The Washington Merry-Go-Round THE WASHINGTON POST Monday, Dec. 23, 1968 E 11 Oil Tycoon Paid Nixon. a Secret Visit ing former Gov. Ed Meacham are in power, this vast oil that he won't be in the • Cabi- By Drew Pearson and others to office. land, together with all other net." and Jack Anderson Anderson was so successful land, remains inaccessible to Two Cabinet appointees pp= in both oil and politics that he Atlantic-Richfield and other 'parently are not taking their One of the most interesting graduated from New Mexico's oil companies until the prior: callers on President-elect independent oil companies to claims of the Eskimos and In- chief very seriously. Nixon while he was deciding become head of the giant At- dians are straightened out. • Last week, Secretary of the on his Cabinet was Robert Or- lantic-Richfield combine which , of But, come Jan. 20, Anderson Treasury—designate Davta ville Anderson, chairman has recently helped develop will see his friend Wally Kennedy made a statement re! the giant Atlantic-Richfield oil one of the great oil strikes of garding American policy some reason, not Hickel get control of the Inte- complex. For this decade in Alaska. rior Department with the supporting the price of gold explained but suspicious on its power to turn Federal land which sent the price of gold face, Anderson rode up to see Fabulous Wealth over to the. State and to the oil skyrocketing, thereby weaken- Nixon in the Hotel Pierre's Up along the northern slope ing the dollar. The statement service elevator. companies. of Alaska a fabulous oil field Hickel is already connected had to be corrected by a quick As a result newsmen, who has been discovered. The oil with the oil and gas industry. counter-statement by Nixon didn't see him,- thought the companies have been very Before he became Governor, himself. caller, when his name was wary about admitting its true he was board chairman of the Two days earlier, Hickel had made public, was Robert B. value, but some experts esti- Anchorage Natural Gas Com- made another policy state- be, worth Anderson, secretary of the mate it should pany, which is part of a com- ment of exactly the type treasury under Eisenhower. 'around $40 billion. Most of the plex of oil and 'gas companies Nixon had forbidden. Robert 0. Anderson, how- major companies operate ever, was a mare important there, but Atlantic-Richfield, operating along Cook Inlet, Interviewed in Seattle en just below Anchorage. route to Alaska from the TV caller. He brought advice to the combine of which Rob An- Wash- Nixon which changed his mind derson is chairman, is one of Hickel announced that he Cabinet presentation in regarding the choice of his the heaviest and most success- was resigning as board chair- ington, Hickel annouced that Secretary of the Interior and ful developers. man of this company and put- the would reverse the order of may have a direct bearing on Anderson has already found ting his stock in trust, though Secretary Udall withdrawing current politics. For Nixon Alaska Gov. Wally Hickel a he still remains active behind Federal lands in Alaska Irani was then seriously considering wonderfully generous and co- the scenes in various of his oil and mining exploitation Gov. Tim Babcock of Montana operative man. As Secretary business enterprises. and other uses. to head Interior. Babcock had of the Interior he could be Note—Another oil_ bonanza Hickel was also asked about the endorsement of 12 Repub- even more important. For which will come within the ju- the Congresswoman from lican governors and up until right now there is •a freeze on risdiction of Wally Hickel Washington State who, is Anderson's call was consid- all Federal lands in Alaska. when he takes office will be chairman of the House Appro- ered a shoo-in. Secretary of the Interior the biggest oil field in the priations subcommittee, rules Anderson, however, contrib- Stewart Udall, perhaps with a world—the shale oil deposits on all money for the Interior uted more than $100,000 to premonition of what might be of Colorado, Utah and Wyo- Department. various committees of the at stake, withdrew all Fed- ming. Rickel was told that Julia Nixon campaign and is a man eral lands from oil exploita- Butler Hansen was apprehen- who carries weight in GOP tion, mining claims, home- Censoring Cabinet sive over his appointment. circles. He worked his way up steading or anything else on When Nixon announced his "Who's Julia Butler Han- as an Independent oilman in the very same day Nixon an- Cabinet choices ihe also an- sen?" asked the man who will Roswell, N.M., to a point nounced Gov. Hickel as the nounced that no Cabinet mem- have to get his money okayed where he dominated New Mex- new Secretary of the Interior ber was to make policy state- by Julia Butler Hansen. ican Republican politics, and —Dec. 11. ments "until he comes into of- he was responsible for elect- As long as the Democrats fice. If he makes any before © 1968, Bell-McClure Syndicate, Inc.