What Makes Ralph Run?

...His delivery and content are as strong on campus as they are in the Congressional hearing room...

...It is used for outgoing calls of an important nature, as a repository for projects in progress, and a place for Nader to work and think alone...

...He is not salaried, appointed, elected, or employed by any client or organization...

...Says Lowell Dodge: "Nader produces from time to time detailed and comprehensive reports which come from these people in the field...

...He was an immediate success with his first consumer issue...

...Nader says that he likes to talk with students because he feels their energies can be channeled into public service investigation...

...Some of the 1969 Raiders were given individual stipends of between $500 and $1,000 from the New World, New York, and Taconic Foundations...

...Schulz was most impressed with Nader's dedication: "He accomplishes the work of three or four people and works unbelievably long hours...

...The three elements in the plan are young people who will work with him, an organization, and money—the last not for Nader but to keep the other two elements going...

...The law firm study, conducted by a team of law students, will be published shortly and will be a profile of the power and influence of large Washington law offices...

...In the apathetic 1950s, Nader was far from the stereotyped Princeton clubman in white bucks and blazer...

...Nader and those close to him feel they can continue to raise the money they will need to grow...

...He has a top-secret office that is occasionally relocated for security reasons...

...According to Lowell Dodge, who works for Nader as head of "Auto Safety," the organization is one which is setting out to pick up where Unsafe at Any Speed left off...

...What is needed," says Nader, "is a counterbalancing force, so that the broader public issues receive a systematic and highly professional airing in our councils of government...

...Says Schulz, "Nader has a working relationship with a great number of people in and out of the Government...

...He is bound to no predeterPAUL DICKSON, formerly a reporter for the McGraw-Hill publications in Washington, had long interviews with Ralph Nader and his associates as part of his background preparation of this article...

...His classmates refused to become involved in his DDT crusade and the campus paper refused to publish an article he had written on the use of pesticides on campus...

...Nader got his start while working as an attorney in a Connecticut law office where he was handling a large share of its automobile accident cases...

...Some have suggested that his secrecy is also "good drama," which enhances his role...

...In early 1966, when the furor over the book was still high, he mentioned, in an interview in Saturday Review, that the automobile safety issue had been so successful because Americans are ". . . starved for acts of the individual in a conflict situation outside the sports arena...

...The first group of Raiders were, for the most part, unpaid, although Schulz received a grant of $500 from the Yale Law Journal...

...He has a secret telephone line for his most important conversations, a slightly less secure line for secondary calls, and he makes it a policy of not having a line where he can be reached on a regular basis...

...Contrary to many portraits of the man that have described him as a dour, one-dimensional character, he is a personable, enormously energetic, wide-ranging young man...

...Those close to him say that election is only a long-term option and not a motive...

...Though conceivable, such a tactical error is not likely: Two traits which those around him most often ascribe to Nader are his thoroughness and his uncanny sense of timing...

...In the four years since Nader first came into national prominence with his hard-hitting criticism of automobile safety, Unsafe at Any Speed, he has discovered and effectively played the role of the outspoken advocate of consumerism in the nation...

...What is more, he is generating new household words and terms that are serving to further awareness of his unique mission and talents...

...Nader is in constant communication with the sympathetic Congressional members of Washington's "consumer establishment...

...He spent vacation time on Indian reservations and produced a paper condemning those who were exploiting and dehumanizing the Indian...

...this gives him the advantage of surprise...

...The three others working with him are volunteers...

...Nader believes that such questions are in themselves an indictment of things as they are, for they suggest that people find it hard to believe that a person can put all his energy into public interest issues...

...Nader started looking for funds anywhere he thought he could find them, including the Ford Foundation...

...Along the way he mastered five languages—Chinese, Russian, Arabic, Spanish, and Portuguese...

...The FTC report received plenty of news coverage, touched off charges and counter-charges, and precipitated a Presidential study of the FTC...

...He leads a frugal existence...

...This is how he explained it to me: "Typically, a member would do his homework on an area of the Commission's activities by reading public documents...

...The reports of the various teams will start coming in shortly, to be released at times Nader deems appropriate...

...The second and best known of Nader's operations is Nader's Raiders...

...The money is now coming in...

...If he had the time, he says, he would play basketball, chess, squash, and do some hiking...

...The students were assigned to two agencies: Seven zeroed in on the Federal Trade Commission and two probed the Food and Drug Administration...

...Says Dodge, "We're working on a lot of things—car and tire safety, a guide to auto repairs for consumers, and surveys...

...He has been a prime mover in making the consumer stand up and make himself heard...

...His goal transcends a variety of labels which are attached to him...

...The first group of nine Raiders was assembled in the summer of 1968...

...Strong, documented charges were made against the Commission...

...Eventually the reports will be published in book form, with the royalties earmarked to field future teams of Raiders...

...It is also clear that the notorious incident when General Motors' sleuths tried to get something on Nader has influenced his current mode of operation...

...Covington and Burling, one of Washington's oldest and most prestigious firms, has represented tobacco companies and drug manufacturers in Washington...

...Crucial to all of the new activity is the fact that Nader is starting to attract money...

...Last summer the Raiders returned...

...Moreover, he still keeps a close eye on the automobile industry...

...Schulz points out that the pursuit of facts which were in disagreement between the outside sources and the FTC yielded some of the best leads...

...Nader has considered "a consumer dues system" for the law firm and has not ruled out Federal support...

...His aides say that nobody would be asking these questions if Nader were pouring his energies into religious evangelism, anti-vivisection, a Hollywood career, or getting elected to public office...

...he lives in a drab furnished room in an area of Washington known more for burglaries than cocktail parties, and he shuns all luxuries...

...He has found time to advise them individually, and he is one of the most sought after speakers on the college lecture circuit...

...According to Ralph Nader, nothing could be further from his mind...

...The Center is now compiling a "citizens handbook" outlining ways in which a citizen can participate in government proceedings to secure his rights...

...He could easily work himself into a lucrative position in a law firm or take a fat job on Capitol Hill...

...Pollution, pipeline safety, radiation, the American Indian, industrial safety, law schools and law firms, food, medicine, regulatory agencies, secrecy in government, and the effects of noise—these are just some of the issues now associated with him...

...Nader believes that government reacts to pressure, and in Washington only special interests are in active operation exerting their power on a government which is mora likely than not to bend to that pressure...

...While the report was an important product of that summer, the original Raiders felt that what they learned from Nader was even more significant...

...The Center is the basis for what may emerge as one of Nader's most cherished concepts...

...The Center is currently operating on a $55,000 Carnegie Foundation grant, two $10,000 grants from the Aaron Norman and Jerome Levy Foundations, and $18,000 from a wealthy Massachusetts lawyer who admires Nader...

...As a matter of fact, there are those who View Nader's activities as planned prelude to getting himself elected to public office...

...The results of the efforts of the class of the summer of 1969 are not yet available...

...The investigations were not authorized by the two agencies...

...The fourth and remaining facet of the emerging Nader organization is the least organized and one which those who work with him call his "amorphous and largely secret network...

...He has remained controversial, and enjoys wide respect—along with some disdain...

...These men are full-time workers who will help the summer Raiders...

...for example, he told a student group in Michigan last year that the United States ". . . will see consumer demonstrations someday that will make civil rights demonstrations look small by comparison...

...Ralph Nader's ultimate goal is reform: His ism is based on saving man from himself and his products...

...Nader does not have a Swiss bank account, a side business in accident referral, a subsidy from labor unions, nor any of the other covert sources of income that crop up in nasty rumors about him...

...As Nader explained it to me: "I think there is a need for what might be termed a public interest law firm, composed of lawyers, economists, accountants, scientists, technical specialists, and physicians who will engage in a vigorous pursuit of the public interest in Washington, whether it deals with air pollution, water pollution, pesticides, product safety, or any of a whole range of issues that come up for Congressional decisions and administrative implementation...

...The plan now calls for using royalties from the publication of reports from the summer of 1969 to help finance the Raiders of 1970...

...He adds: "There isn't time for that anymore...

...After law school it was six months in the Army, a grand tour of Europe and South America, and employment with a Hartford law firm where he began to develop his concern about auto safety...

...Ralph Nader credits his parents with giving him a strong sense of the individual's duty to contribute to the improvement of society...

...He has had an enormous impact on legislation, a feat he has accomplished as a witness in the hearing room, by working directly (often behind the scenes) with members of Congress, and by the timely introduction of new information or allegations in the press...

...Nader told me his relaxation comes from working hard...

...John Schulz, team leader for the FTC study and assistant professor of law at "Nader has little time for anything outside his mission...

...Now, many consumer issues later, he is still receiving the attention of students, journalists, members of Congress, and just plain consumers...

...He feels that memos, meetings, and unsolicited telephone calls would severely hamper him...

...He reasons: "If [the] Government can give subsidies by the hundreds of millions to private industry, which are special interests, I don't see why the Government shouldn't begin to support consumer protection activities which, of course, are designed to protect us all...

...It could easily be argued that Nader's impressive record as an effective gadfly and everyman's lawyer has fulfilled his obligation to what he started out to do and that it might be time for him to start thinking about a more stable future...

...His parents emigrated from Lebanon in 1925 and settled in Winsted, Connecticut...

...He considers his new job to be permanent...

...mined issues, as demonstrated by the ever-growing assortment of topics in which he has involved himself since he began with the issue of automobile safety...

...Nader has carved out a niche for himself in Washington while possessing none of the usual prerequisites...

...It is safe to say, however, that at thirty-five years of age Ralph Nader has become a household word...

...There are many other examples of efforts by last summer's group, especially on the state and local level...

...Auto Safety" is both a testament to and a lobby for Nader's large constituency of irate automobile owners...

...He later described the curriculum at Harvard "He is more than a muck-raker, a lobbyist, a lawyer, or an investigative reportLaw as one with "a great overemphasis on the kinds of subjects in law practice which the wealthy are primarily concerned with, and not very much emphasis on the kinds of practice which deal with the mass of the public...

...Finally, an interview would be set up with the FTC officials in the particular area of interest...

...He also found fault with his next stop, Harvard Law School...

...The silent, satisfied status quoism on campus was a source of frustration for Nader...

...His early efforts were made possible by the estimated $60,000 in royalties from his book, but a year or so ago he realized he would need more to finance his expanding operation...

...He is better known than many United States Senators, and is unquestionably the most prominent of all Washington lobbyists or lawyers...

...The fledgling Center has Nader as its board chairman and employs Harrison Wellford, a candidate for a doctorate in political science, as its executive director...

...He is more than a muckraker, a lobbyist, a lawyer, or an investigative reporter...

...This man is at it seven days a week and some days puts in as much as eighteen to twenty hours...

...He protects these relationships by assuring them that the confidentiality won't be violated...

...If you want to talk with Nader, you leave word around: at the Center, at Auto Safety, with the newsdealer on the ground floor of the National Press Building, or with one of Nader's staff...

...A telling incident occurred while he was at Harvard: He disposed of the only car he ever owned when he became convinced of its safety defects...

...Nader explained the rationale: "Students have long come to Washington to work in Federal agencies for the summer...

...From time to time somebody predicts that Nader will spread himself too thin and subsequently flounder when he chooses an issue on which he can neither substantiate his charges nor muster public indignation...

...He has set out to change the scheme of things with the single-mindedness and dedication of a devout populist, a sincere evangelist...

...The amendment, based on summer investigation, is aimed at the study and prevention of farm tractor accidents...

...The third and undoubtedly the most important facet of Nader's organization is one which began early last summer with the somewhat drab title of The Center for the Study of Responsive Law (where they answer the telephone with, "The Center...

...There were more than 100 of them from all over the country with varied credentials: More than a score were women, a half dozen were engineering students, and several were medical students...

...Then meetings would be arranged on an off-the-record basis with people who were in a position to know about that area of the FTC's operation...

...His most striking characteristic is his sincerity...

...He was convinced that the use of DDT on the campus was killing off the songbirds, which in those pre-Silent Spring days was considered the notion of a crank...

...There are now four facets to the Nader organization...

...The Presidential study, conducted by the American Bar Association, came up with similarly stinging charges and cited the Raiders' report with approval...

...Life magazine, among others, now uses the word Naderism without enclosing it in quotation marks...

...To the dismay of old-line lobbyists, Nader has beaten them at their own game, but he has chosen the public interest rather than the special interest in his advocacy...

...Among the conclusions and recommendations of the report was the Raiders' request that the Commission's Chairman, Paul Rand Dixon, resign...

...He has achieved in four years the kind of momentum that politicians dream of but seldom attain...

...It is becoming clearer that his motive lies deceptively on the surface: Ralph Nader is simply amassing the clout he needs to fight for what he believes in...

...Despite periodic predictions by his detractors or by skeptics to the effect that Nader's influence must soon wane, it shows no signs of doing so...

...The first and perhaps least known of the Nader operations is one which at this point has no name (they answer the telephone with the words "Auto Safety...

...Teams were assigned to the Interstate Commerce Commission, the Department of Agriculture, the Food and Drug Administration, safety agencies of the Department of Health, Education and Wei"He has set out to change the scheme of things with the single-mindedness and dedication of a devout populist . . ." fare, the health and safety activities of the Labor Department, and the Department of the Interior...

...The office now handles the thirty to forty letters on automobile safety that are sent to Nader each day...

...Nader has little time for anything outside of his mission...

...He adds, "In general, we will act as a watchdog over the National Highway Safety Bureau and we intend to keep the pressure on Detroit...

...During his Princeton years he also became interested in, and then outraged by, the plight of the American Indian...

...The major product of the first summer's activity, in 1968, was a stinging 185-page critique of the Federal Trade Commission, which has recently been released as a book...

...His lieutenants have personal opinions of Nader that come close to pure testimonial...

...Ask Ralph Nader about Ralph Nader and one gets terse, self-effacing answers...

...Secrecy would seem to be a proper defense against venal snooping...

...Meanwhile, individual Raiders are taking independent action...

...The idea for his book on automobile safety came because he was disturbed that the driver was almost always blamed for accidents while the vehicle itself was seldom singled out...

...Nader set out to prove the vehicle was often at fault...

...he has also given "short" courses in consumerism, including a two week course at Princeton, his alma mater...

...He is currently writing a book on "think tanks" under a fellowship from the American Political Science Association...

...Once contact is made, it's your place, not his, for an interview...

...James Williams, one of last summer's Raiders and a Princeton engineering student, was the author of an amendment to the Motor Vehicle Safety Act passed by Congress in September...

...Also included in a significant new step was the influential Washington law firm of Covington and Burling...

...His income is limited...

...This is just what his adversaries would love to see...

...Dodge, a recent graduate of Harvard Law School, is paid under a fellowship from the Consumer's Union of the United States, of which Nader is a director...

...Nader sees his privacy as an essential resource...

...he is also a reformer who plays these roles to achieve his desired end...

...From time to time, the rumor crops up that he will seek a Senate seat from Connecticut...

...There are aspects to Nader's background which suggest the shaping of this dedicated and uncompromising personality...

...In the interview a response which was not in line with what had been learned in the off-the-record interviews would be pressed and the responses recorded...

...Over the last four years Nader has been in almost constant communication with students...

...Beyond his interest in specific issues, Nader has tied himself to a grand plan which could ultimately have a far greater impact than all that he has done thus far...

...Nader wishes to keep his next move or campaign secret...

...His articles have appeared in Esquire, Saturday Review, and The Washington Post...

...A typical charge appearing in the report stated that the Commission masks its failures with secrecy, misrepresentation, and "collusion with business interests...

...Nader is not without quirks, the most notable of which is his penchant for privacy, which often assumes the proportions of a cloak and dagger operation or comic opera...

...Judged in terms of a one-man operation, he has been a phenomenal success: Nader's power has grown apace with his diversification...

...The most important element in the plan is finding and cultivating other bright, dedicated young people who are of a similar mind...

...His interest in students has begun to pay off as a young force quickly lines up behind him...

...In reality, he already has the fame, visibility, and power that many Senators are still seeking...

...The G.M...

...Plans now call for another large team next summer and serious thought is being given to deploying some teams to state capitals and city halls...

...His income is from magazine articles, lectures, an occasional quick course taught at a university, and the royalties from his book...

...Ralph's older brother, Shaf-fack, who helps run the family restaurant, is, like his father, constantly involved in local campaigns and crusades...

...According to Lowell Dodge, nobody working with Nader has access to the office or knowledge of where it is...

...The public side of Ralph Nader is easy to find—ask him about Washington law firms or hazardous radiation from television sets and he will pause for a moment and then respond with a long, carefully thought-out, and factual response...

...Quartered in a brick row-house near Washington's Dupont Circle, the Center staff includes seven professionals—six lawyers and a political scientist...

...We know very little about them except that they are specialists who come up with significant information...

...This dedication brings up the frequently asked question of what makes him do it—or, on another level, what's in it for him...

...At the person to person level, he is relaxed, courteous, patient, and devoid of his public cynicism...

...Those who could paid their own way, and others were paid small amounts by Nader and other individuals...

...One key element in the group's information gathering process was Nader's inexaustible list of contacts...

...My idea is to have them come down and work on the agencies: to come and study relentlessly on a daily basis what an agency is doing—this has never been done before...

...Nader told me that there is no end to the specific areas he would like to explore, and he is not planning to drop the ones he is already working on...

...After a summer working with him, Schulz saw him as "witty," "possessed of entirely genuine and seemingly endless outrage and indignation," "a great motivator and a wellspring of ideas," "having tremendous intellectual charisma," and "gracious...

...Nader has followers all over the nation on whom he can call to ferret out special information...

...His father, who owns a restaurant, was soon active in local issues such as helping to create a community college...

...the book has sold almost a half million copies...

...Under the direction of Robert Fellmeth, Harvard Law student and alumnus of the first summer, the number of targets increased...

...incident made it obvious that Nader was no longer a crank out to get DDT off campus, but a serious threat to the image of an industry...

...the University of Southern California, says that the invaluable part of the summer was learning Nader's investigative style...

...Ralph entered Princeton in 1951 and graduated with a degree in Oriental studies, magna cum laude, a Phi Beta Kappa key, and a developing sense of anger over the lack of interest in the public interest...