The Talent Scout

In his first months as President, there was some doubt that Lyndon Johnson could staff his Administration with the high-caliber types necessary for any pretense at good government. Now, after 17 months in office, Johnson has made about 130 top-level appointments--and by any reasonable standard his report card would read "excellent." Among the blue-ribbon picks: John T. Connor as Secretary of Commerce, Henry H. Fowler as Secretary of the Treasury, and retired Admiral William Raborn as the new Director of the Central Intelligence Agency.

For advice on these and many of his other choices, including the eight new appointees announced last week (see preceding story), Johnson is the first to pay tribute to his top recruiter: Civil Service Commission Chairman John Williams Macy Jr., 48. Macy makes recommendations that have nothing whatever to do with the civil service as such. Says the President enthusiastically: "He's my talent scout. He's working all the time. He comes up with the names. He gives me several choices for every job. He's the best there is."

Phi Betes. Macy was named head of the Civil Service Commission by President Kennedy in 1961. He streamlined the organization, strengthened its operations considerably and helped get salary raises for the 1,600,000 federal employees who come under the competitive civil service system. But it was only last November, when White House Personnel Scout Ralph Dungan was appointed Ambassador to Chile, that President Johnson asked Macy to take over top-level, non-civil service head-hunting duties as well.

Lyndon's requirements were tough. He wanted men of high education and intelligence, such as Phi Beta Kappas or Rhodes scholars, and he wanted men of relative youth--between 35 and 50--who have excelled in their field and who would commit themselves to the President's programs.

Macy turned his scouting job into a near science. By now, he has assembled about 25,000 qualified names for the top 400 positions that a President may be called upon to fill and has put the names and basic qualifications on computer punch cards. In addition, there is a further dossier on each person, containing information about family, recommendations, personality and professional record. For each major job, there is a "position file" that records job requirements and the history of those who, down through the years, have held the positions.

Blue Books. Chicago-born John Macy himself could well be first on the list for any number of Administration posts. He was a Phi Beta Kappa and Rhodes scholar nominee at Wesleyan University in Middletown, Conn.,entered Government service through the National Institute of Public Affairs, served as a personnel staff officer in the Army Air Forces. In 1947 he was given a 90-day assignment to run personnel and organization for the Atomic Energy Commission in Santa Fe, N. Mex., stayed on to act as Los Alamos town manager as well until 1951. He joined the Civil Service Commission in 1953 as executive director and, apart from a three-year period when he worked on the "outside" in the field of education, has been with the commission ever since.

Macy's effectiveness lies in his ability to keep himself in the background--he rarely sees the press--and to perform his head-hunting chores with discretion. Cabinet members and government and business executives are always sending him names for Administration jobs. All such nominees get the customary thorough consideration. If they pass muster, Macy makes up "blue books" on their qualifications and shows the books to the President for his decision. So far, Macy's blue books have proved to be presidential bestsellers.

This file is automatically generated by a robot program, so reader's discretion is required.