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The judgments, however, may be unfair and overly hasty. Mitchell's forbidding mien may mislead his critics. While, overall, he seems to have blunted the Government's desire to end segregation—a charge that he vigorously denies—his department has nevertheless brought several important court suits that could hasten integration. Though he publicly approves of wiretapping (his predecessor, Ramsey Clark, was firmly opposed), he claims nonetheless that there are fewer Government wiretaps in operation now than when he took office. "That's typical of him," says an aide. "Other Attorneys General have used taps in practice even while opposing them in principle. Mitchell favors them in principle, but cuts back on their use in practice."
"If you asked Ramsey Clark about wiretapping," says another Mitchell aide, "you'd get an erudite lecture on the concept of personal privacy going back to the Greeks. If you ask Mitchell about wiretapping, he'll more likely say: 'I like it because it's useful in getting a job done.' A lot of people tend to begin with a concept and apply it to a given situation. Mitchell, however, is more inclined to start with a particular situation and work back toward the concept."
After an hour-long meeting with Mitchell last week, four representatives of the American Civil Liberties Union still found that they basically disagreed with Mitchell's views. Yet, to their surprise, they were impressed and encouraged by his willingness to listen and his seeming understanding of the problems of civil liberties. "Pragmatic," the favorite adjective of the Nixon Administration, is the word Mitchell's friends use to describe him.
Trusted Counsel. If Mitchell's position on major issues is still uncertain, his place in the White House hierarchy is not. He is probably the strongest man in the Administration, with great influence on many domestic matters. Very little important goes on in the Administration without Mitchell's getting involved in it. "He is," Nixon told a news conference recently, "my closest adviser on all legal matters and on many others as well." Mitchell had a paramount role in the choice of Warren Burger for Chief Justice, and even now he is helping Nixon find a replacement for former Justice Abe Fortas. Nixon's associates appreciate his icy imperturbability and his efficient mental processes. "When Mitchell speaks in a meeting," says one, "his words carry weight. There aren't many people whose judgment the President will accept without checking into it himself. But he'll take John Mitchell's word at face value."
The Attorney General has another quality that Nixon appreciates—loyalty. Since he was sworn in in January, Mitchell has devoted himself totally to the job and to the President. Leaving his apartment in the Watergate complex before 8 a.m., he strolls into the office before 8:15. Lunch is usually eaten at his desk, and he seldom leaves for home before 7:30 p.m.—and then almost always with two accordion-sided briefcases bulging with work. His only passion is golf, but even that has been almost forgotten for the past year.