Addressing a church club audience in home-town Independence, Mo., Harry S. Truman explained why most U.S. Senators are cool to the recurrent idea of having ex-Presidents join their ranks (TIME, Feb. 15). Snorted Harry: "The United States Senators--the 96 when I was there, and the 100 now--are all prima donnas. I was one of them, and I know what it meant. Every one of the Senators is a topnotch man in his own state and is used to the limelight there. He would like to have the same consideration in the Senate. They don't seem to want some one of [presidential] stature in the Senate with them."

Alger Hiss, 55, released in 1954 after a 44-month stretch in a federal pen for perjury, is interested in a job more in keeping with his not inconsiderable abilities. In the past two years he worked his way up to a $20,000-a-year salary as administrative assistant to R. Andrew Smith, a ladies' comb manufacturer. Hiss disclosed last week that he has quit, but kept mum on his new venture. Ex-Employer Smith had qualified praise for him: "An indispensable man," but not quite "a dedicated businessman." Observed Smith vaguely: "Mr. Hiss ought to work for a foundation or a public-service type of thing."

Italy's usually reliable news agency, Continentale, confided to all that Soviet Premier Nilcita Khrushchev (see FOREIGN NEWS) has instructed his loyal Kremlin aides to nominate him for the next Nobel Peace Prize.

Nosing about the Soviet Union, U.S. Ambassador to the U.N. Henry Cabot Lodge, whose expedition is viewed by some as a qualifying round for the Republican vice-presidential nomination, drank up the sights in the fabled old Uzbekistan city of Samarkand. In his local ramblings, Lodge communed with the ages in the blue-domed ruins of the Bibi-Khanum Mosque, a 3 1/2-acre wonder built by Tamerlane in 1399-1404 in memory of his favorite wife (of eight).

The new London play, Night Life of a Virile Potato, was hooted, but its star, tempestuous Actress Sarah Churchill, 45, who had not trod the West End boards for twelve years, got a good hand. The play sounded as if it had been slapped together in six weeks on a borrowed typewriter (it was) by a would-be actress turned playwright (Gloria Russell, 22) to settle -the earth-shaking matter of what happens when a gynecologist impregnates his wife and his mistress at roughly the same time. The best notice for Sarah, who played the philanderer's wife, came from the London Daily Express, which found it "good to see her back." The Telegraph summed up the play: "As poor a piece as has reached any London stage for years."

Looking born for the role, aging (66) Actor Edward G. Robinson triumphed over Old Nick (played by David Wayne) at week's end in NBC-TV's version of Stephen Vincent Benet's The Devil and Daniel Webster. As Webster, Robinson bargained eloquently for the soul of a New England farmer who had sold out to Satan for material wealth. During rehearsals, Rumanian-born Actor Robinson allowed: "I wouldn't want television as a steady diet. It's back-breaking work."

Cozy and quiescent at a movie premiere in Milan, volcanic Soprano Maria Callas still created a stir by attending the event with dignity-drenched Antonio Ghirin-ghelli, impresario of Milan's famed La Scala Opera. It was their first public get-together since their celebrated explosion at La Scala almost two years ago, when Maria made one of her familiar frothing exits. Now that they seem real friendly again, prophetic Italian music lovers foresee Maria's return to La Scala next season --barring an intervening ruckus, of course.

Rear-running Presidential Possible Adlai Stevenson winged into Mexico City on the first leg of a two-month Latin American junket that will make him scarce in the U.S. during primary elections in several states. At the U.S. embassy, Stevenson was introduced to staffers by U.S. Ambassador to Mexico Robert C. Hill as "one of the greatest men in the United States." Then Republican Hill had a droll afterthought : such a warm welcome for Democrat Stevenson "might get me in trouble with the Republican National Committee." Quipped Adlai: "Don't worry, Mr. Ambassador. The next Administration will take good care of you!"

After giving a homily-packed lecture sponsored by St. Paul's Protestant Episcopal Church in Jackson, Mich., Cracker-Barrel Philosopher Harry (For 2$ Plain) Golden unveiled for a local newshound the "Golden plan to end anti-Semitism in America." Its wry gist: "All we Jews have to do is take a one-shot ad in all the big papers saying that we hereby serve notice that the next time we hear of any anti-Semitism we will all become Christians the next day. Jews, who are mostly middle class, would join what church? Why, the Episcopal Church, of course! But not the low church; we would go into the fancy one, the high church. The prospect of having 5,000,000 Jews joining their church would send Episcopalians into a frenzy. They would organize anti-defamation leagues, and police anti-Semitism for us! Just think of it! We would have all those Episcopalians working for us Jews!"

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