NEWS CONFERENCE 487

justify in my opinion the Democratic governors or any other group of
individuals, for partisan considerations, attempting to obtain a blanket
endorsement on the part of all the Republican governors of the
President's actions in Vietnam.

Quite obviously there are people in my party who may become
Presidential candidates who don't agree with the President's action.
And I don't believe it's fair to attempt, through a group action, to
obtain a consensus where no consensus exists. I feel that any potential
Republican Presidential nominee should be allowed to go into the
campaign with the utmost flexilibity to discuss this issue. But again,
as an individual, I'm not running out on my commitment to the
President's position. I think at this time, that a man who is carrying
the load that the President of the United States is, is entitled to a
little understanding and certainly some forbearance, and I'm certainly
100 percent with him in the Vietnam situation.

Q. Governor, did you get a chance to see the telegram?

A. I never did see that telegram. I only heard what it contained, and
I only heard that after it became a news item.

Q. How about the Presidential situation Republicanwise now, Gov-
ernor?

A. I don't think there's really any change. There hasn't been any
crystallization of one candidate, as is perfectly obvious to you. I see
no change whatsoever in Mr. Rockefeller's position. He's just as
strongly a noncandidate as ever, and I believe, as I indicated once
before, he will become a candidate only under very limited cir-
cumstances which would involve certainly the withdrawal of Mr.
Romney and a genuine draft on his behalf within the Republican
Party. I don't think, however, that this is impossible.

Q. Governor, the Anne Arundel County administration wants to
drop the Arundel Expressway. What will be the position of your ad-
ministration?

A. Well, I talked about this problem with Mr. Wolff yesterday and
there are some alternatives to be pursued. We're looking at the possi-
bility of attempting to accommodate, in part, the view of the dele-
gation of Anne Arundel County, but we also have to look at the
broad situation from the State's standpoint. I would expect that
within the next month or so we will be able to take a definite posi-
tion. But there are avenues of compromise that I would prefer to in-
vestigate with Anne Arundel County before the State goes on record
as irretrievably accepting one course over another.