Gov. John Chafee of Rhode Island hinted last night that he might support Barry Goldwater at the 1964 Republican national convention. The governor prasied the Arizonal senator and his policies and indicated that a Goldwater bandwagon is already rolling.

Chafee told a Harvard Young Republican, Club meeting in the Lowell House Junior Common Room that if the convention were held today, "it is very clear that Goldwater would receive the presidential nomination." Later he added that New York's Gov. Nelson A. Rockefeller faces an "uphill fight" and that former vice-President Nixon had no chance at all for the nomination.

The young governor, who won election in 1962 by a 398-vote margin, outlined Republician prespects in New England Characterising the region's voters as "independent," he stated that he was "convinced that in all New England states, any position can be won by a candidate of either party."

He said political success depends on choosing the right kind of candidates. According to Chafee, the party must select candidates who are not only well qualified and "attractive" but also energetic and organized campaigners.

Emphasizing the importance of campaigning, Chafee cited his own election as an instance where a vigorous campaign had produced victory in a Democratic state.