KABC-7 KNBC-4 News 1973 Nixon Visits Chicago!

Added: 2026-05-14

[00:00:04]Well, >> the president finished on a very strong note, warning Europe that unless it was willing to sit down with the United States and talk economics and diplomacy that the two great continents would go it alone. The president got stronger as the hour went on.

[00:00:20]>> He is standing now with Mayor Daly. Mr. Clark of the Tribune Company obviously is going to make some presentation or acknowledge his presence and the questions and answers that he took and responded to in Chicago.

[00:00:36]The president is returning to Washington later this afternoon after a Republican reception in Chicago.

[00:00:43]>> Over the weekend, he goes out again to Nashville, Tennessee, and then next week to Houston, Texas. Here's the president again.

[00:00:51]I I only asked the mayor to come up here because I just wanted to assure this audience that despite the fact that I at times may have appeared to be a bit partisan, I didn't intend to be at all.

[00:01:10]Mr. President, thank you for that wonderfully interesting and informative and candid presentation. We are looking forward to your next appearance before the Executives Club of Chicago. Uh, may I remind you, please stay at your tables until the president has left the room, which we hope he will be in no rush to do. Thank you.

[00:01:40]The reference, of course, to partisanship was a dig that the president got in earlier during the hour at the Republican senator from Illinois, Charles Percy. Those two men have never gotten along very well. And uh in response to a state senator, a Republican state senator who said uh that the president was beloved in Illinois. Mr. Nixon said, "I wish you'd tell your US senator that." Later on, he explained that uh he did not mean to attack Senator Percy, but only was suggesting that he helped work out the problems of the GOP and then if he were the nominee in 76, he would be proud to run on a great platform, he said. The president today insisted that he is cooperating with the House Judiciary Committee by turning over 19 tapes and 700 documents. He said, "As for the other 42 tapes which are reported to deal with the cover up, the president said that we have probably gone as far as we can and we've gone as far as we can has probably weakened the White House." He said, the president did that he must protect the confidentiality of conversations at the White House, he said if that principle is completely destroyed, implying that it already has been partially destroyed, then future presidents will be surrounded by what he called Unix.

[00:02:52]He said Watergate was disturbing and wrong. He said he had said that before.

[00:02:57]He said that um he will not resign simply because uh the polls have him in a low rating. He got a standing ovation when he said that he would not be a party to any destruction of the White House. There was no clarification today over whether he knew or didn't know on March 21st, 1973 about the demands for hush money. Once more, the president Uh I am going out as it they said you were waiting for me to leave and uh let me say I uh have appreciated your response uh and your patience and while I leave the podium I don't expect to leave the presidency till January the 20th 1971 period 77 Seven.

[00:03:56]The president obviously uh was enjoying being with friends and most of them were his friends. They gave him a warm round of applause, several uh sustained bursts of ovation, and at the end he said, "I'm leaving, but I just want to let you know I'm not leaving till 1973." And then he corrected that, "I'm not leaving till 1977."

[00:04:18]The president also said today that he would not testify on behalf of any of his indicted colleagues, even though his testimony might result in their exoneration. and he said his quarrel with the Internal Revenue Service revolved around what he called a technical point on paperwork, whether that paperwork was completed in time.

[00:04:38]With me in our Washington studios as we watched the president uh work his way out of the hotel room is Bruce Morton, who has covered the House Judiciary Committee deliberations on Capitol Hill and may have uh observed some things that got by me. Did you find, Bruce, um, any clarification about the so-called hush money problem?

[00:05:01]>> No, I really didn't, Roger. I was trying to write as quickly as I could and get that down. The problem, of course, is that last August, the president said in a news conference that he was told then about money, but believed it was lawyers fees. No question of it being hush money. At his most recent news conference, March 6th, he said that he was told on the 21st, that it was hush money. The White House had indicated in advance that Mr. Nixon was prepared to clear that up today, but he really didn't. He said uh he was told on the 21st that payments were made. It was alleged that payments were made for the purpose of keeping them, the Watergate defendants still. That was just 2 days before the original defendants were sentenced. And then he said that Mr. Halddederman, Mr. Mitchell, Mr. Erlickman, had denied that and should be allowed to establish their innocence in court. So we're left with that unresolved really. president I thought seemed to be sticking to his most recent version but was saying uh if if they recall it differently they ought to have every chance to prove that what they recall is right which is fair but not very clear >> I don't know whether that failure to um enunciate is the president's failure or the failure of a a soft mushy question and whether that proves that if you really want to find out good straight answers you should go before the press I don't think that's fair to those business executives but at least um the president was able to take the questions and uh turn them to his own good advantage and uh make a lot of good points that obviously uh raised his standing in Chicago.

[00:06:29]>> Oh, took them and ran I think a series of many speeches almost with people coming to their feet in applause after some one other point I suppose is that Mr. Nixon today, like a lot of White House spokesman at one level or another all week, has been hinting strongly that the judiciary committee now has everything it's going to get for its impeachment investigation. But he stopped short of saying that flatly.

[00:06:51]When either he or his lawyer, James St. Clair, does say it flatly. We're at confrontation time. The committee is prepared to subpoena the evidence it wants.

[00:07:00]>> Uh, this is all the time we have. I must end the broadcast with by admitting a mistake of my own. I referred earlier in in the hour to the nonp press segment of our society and I meant the managing editors in uh Disneyland last fall. I apologize for calling them non press. I meant non Washington press. For Bruce Morton, this is Roger Mud, CBS News, Washington.

[00:07:23]This has been a CBS News special report.

[00:07:26]This is CBS.

[00:07:35]Well, actually, in a sense, I have 10 children like my mother. I have six on television on on the Brady Bunch, and I really do have four of my own. Two boys and two girls.

[00:07:47]>> President's reference to what John Dean told him and when.

[00:07:50]>> Well, John, I disagree with Tom that this was simply a matter of semantic differences. I think there was a very important legal distinction that the president was trying to draw in his own defense. And that's this. Since the president's news conference conference on March 6th 6th, there's been a dispute raging as you know. The question being if the president knew that John Dean told him about hush money, hush payments would have been illegal. Why didn't the president report it to the authorities as the law requires? And there is a federal statute. But the key word in that statute is knowledge. Whoever has knowledge of a federal felony and so what the president is saying here is that he didn't have knowledge that Dean merely made an allegation. And I think that's an attempt to draw a distinction to uh kind of bring the president's conduct outside the provisions of this federal law.

[00:08:37]>> Carl, thank you very much. I found it personally interesting today that uh in a series of questions asked not by the White House press, which has been criticized by the president a number of times, uh but by businessmen in the center of the country that out of 14 questions, five were dealing with the economy and the energy. And Mr. Nixon didn't give us much new information on that and six questions dealt with Watergate related matters. So, what is of interest in the East Room of the White House apparently interests the public at large as well. And that concludes our coverage of President Nixon's appearance today in Chicago before an audience made up of members of the executive club. I'm John Chancellor, NBC News.

[00:09:20]>> This has been an NBC News special report.

[00:09:24]him holding hands with Mayor Daly. Times times do change.

[00:09:29]>> Well, it was a completely nonpartisan appearance as he said. He uh he was optimistic, excuse me, optimistic about the end of the oil embargo, but as you pointed out, he uh he did kind of warn the Arabs that no matter what happens as far as the oil situation is concerned, that the United States is going to continue working uh the long range interest of peace in the Middle East.

[00:09:47]And he made it clear that does not imply in any way abandonment of the state of Israel. Well, the president has concluded his remarks answering the questions before the Executives Club of Chicago. He has another go at this sort of thing Tuesday night in Houston before the National Association of Broadcasters. Herb Kaplau, this is Frank Reynolds, ABC News, Washington.

[00:10:09]President Nixon's appearance came to you live from the Conrad Hilton Hotel in Chicago as a special report from ABC News. We now resume our regular program schedule following station identification.

[00:10:22]This is ABC.

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[00:11:14]For some questions not covered at the president's news conference, plus a report on the IRS investigation of Mr. Nixon's 1969 taxes. Turn to Newsweek and nowhere else. The big news continues now on KNXT channel 2.

[00:11:32]From CBS News headquarters in New York, this is the CBS Evening News with Walter Kronite and Dan Rather in Chicago. Phil Jones in Charleston, South Carolina.

[00:11:44]Robert Shaknney in New York. Bob McNamera in New York. David Dao in Laguna Hills, California. Richard Wagner as San and Selmo, California. Tom Fenton in the NEv. And tonight's news maker, Shake Yammani.

[00:12:00]>> Good evening. The Arab oil ministers are gathering in Vienna tonight to decide finally whether to lift the embargo against the United States. The chief architect of the embargo as a political weapon, Saudi Arabian oil minister Yammani, told us late this evening that the final decision on lifting the embargo, despite reports, has not yet been taken, but he has no doubt it will come Sunday. Here is our conversation.

[00:12:23]>> Mr. Yam, I'm wondering if you can help clarify uh some of the reports we've been getting. Uh I'm wondering, has an agreement actually been reached to lift the embargo?

[00:12:36]>> No, not yet.

[00:12:38]It is to be reached on Sunday you anticipate?

[00:12:42]>> Yes.

[00:12:43]>> Do you have any doubt that uh it will be lifted uh at that time?

[00:12:47]>> No, I have no doubt.

[00:12:49]>> And will there be uh some conditions uh attached to that uh lifting?

[00:12:55]>> I think we'll discuss these things on on Sunday.

[00:12:59]>> Uh you mean you the ministers will discuss it. There hasn't been any arrangement so far.

[00:13:04]>> Right.

[00:13:05]>> I see. So you will have to make those decisions and then uh that there will be an announcement on Sunday to the world press.

[00:13:11]>> Yes.

[00:13:12]>> And what do you what do you anticipate Mr. Minister? Do you think there that there will be some strong conditions attached?

[00:13:19]>> No, I don't expect it.

[00:13:21]>> You do not expect them to be uh too difficult for the United States to meet?

[00:13:25]>> No, not at all.

[00:13:27]>> Good. What about the uh what about the uh uh increase in production? Uh is that also agreed upon? It has to be increased.

[00:13:39]>> I beg your pardon, sir.

[00:13:40]>> We have to increase production in case we want to lift the embargo.

[00:13:44]>> Oh, I see. And what about price?

[00:13:47]>> Price is another issue. We don't deal with it as Arab nations. We deal with it uh within OPIC.

[00:13:55]The Middle East Economic Survey, an Arab Oil Industry publication, said the oil ministers favor limiting the suspension to only two months to ensure an Israeli Syrian troop disengagement. President Nixon, in an appearance in Chicago today, warned that a conditional lifting of the embargo would have a counter effect. The president added it would slow down United States peace efforts in the Middle East.

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[00:15:24]President Nixon has opened a new series of public appearances to take his case to the people. Today it was Chicago, tomorrow Nashville, Tuesday Houston. Dan Rather reports on his nationally televised session with the Executives Club of Chicago. The president counted upon this being a friendly audience, and it was. He received two standing ovations while being introduced. Most of the questions were not tough, but club leaders insisted that neither the questions nor the order in which questions were asked had been rigged for Mr. Nixon's benefit.

[00:15:55]>> I understand that they've asked me to turn left. It's very hard for me to do so, but I will for the first question.

[00:16:04]>> Mr. President, would you encourage young people to get into politics? And if so, how?

[00:16:11]>> I would urge young people to get into politics in America for several reasons.

[00:16:15]First, if they don't like the way the political system works, the way to do something about it is not to stay out and whine about it, but get in it and change it.

[00:16:24]>> Mr. President, I'm a Republican state senator from Illinois and I want to tell you before asking my question, sir, that in my district, you're thought of belovedly by thousands of people. And I think you need to hear that.

[00:16:46]>> Perhaps you should tell your United States Senator that.

[00:16:50]>> That reference was to Illinois Senator Charles Percy, who was not present.

[00:16:54]Percy said earlier this week the president could be impeached for not cooperating more with House investigators. Today, Mr. Nixon said he wasn't attacking Percy, just suggesting that Percy help his party more. The day's only clearly hard question drew scattered applause and some booing for the questioner.

[00:17:12]Do you not think that the entire incident has begun to affect the quality of life in this country, particularly the great deal of uncertainties that people have about it, and also has begun to affect the concept of ethics, particularly in our young people? And for these reasons alone, would it not be better that you resign at this time and allow yourself the public forum as a private citizen to answer all accusations on all parts?

[00:17:43]Now ladies and gentlemen, that's a perfectly proper question and it has been raised not only by the gentleman who asked it by but by several respected publications in this area as well as in other parts of the country and some members of the Congress as well. Let me be respond to it first by saying that of course Watergate has had a disturbing effect not only on young people but on other people. It was a wrong and very stupid action. From a personal standpoint, resignation is an easy copout.

[00:18:16]Resignation of course might satisfy some of my good friendly partisans who would rather not have the problem of Watergate bothering them. But on the other hand, apart from the personal standpoint, resignation of this president on charges of which he is not guilty, resignation simply because he happened to be low in the polls would forever change our form of government. It would lead to weak and unstable presidencies in the future. And I will not be a party to the destruction of the presidency of the United States.

[00:18:50]>> Before this session, presidential aids had said Mr. Nixon was prepared to clear up apparent discrepancies in what he has said during past news conferences about a Watergate hush money meeting. But the president today did not clear up those apparent discrepancies. He did reaffirm that he has no plans for releasing any more potential evidence to the House impeachment committee and he said he would not appear in court to testify on behalf of indicted aids. Both refusals, he said, were based on a desire to protect the office of the presidency. On another subject, Mr. Nixon warned Western European nations they must cooperate more with the United States on matters such as dealing with Arab oil embargos.

[00:19:28]>> And we cannot have in Europe, for example, confrontation on the economic and political front and cooperation on the security front. It doesn't mean that we are not going to have competition.

[00:19:42]But it does mean that we are not going to be paid for the situation where the nine countries of Europe gang up against the United States. the United States which is their guarantee for their security that we cannot have.

[00:19:56]>> At the finish to the sound of sustained applause, the president held hands with Democratic Mayor Richard Dailyaly. And Mr. Nixon repeated to Daly and to the audience that he will remain president until 1977.

[00:20:09]Dan Rather, CBS News, Chicago.

[00:20:13]President Nixon was in the Midwest today. Vice President Ford was in the South. and Phil Jones reports from Charleston, South Carolina.

[00:20:33]A 19 gun salute for the vice president at the Citadel in Charleston, South Carolina. The 16th state he's visited since his designation. continuing his campaign of high visibility, but maintaining publicly he doesn't expect to be moving into the White House.

[00:20:48]Today, he received an honorary doctor of law degree from the Citadel. Earlier at a news conference, Ford issued a strong attack against the staff of the House Judiciary Committee.

[00:20:58]>> Now, it seems to me that so far anyhow, the staff of that committee uh is having too big an influence. And I think it's the solemn obligation of that committee, the 38 members, 21 Democrats and 17 Republicans, to read the testimony, to read the documents, to listen to the tapes. This is very serious business and they should not under any circumstances rely on an assessment by a staff member. In my humble judgment, in my judgment, uh, the White House and the committee members uh could get together on a reasonable basis, but I don't think the staff ought to run the proceedings either for the committee or for the president or for the American people. Ford keeps saying he's his own man, not the president's.

[00:21:57]Yet, today's attack on the House Judiciary Committee staff is the White House line. And for a man who says he hopes to bridge the gap between the White House and Capitol Hill, today's remarks seem somewhat out of character.

[00:22:11]Phil Jones, CBS News, with the vice president, Charleston, South Carolina.

[00:22:17]The federal jury trying John Mitchell and Maurice Stands in New York heard testimony today about how a secret cash contribution was handled when it reached the Nixon campaign coffers. Robert Shaknney reports. Hugh Sloan, the former treasurer of the finance committee for the re-election of the president, testified today that Maurice Stance, his ex- boss, had tried to keep secret financier Robert Vesco's campaign contribution of $200,000 in cash. That when Stans gave Sloan Vesco's bank bag full of currency, he told him it had been given through John Mitchell to list it under Mitchell's initials. Later, Sloan went on, Stans had him destroy all records of the transaction. There were two other witnesses with potentially damaging testimony today. The former associate director of the FBI, W. Mark Felt, told the court that John Mitchell, while still attorney general, had used the FBI to help Vesco. Once sending a message through FBI channels to the American embassy in Lebanon, stating that Vesco was highly regarded by the attorney general and the administration.

[00:23:17]Also on the stand today, investment banker Daniel Hoffgrren with testimony relating to perjury. telling what he knew of Esco's contribution, he contradicted what both defendants had told the grand jury.

[00:23:28]>> From the prosecution point of view, today's witnesses were extremely important. Unlike some previous government witnesses, their credibility couldn't be so easily attacked. And if the jury believes what it was told, then the government has gone a long way to approving some of its perjury charges.

[00:23:44]Robert Shakne, CBS News, New York. A Texas lawyer, Jake Jacobson, pleaded innocent today to a charge of lying to the Watergate grand jury investigating links between dairy industry campaign contributions and an increase in the federal price support for milk. Jacobson was released in custody of his attorney.

[00:24:02]Trial was postponed until completion of a Texas case involving Jacobson.

[00:24:07]After 4 days without success, a Watergate committee subpoena for President Nixon's personal secretary, Rosemary Woods, finally was served today. Miss Wood's lawyer, Charles Ry, accepted the subpoena. The Senate committee reportedly wants to question her under oath about a $100,000 campaign contribution from Howard Hughes, which was accepted by BB Roboso, the president's close friend.

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[00:26:18]Good morning. This is the KMBBC News Service signoff edition for this Wednesday, the 20th day of March. The time now 40 seconds past 2 am. In the news this morning, President Nixon authorizes gas stations to stay open on Sundays. We'll have the results of Los Angeles city councilman Arthur Snider's recall election and two local scandals are making news and British royalty and Hollywood impress each other. Here are the details. President Nixon is in Texas and he addressed the National Association of Broadcasters convention in Houston for an hour in a question and answer session. A few hours before the president appeared, Republican Senator James Buckley of New York urged the president to resign and the president responded in answer to the first question.

[00:27:00]Well, first, it does not cause me to reassess my position, although I of course do respect.

[00:27:14]I do respect the point of view expressed by the senator and by uh others perhaps some sitting here who share that view.

[00:27:23]The point that I wish to make, however, is that when we speak of courage, if I could address that from a personal standpoint, first of all, uh it perhaps uh would be an act of courage to resign.

[00:27:41]I should also point out, however, that while it might be an act of courage to run away from a job that you were elected to do, it also takes courage to stand and fight for what you believe is right. And that's what I intend to do.

[00:27:58]>> Governor Ronald Reagan said that resignation would be more disruptive than impeachment. Vice President Gerald Ford and Senator Barry Goldwater also voiced opposition to such a move.

[00:28:08]President Nixon answered questions regarding the economy, inflation, and the Middle East, but drew heaviest applause in his opening statement dealing with the end of the Arab oil embargo and the easing of the gasoline crisis.

[00:28:26]First, it will not be necessary for us to have compulsory rationing in the United States.

[00:28:44]And second, effective this Sunday, I have rescended the order which closes all service stations on Sunday.

[00:28:59]Third, director Simon is increasing allocations to industry and agriculture so that they can have the necessary energy to operate at full capacity.

[00:29:12]And fourth, with regard to those gasoline lines which have troubled us in several places in the country, we will now be able to allocate additional gasoline with the purpose of diminishing the lines and we hope eventually eliminating them.

[00:29:33]>> President Nixon pointed out that gasoline prices will stay high because imported oil costs more than domestic oil. Standard Oil of California has already announced that from now on its 235 company operated stations will be open on Sundays. This was in response to a plea from Governor Reagan who complained that Sunday closing was fouling up the state's odd even gasoline purchase program. The order to open on Sundays will affect about 90 standard stations in the Los Angeles area. And there's another story affecting local transportation. The Rapid Transit District people have voted to accept financial backing for a 25-cent bus fair starting April 1st. The backing comes from the county supervisors after they have been assured that federal revenue sharing funds can be used to finance the program. The flat 25 cent fair will take you anywhere in the county on a single bus. The request to appear on nationwide television made by two jailed members of the Symbian Liberation Army has been turned down. Judge Sam Hall of Martinez, California said he's afraid that such an appearance by Joseph Romero and Russell Little could make it impossible for them to receive a fair trial. They're charged with the murder of Oakland school superintendent Marcus Foster. Randolph first said he was disappointed in the judge's decision since Romero and Little had said that they would make suggestions for the release of his kidnapped daughter, Patricia.

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[00:31:25]>> Good morning. I'm Hughes Rudd. Our top stories today are on a senator's proposal, a president's answer, and a gassier Sunday. We'll be going to Houston in a couple of minutes to see and talk about some of the things President Nixon said there last night.

[00:31:40]We'll hear what one Republican senator has to say about the president and his problems. And speaking of problems, we'll see what the high price of rice is doing to a place where rice is a lot more than something just to throw at a wedding. It's all coming up this Wednesday, March 20th.

[00:31:58]From the CBS newsroom in New York, this is the CBS Morning News with Hughes Rudd.

[00:32:07]President Nixon made another appearance on television last night, this time in Houston before a broadcasters convention, and he gave us all some good news. Gasoline stations will be allowed to stay open on Sundays from now on.

[00:32:20]Most of them have been closed voluntarily on Sunday. The president said American farmers have never had it so good and we want to keep it this way because they won't produce unless they get a good price. He also said beef prices will remain high this fall, but that most food prices should come down a little later on. He said the United States is not only a friend of Israel, but a friend of Israel's neighbors as well. He said, "Our European allies should consult with us instead of acting on their own because such behavior raised the spectre of a new sense of isolationism in this country." As for the spectre of Watergate, the president said again he will not hand over those 42 tape recordings which the House Judiciary Committee wants for its impeachment investigation. Dragging on Watergate, he said, drags down America.

[00:33:07]And inevitably he was asked about conservative Republican Senator James Buckley's suggestion that he resign as an act of courage.

[00:33:15]>> Senator James Buckley today called for you to perform an extraordinary act of statesmanship and courage voluntary resignation as he put it the only way by which the Watergate crisis can be resolved. Would you comment on the import of this statement coming from a conservative United States senator and whether it might cause you to reassess your position?

[00:33:35]Well, first, it does not cause me to reassess my position, although I of course do respect.

[00:33:50]I do respect the point of view expressed by the senator and by uh others perhaps some sitting here who share that view.

[00:33:58]The point that I wish to make my letter is that when we speak of courage, if I could address that from a personal standpoint first of all, uh it perhaps uh would be an act of courage to resign.

[00:34:17]I should also point out, however, that while it might be an act of courage to run away from a job that you were elected to do, it also takes courage to stand and fight for what you believe is right. And that's what I intend to do.

[00:34:37]In recent days, uh, you have in effect attempted to define the limits of the House Judiciary Committee investigation, what evidence that they have access to.

[00:34:47]Since the Constitution, and I think without qualification, clearly assigns to the House of Representatives impeachment investigations, how can the House meet its constitutional responsibilities while you, the person under investigation, are allowed to limit their access to potential evidence?

[00:35:06]Well, Mr. Rather, referring to the House of Representatives, just like the president, it is bound by the Constitution. The Constitution says specifically that a president shall be impeached for treason, bribery, or other high crimes or misdemeanors. It is the Constitution that defines what the House should have access to and the limits of its investigation. And I am suggesting that the House follow the Constitution.

[00:35:38]If they do, I will.

[00:35:40]>> Following on my colleague Mr. rather's question. You have referred here again tonight as you have in the past about what you call the precedence of past presidents and withholding White House material from the House Judiciary Committee, but other presidents protecting the confidentiality of their conversations were not the subject of impeachment investigations. Mr. President, and in fact, many of them wrote that the House Judiciary Committee, at least Congress, had the right to demand White House materials in the course of the impeachment investigation. And history shows that Andrew Johnson gave up everything that the Congress asked him for when he was the subject of an impeachment investigation.

[00:36:13]So, Mr. President, my question is this.

[00:36:15]Aren't your statements to that matter historically inaccurate or at least misleading?

[00:36:23]Mr. Brokoff, it is true, as you say, that the only other president who uh was exposed to an impeachment investigation was Andrew Johnson.

[00:36:36]uh and so and in so far as that particular part of your question is concerned uh you are correct. However, in so far as the principle of cont confidentiality is concerned, that principle still stands and it affects an impeachment investigation as well as any other investigation. Because in the future, if all that a Congress under the control of an opposition party had to do in order to get a president out of office was to make an unreasonable demand to go through all of the files of the presidency, a demand which a president would have to refuse, then it would mean that no president would be strong enough to stay in office to resist that kind of demand and that kind of pressure it would lead to instability and it would destroy as I have indicated before the principle of confidentiality.

[00:37:38]Incidentally, the president's answer to Dan Rather's question came after they'd engaged in a little back and forth persifies which we've cut out of the tape. The Associated Press took a poll of some senators after Senator Buckley called for Mr. Nixon's resignation and they came up with these figures. 39 senators say the president should not resign. 17 say he should. 33 senators declined to say anything, which must be a record of some sort. And 11 other senators couldn't be contacted, which isn't a record. But we'll be back with some discussion about the president's latest public appearance right after this.

[00:38:19]>> The time now 7 minutes past the hour.

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[00:39:32]Most of the people in that give and take with President Nixon last night in Houston usually don't get to see the president any more than most of us do, which means on television. But some of the sharpest questions last night came from the people who are with Mr. Nixon regularly, the White House press people.

[00:39:48]And some of them are with us right now down in Houston at KHOU TV and our there our own Dan Rather, Robert Perpoint and a couple of guests, Elizabeth Drew of the New Yorker magazine and Fred Zimmerman of the Wall Street Journal.

[00:40:00]Good morning all.

[00:40:23]Well, clearly we're having some trouble between here and Houston. We'll try for them again later. Uh, here's another look at the news. Meanwhile, the first of the 1974 primaries was held yesterday in Illinois, and Democratic Senator Adlay Stevenson ran away with the nomination for another term. His Republican opponent as a result of the primary will be George Berdett, a lawyer and businessman. In a congressional race, Robert Mccclary, one of the Republicans on the House Judiciary Committee, which is looking into impeachment, was an easy winner over Edward Vas, a former policeman. Chrysler Motors has announced a price increase on its 1974 model cars. The increase averages 7/10 of a percent or about $28 a car. Even though even though no one is being drafted right now, the draft system is still working. And today there'll be another lottery to determine who will be called first if the draft is resumed. This lottery is for men born in 1955.

[00:41:22]The South Vietnamese military command says a governmentcont controlled hamlet in the Mikong Delta has been overrun and according to Saigon, 18 persons have been killed.

[00:41:32]Israel has ordered all civilian traffic off the roads in the Golan Heights, a sign the Israeli military command expects the ninth consecutive day of artillery duels with Syria. Tom Fenton has a report on the previous eight days and tells us what it's all about.

[00:41:55]>> The Syrian guns open fire first.

[00:42:02]Israeli gunners held their fire for half an hour, then prepared to reply with a counter barrage of all calibers, including the long-ranging 175s. They pounded positions deep inside the Syrian lines in the direction of Damascus.

[00:42:31]Syrian fire was first directed at the northern end of the salient captured by Israeli forces in the October war.

[00:42:37]Shells rained down on Israeli positions in the abandoned Syrian town of Mazat Djang. There were Israeli casualties as the exchanges ranged over most of the front throughout the day. Some Israeli batteries were forced to shift their positions. The Israelis described it as the most concentrated shelling since the war. It now appears to the Israelis that the Syrians are waging at least a limited war of attrition with the aim apparently of pressuring Israel into a speedy disengagement from territory captured in the past two wars. The Syrians lost one means of pressure, but most of the Arab oil producing countries agreed to lift the oil embargo against the United States. There are no signs that military pressure will be any more effective. Prime Minister Golden Mayer repeated again this week that Israeli troops may withdraw from the territory captured in the October War, but will remain on the strategically important Golden Heights captured in the Six-Day War. Tom Fenton, CBS News, Israel.

[00:43:34]>> And we'll be back right after this.

[00:43:41]>> The time now 12 minutes past the hour.

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[00:45:52]We're going to make another attempt at electronic wizardry and try to go down to Khutv in Houston where our own Dan Rather and Robert Perpoint are waiting along with Elizabeth Drew of the New Yorker magazine and Fred Zimmerman of the Wall Street Journal waiting very patiently. Good morning all. Good morning. I think the humidity got some of our wires here out of Houston. Bob, to your point, uh, in your judgment, what was the most important uh, point in last night's news conference?

[00:46:17]>> Well, I think what the president was attempting to do is fairly obvious. He was attempting to gain support for for his view that Watergate is not going to take him out of office that he is an active effective president and he wants the public to uh gather support for him and in turn pressure the congress uh so that it won't vote impeachment. Now whether he picked up any points last night is uh I suppose debatable. Uh he seemed to be in a very friendly audience. Uh he made a number of uh cracks at the press which the audience seemed to enjoy and appreciate. Uh there were several questions that he did not answer. He did not for instance say what happens if the house issues a subpoena for materials that he has refused to give them. Will he honor the subpoena?

[00:47:02]He did not really clarify what John Dean told him on March 21st about the hush money payments and what he did about it.

[00:47:09]But generally speaking, uh I thought he came across as a strong uh determined man who will not resign from office, who will stay and fight it out.

[00:47:19]>> Elizabeth Drew, journalist, commentator, currently writing a series of articles for the New Yorker, experienced Washington reporter. What are the dynamics underway now in your judgment between the president and the House Judiciary Committee?

[00:47:32]>> Well, Dan, he's carrying out a rather deadly struggle with the committee and on this platform as he did in Chicago.

[00:47:39]What he's doing is defining in his terms what the committee is doing. He talks about the committee sending out last night he had a new one sending up a U-Haul a trailer for all the material that it wants. He talks about the huge amount of material it's asked for, fishing licenses, hunting licenses, and so on. The committee has on a bipartisan basis made a very specific request for certain material it thinks is necessary.

[00:48:02]The president is asserting that this would be too much. It would damage the presidency and he he has not flatly said he wouldn't turn it over, but he's he's indicated that he wouldn't. At the same time, he's saying that the committee should hurry up in its study because uh to drag out Watergate is to drag down America. I think we're going to be hearing more about that. On the other hand, he's saying that they should study the material before he gives it to them.

[00:48:26]And uh one of the real questions is is whether this tactic is going to work.

[00:48:31]One will be in the form of public opinion whether he will be able to make his point. The other will be legally perhaps he will be able to continue to hold out this material and block a full impeachment inquiry. Then I don't know what happens.

[00:48:42]>> Fred Zimmerman with the Wall Street Journal.

[00:48:45]Two-pronged uh effort by the president.

[00:48:48]one to influence public opinion, the other to have an effect on Congress.

[00:48:52]Your estimate of how successful he is uh at the moment in the wake of these hurried travels around the country and in particular last night's performance.

[00:49:01]>> I think it's right, Dan, that he that he is is addressing two audiences now. The the public on the one hand and Congress on the other, which soon will be voting on his uh future. Uh in terms of the public, I suspect that what he did last night might have come across well. he was able to tell him they'll be able to get gas on Sunday now. And uh he was very forceful and perhaps pretty compelling and appealing on the resignation question. But uh I wondered to what extent any of this really matters anymore. It seems to me uh probable that the people who matter in Congress and also a huge segment of the of the public is already pretty well made up its mind on this thing and that we're kind of in a polarized situation right now and and the thing is kind of on the track and and perhaps there's very little he can do anymore. One point perhaps we should mention that the president did reduce a bit his antagonistic language toward nations of Western Europe at least a little backing off from his position up this past Friday. But back to the Watergate matter and the where the House Judiciary Committee is and the Senate. Elizabeth Drew, what would be the effect in your judgment of Senator James Buckley's announcement of yesterday? Now the president said last night in effect it is not going to have any effect on me.

[00:50:21]Well, he makes a very uh strong argument against resigning and uh says that instead of that that that would weaken the presidency that a president shouldn't resign because they're low in the polls or because charges have been made and I can't have any disagreement with that. Of course, that Watergate is not a question of just being low on the polls or charges being made. But the president said the real process there is a process in the constitution. It's called impeachment. And I felt he did not give an answer to your question last night, which is what what are you going to do if if the person being investigated tries to draw limits around what is being investigated and the material he's going to turn over. Now, the Congress can't go down and arrest him, it doesn't have as large an army as he does, and if he does in fact insist on holding out on what they consider to be critical material, no matter what public opinion says or what, it it it could really hold up this process. And he, as you pointed out, he has said, "I have given them everything that the special prosecutor got." But he gave the special prosecutor some things they did not want. And there's a great deal that the special prosecutor needed, not just in the Watergate break-in and cover up.

[00:51:30]This is a there are a lot of subjects in this whole area uh that they have not gotten having to do with the plumbers and and a lot of other uh cases too. So, he could really in effect draw a line on his own investigation. It seems to me uh Dan that uh what the president is doing in a sense is addressing almost the wrong audience because uh these are complex issues many of them legal issues which the average person or even the average reporter uh doesn't quite follow and understand but the congressman on that house judiciary committee are all lawyers. They understand very well what the president is saying and they further understand when he refuses to cooperate with them. And it seems to me what is happening is that while the public may be to some extent convinced by what the president says and does in these trips around the country that in fact he is losing the most important audience that is the Republicans or the conservatives on the judiciary committee and in the House themselves. That is those men who are going to have to vote the crucial issues are listening to him and watching him. And from what I've been able to learn, they're increasingly disenchanted and the chances for impeachment are going up every day.

[00:52:41]>> Fred Zimmerman, the president, as I understand it, still has not answered the basic question of why he has told at least two different stories about what happened in the now famed March 21st so-called hush money meeting. Is that a fair assessment? And how important is this going to be?

[00:53:00]>> Well, I think it is true. This this thing can get incredibly complicated.

[00:53:04]But what he seems to be saying in in Chicago on Friday and again tonight is that he wished he had used a word like alleged rather than told. Well, all right. If if if we accept his his new word alleged, what we're still left with is that in August he said that John Dean had come into him on March 21st and alleged that these payments had been made for attorney fees and child support to their family support to the original defendants and not for the purpose of keeping him still. That's story A. Story B is that on March 6th, he says that John Dean alleged to him that the payments had been made to keep them quiet. So the discrepancy between his two accounts of that crucial meeting still remain and nothing he said last night uh cleared it up for me. And also it seems to me there's one other big issue that is whatever he learned on March 21st, what did he do about it?

[00:54:02]>> Right? That it seems to me is a very crucial point because if he in fact did learn even that there was an allegation of hush money payments he should have been doing something about it.

[00:54:12]>> Here's withdrew. The president continues to say that there is no recession, there isn't going to be a recession this year.

[00:54:18]Now you talked to a lot of economists.

[00:54:20]Is it now the prevailing view that we're already uh in a recession? Certainly there are some who say that. The Wharton School of Business, University of Pennsylvania, for example, but would you say that that's the predominant view of economists? Well, I think you're overestimating the number of conversations I have with the economists. I The economists seem as confused about what's happening as everybody else. And that's been one of the problems is the economists don't really know how to predict this thing or much how to deal with it. We're in we've been in an unprecedented situation of the inflation, recession, etc. Um, I don't know anybody who thinks it's looking very good or going to get better. And I think I talked to more people than economists. Not that they're necessarily not the same thing and I don't know that anybody feels that the uh that the economy is better and to the extent that it's the public that's watching I don't know that they're persuaded by the what the president says.

[00:55:12]>> Fred Zimmerman, what can we expect to see from President Nixon in the upcoming weeks? Do you think he'll continue this process of hopscotching around the country?

[00:55:20]>> Well, I don't know. We, as you know, we don't get much advanced warning on these things. And I would be a little surprised if he continues it because I I'm at a loss to to know what would be served by, you know, another one of these in two or three days, the way we just had one Friday in Chicago. It seems to me that he basically is saying about the same thing uh each time now. And and I think it's conceivable that maybe uh he'll cool it for a few days. I wouldn't be surprised to see him go overseas on some travel within the next couple of months. Would you say a stop in one or two European capitals, London and Bond, then down to the Middle East? Would you be surprised to see that?

[00:56:01]>> Well, the Europe thing is really a question in my mind. I'm not sure where we're left after what we've gone through uh uh with his statement about the Atlantic Alliance the last couple of days, but I think perhaps in domestic terms he might like to uh get out of the country and and and do the tour a little and and show the public and Congress that he's a viable statesman. And so maybe he will try that.

[00:56:27]>> We do have the trip to the Soviet Union which they're trying to arrange for June. I guess that would be in a sense a plus for him if he could go there and sign another uh nuclear treaty of some kind to restrict nuclear weapons.

[00:56:41]>> Cheers for excuse me our time is up.

[00:56:43]Elizabeth for Fred Zimmerman Elizabeth Drew my colleague Bob Pure point Dan Rather in Houston.

[00:56:49]>> Thank you very much >> Joan Crawford Robert Stack and Paulie Bergenstar in the caretakers tonight.

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[00:57:26]>> Acupuncture for animals. A special report on the news at 6.

[00:57:31]From New York, this is NBC News with Edwin Newman.

[00:57:40]>> My one a day girl loves the outdoors as much as the kids do. And she's smart, too. She knows most women need extra iron. To be sure she gets it, the only thing she trusts is One A Day Brand, Multiple Vitamins Plus Iron. 10 vitamins plus iron. All the extra iron most women need to help stay healthy. So, she's a one a day girl. Shouldn't you be a one a day girl, too?

[00:58:03]>> One a day girl.

[00:58:07]>> Good afternoon. Chad Huntley died this morning. He had been undergoing treatment for cancer for some months and he had been operated on in January. He was 62. His death was announced by his wife Tippy at their home in Bosezeman, Montana. For those of us at NBC, Ched Huntley's death is, of course, more than just news. He was a big part of our lives as he was of the life of this country. He was our anchor man and for many of us he was a friend. NBC Nightly News will devote a part of its program tonight to Chad Huntley and Frank McGee will have something to say about Chad on the Today program tomorrow morning.

[00:58:44]Lawyers for HR Halddederman today went into court to keep the Watergate grand jury report on President Nixon from going to the House Judiciary Committee.

[00:58:52]On Monday, Judge John Sera said he would pass the report to the House Committee.

[00:58:56]Sera allowed two days for appeals against that by President Nixon or by defendants in Watergate cases.

[00:59:03]Halddederman is a defendant. His lawyer said that giving the report to the judiciary committee might lead to it being made public. If that happened, Halddederman's lawyer said news organizations will not hesitate to evaluate the alleged facts and the defendants will stand convicted before their stories are told. Haldderman's appeal went to the Court of Appeals in Washington. When that court will act on it has not been indicated.

[00:59:29]President Nixon's friend BB Rabos testified in closed session this morning before the Senate Watergate Committee.

[00:59:35]Robzo is being questioned about a contribution of $100,000 by Howard Hughes to the Nixon re-election campaign.

[00:59:43]The FBI announces that it has recovered $190,000 of the $200,000 paid to the kidnappers of Ununice Kronhome, the wife of a banker in St. Paul, Minnesota. The money was found in the garage of a house in Burnsville, Minnesota, where the FBI says Mrs. Kronhomem was being held captive.

[01:00:02]In Indianapolis airport today, a man went to the TWWA counter, held a knife to the throat of a woman ticket agent, and demanded a million dollars and an airliner. The security guard shot the man dead. The ticket agent was cut by the knife, but apparently not seriously injured.

[01:00:19]It's announced that in 1973, the American balance of payments, the export, the excess of exports over imports, was a billion200 million.

[01:00:29]That's in contrast to a deficit of almost 10 billion in 1972.

[01:00:35]The Soviet Union says that one of its helicopters lost its bearings last Thursday and landed in the Chinese province of Shinj Jang. The Soviet news agency says the incident was reported to the Chinese and they were asked to see that the helicopter and its crew of three were located and returned, but so far the Chinese have not replied. Police in Northern Ireland today accidentally shot and killed two British soldiers and wounded two others. Evidently, the police mistook the soldiers for terrorists. Edwin Newman, NBC News, New York.

[01:01:11]>> Coffee?

[01:01:12]>> Yes, please.

[01:01:12]>> Sugar?

[01:01:13]>> Nope.

[01:01:13]>> Cream?

[01:01:14]>> Nope.

[01:01:14]>> Caffeine?

[01:01:15]>> Of course, I want real coffee. Hey, wait a minute.

[01:01:18]>> What?

[01:01:18]>> That's caffeine?

[01:01:19]>> Mhm.

[01:01:20]>> I thought caffeine was dark and rich like coffee. No, it's white and bitter, like a bitter pill. And it does nothing good for the taste of coffee.

[01:01:28]>> Oh. Oh, it is bitter. What's it doing in coffee?

[01:01:30]>> It's keeping you up at night.

[01:01:32]>> What if I don't want it?

[01:01:33]>> Well, then you don't have to have it.

[01:01:35]Get some decaffeinated coffee.

[01:01:36]>> Do you what? I don't think I remember that.

[01:01:38]>> Just remember decaf.

[01:01:40]>> From New York. This has been NBC News with Edwin Newman, >> Joan Crawford, Robert Stack, and Paulolly Bergenstar in The Caretakers.

[01:01:53]Tonight, >> are you fed up with today's food prices?

[01:02:00]>> Does a lot of the government shopping is asking for bids on 10,000 lawnmowers, which must be 50% quieter than current models. The National Bureau of Standards has been asked to help the manufacturers figure out how to make quieter mowers.

[01:02:14]And the Commerce Department says we're all going to benefit from this. Well, now, for some reason or other, it doesn't seem to have occurred to anybody in Washington that generations of Americans cut the grass with hand lawnmowers, which didn't use gas and oil, didn't spurt out smelly fumes, and which made a pleasant hurrying sound.

[01:02:32]That was one of the nicest things about summer afternoons, unless you were the young boy doing the pushing. But even so, it wasn't all that bad. You could daydream when you pushed an old-fashioned mower, the kind that made this country great. If you daydream behind a power mower, you're liable to lose a limb or turn the garden hose into plastic confetti. All this mad unthinking over reliance on powered gadgets is supposed to be a big reason for the energy crisis, according to the government. And yet, here's the government passing up a splendid opportunity to do away with a whole pel of powered gadgets. The Arabian oil ministers must be laughing their heads off. But then of course they don't have much of a front lawn problem in places such as Saudi Arabia. Although we do understand they have quite a lot of grass out there.

[01:03:26]The time now exactly 32 minutes past the hour.

[01:03:31]This is CBS.

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