A Poll's Point

At a "Salute to Eisenhower" dinner in Washington last month, the President of the U.S. wondered publicly whether he should run for a second term, and indicated that he yearned for counsel. Said he: "I could devoutly wish that there were some method by which the American people could, under the circumstances, point out the path of my true duty. But it appears that this is a question that first I alone must answer." Undeterred by the "but," Pollster George Gallup saw his own duty, and set out to satisfy the President's yearning.

Last week, Gallup announced the results of his path-pointing poll, which turned on three key political questions:

P: Question No. 1: "Do you approve or disapprove of the way Eisenhower is handling his job as President?'' Results: approve, 77%; disapprove, 13%; no opinion, 10%. This was the second highest rating (highest: 79% after the Summit conference last August; lowest: 57% after the 1954 congressional elections) that the Gallup poll had recorded for Dwight Eisenhower since he became President of the U.S.

P: Question No. 2: "Would you like to see Eisenhower run?" Results: yes, 61%; no, 25%; no opinion, 14%. To the same question in April 1955, before the heart attack, 68% said they wanted the President to be a candidate.

P:Question No. 3: "Do you think President Eisenhower will run?" Sixty percent said yes. This indicated that the President's performance since he got back on the job has convinced a great number of Americans that he is ready, willing and able. Last October, not long after the heart attack, only 29% of the voters questioned (see cut) thought he might run.

This week the President began collecting some statistics and figures of his own, which will add to an answer that will send the pollsters beating new paths for months to come.

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