Patient's Progress

Blasted daily by million-volt X rays aimed at the cancer in his abdomen, John Foster Dulles started his third week in Walter Reed Army Hospital thoughtfully reading the newspapers. The uncheering news: Minnesota's Senator Hubert Humphrey had joined Missouri's Senator Stuart Symington in demanding that he resign as Secretary of State. Suddenly, in walked the President of the U.S., three gift books under his arm, and on his face a look of thoughtful concern. From then on, Dulles' week began to look up.

Dwight Eisenhower, on his fourth visit since Dulles' hernia operation disclosed persistent cancer (TIME, Feb. 23), quickly sensed his friend's low morale. He started to talk of how Dulles had provided much moral encouragement during Ike's own recoveries, from ileitis and the coronary attack. Dulles, though appreciating Ike's desire to turn the tables, doggedly murmured that perhaps, after all, he should turn his job over to a successor. Retorted Ike: "Forget about it." He praised Dulles for his remarkable progress, smoothly switched to a spirited discussion of the Berlin situation. Half an hour later he was startled to see the full effect of his visit: Dulles got up and walked with him to the elevator.

Next day Dulles began wandering out of the presidential suite (two bedrooms, living room, dining room, kitchen, bath) to pay early-morning calls on other patients in nearby rooms. On his 71st birthday--Feb. 25--he had not one but three parties. Before noon the hospital staff brought him two presents:1) a big birthday cake, 2) a "cheering" report on his progress at the end of his first week of radiation treatments.

That afternoon six members of his State Department office staff came over bearing gifts and chitchat. The day's final birthday party came when wife Janet arrived with an armful of presents to head up a quiet family affair.

The President, who continued to visit or pen a note to the hospital every couple of days, tried again to squelch the chatter about retiring Dulles. To G.O.P. congressional leaders, meeting at the White House, he passed the word in firm tones: "It is my responsibility." In press conference he praised Senators who (unlike Symington and Humphrey) "have expressed very prayerfully their great hope that he will be spared to go on with his work." By week's end Eisenhower's plain words had wiped out any excuses for confusion: Dulles would not retire unless he declared himself physically unfit.

But the White House was, in fact, beginning to think about the contingency that he might find himself unfit. Gist of the thinking: Dulles would continue as the President's top adviser on foreign policy, and the President would choose a new Secretary from among Dulles' top lieutenants in the department: Acting Secretary Christian Herter, Deputy Under Secretary for Economic Affairs Douglas Dillon, or Deputy Under Secretary for Political Affairs Robert Murphy.

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