Senator Kennedy Urged to Accept Advisory Position

The Harvard Young Democratic Club yesterday called upon Massachusetts Senator John F. Kennedy '40 to join the Democratic Advisory Committee--a new group formed to unite party leaders in and out of Congress and to support a liberal legislative program.

Kennedy, one of the original group of 20 top Democrats named to the committee a month ago by Paul Butler, Chairman of the Democratic National Committee, has not yet officially either accepted or rejected the position.

Because of opposition to the group by Congressional chieftans, Senator Lyndon Johnson, Majority leader of the Senate, and Sam Rayburn, Speaker of the House, only two of the 12 members of Congress Butler appointed have agreed to serve. They are Senators Estes Kefauver (Tenn.) and Hubert H. Humphrey (Minn.).

In a letter to the Senator urging him to accept the position, the HYDC wrote, "We feel that your influence would enhance the prestige of this important new committee and help coordinate it with Congress."

It was rumored that one reason Kennedy had been reluctant to accept the place on the advisory group was that he did not want to antagonize Senator Johnson prior to Senate committee assignments. Tuesday, however, Kennedy received the position he desired, on the Foreign Relations Committee. His chief competitor for that place was Kefauver, who had previously accepted the Advisory Committee appointment.

The advisory Group was praised as a "national medium from which the Democratic Party can attempt to counter the Republican Administration's built-in publicity advantage.