
archivist has eight years with
the Marine Historical Associa
tion program at Mystic, Conn.
Appointment of an experi-
enced, full-time archivist to the
position will allow the start of a
comprehensive program of archi
val development,” Smith said.
He noted much has been done
through dedicated service of re
tired faculty such as Langford,
but the university requires a
more comprehensive archival pro
gram.
Smith said archives now in
corporates various materials on
A&M. Personal papers, manu
scripts and oral (tape-recorded)
history will be actively solicited
through the expanded program.
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Conn, 33, said for those help
ing Smith to escape Connally’s
shadow, “It never ceased to be
amazing at how the shadow seem
ed to grow longer and longer.
“This was especially manifest
ed through the press. It seemed
that Lt. Gov. Smith could only
get moderate press coverage out
of a full statewide tour, and yet
Gov. Connally seemed to be able
to generate enthusiastic response
throughout the press corps by
anything he did.”
Conn quoted another Smith
aide, Otice Green, as saying this
was because Smith’s “dull and
colorless image” was contrasted
to Connally.
“How did Connally obtain that
colorful reputation?” Green ask
ed. “Was it by the way he spoke,
the way he looked? ‘The reason
he’s colorful is because of what
happened to him in Dallas in his
career."
Connally was seriously wound
ed Nov. 22, 1963, as he rode in
a Dallas motorcade with Presi
dent John F. Kennedy, who was
assassinated.
“It didn’t seem that he (Con
nally) ran away with his elections
anytime before that,” Green said.
Conn said Smith “went along
but he seemed generally to expect
the worst.” Conn said his reporter
friends asked him, “What are
you doing working for that old
fuddy-duddy ? He’s not going
anywhere.”
Conn said Smith’s “difficulties
with the press seem to come from
a maverick or obstinate streak
in him, plus being put on the spot
by reporters who, he felt, were
not as knowledgeable and respon
sible as he.”
Conn said it “particularly both
ered Smith” in 1967 that after
Smith had been in state govern
ment for 18 years a Houston poll
showed Barnes was known by
more people than Smith.
Dudley even thought Smith
might hire a New York or Cali
fornia firm to try to change
Smith’s image “from an old bald-
headed politician to something
with more color and glamour.”
But, Dudley said, “I had been
studying him for an extended
period of time and felt that it
couldn’t have been done and that
SAI
public
it would have been extrai^ ; ^ emt !
expensive to try. In the % I .® s t
analysis, and in the long run,k s W1 ..
had the best image there *•„ |;
under the circumstances becata |; at 1
I felt the people wanted a ste
ing hand on the wheel, aeons;-
ative ...” ^ ber "
THf
Basically, Conn said “he i
hold his opponents to a stanik;
in the largest counties and t
pile up a victory lead in i
medium and smaller counties,'!
they
to bri
before
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