10
Thursday, July 26, 1973
University Daily Kansan
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Nixon Men: Loyal to Point of Obsession
By LOU CANNON
BY LOE CHANNEI The Washington Post
WASHINGTON—It was New Year's Eve of 1970 when President Nixon surprised a small group of White House reporters and invited them to his hideaway office in the executive office building for a holiday drink.
"That's a lot of nonsense that the presidency is the loneliest job in the world." Nixon said while martinis for the reporters. He said that he was not isolated as President, knew what was going on and "can't be hoodwinked."
A different portrait of the Nixon presidency emerges from the recollection of several administration officials who left the White House after the shattering revelations of Watergate.
THEY DESCRIBE an administration in which the President increasingly isolated himself from his own policies and programs, an administration in which a White House staff that was long on loyalty and short on ideas became obsessively suspicious of both the bureaucracy and the President's own cabinet appointments.
"They second-guessed, they shot from the hip and they made snap decisions," recalls John Veneman, the former undersecretary of Health, Education and Welfare.
Former Peace Corps and ACTION Director Joseph Blatchford says the motto of the White House staffers was "protect the innocent" in the case he served was synonymous with isolating him.
"CALLLED their loyalty freaks at the time, says Blatchford. "Ideas kind of shine," she said.
The chief "loyalty freak" in Blatchford's view was John Ehrlichman, the ousted domestic affairs adviser who is under investigation for his role in the Watergate cover-up and the break-in of the office of Daniel Ellsbury's psychiatrist.
Blatchford says he had cooperation from Henry Kissinger and weekly lunches with Secretary of State William Rogers during his presidency. He also had access to the President.
"IT WAS ANOTHER balgame when ACTION was created in mid-1971," he recalls. "Then we had to deal with the Office of Management and Budget and with the Domestic Council under Ehrlichman. Only (Daniel) Moynihan was interested in ideas. When he left it became a philistine environment."
Blatchford said that Ehrman showed no interest in the new volunteer agency, which had been proclaimed by the President and issued contradictory proposals. Blatchford also lost his access to President Nixon.
Lewis Butler, a law school classmate of Ehrlichman's at Stanford, was one of the trusted few who enjoyed White House access during his tenure from the outset of the Nixon administration until he resigned in June, 1971. But he remembers that the White House distrusted such important HEW officials as Veneman, Education
commissioner James Alles and Assistant Health Secretary Roger Eeberg.
"ALLEN and Eggberg were considered professionals and couldn't be trusted," says
Butler says he once was asked to present the administration's education policy to the White House, where he served.
this as an insult to Allen. Though Allen gave what Butter considers a good presentation, it was not well received.
Afterward, said Butler, he was told that Allen's appearance had been "a disaster" and was not to be repeated. Allen subsumed it into the administration's Cambodia policies.
VENEMAN, A former California state assemblyman who was accustomed to legislation negotiation, also was regarded with suspicion by the staff because of his supposed friendship with Rep. Wilbur Mills, Ways and Means Committee chairman.
As a result, says Butler, he would often represent the department at the White House on issues where Veneman was involved.
"THE STAFF should have realized that the Bob Finches and the Wally Hickels have just as much concern with the President's house." says Voyenman. "But they didn't."
He says this had negative results for the Family Assistance Plan, which Veneman says the President wanted. In Veneman's view the President was undercut by staff members "less than enthusiastic" about anything that snacked of a guaranteed income.
Veneman also says that the agency frequently was disrupted because the White House urged one position and then abandoned it in favor of another. He cites an example the mobilizing of HEW to oppose an increase in Social Security followed by an announcement that the President would sign the hill.
"YOU JUST don't put all your guns on the line one way and then put out a press release announcing an opposite position," he said.
From Page One
Ervin told newsman he hoped that Nixon would move to have the subpoenas killed because the case would then be thrown to the courts eventually to the Supreme Court.
That course probably would result in a quick decision, Ervin said, because the case is a matter of interpreting law, not a case of determining fact.
If Nixon just ignores the subpoenas, Ervin
said, the committee would not seek a contempt citation but would seek a declaratory judgment against him which would, in effect, be a court order for Nixon to produce the documents and tape of conversations the committee is seeking.
Another subpoena was served on Nixon
tuesday by special Watergate prosecutor
Jacob W. Baldwin.
Rock Concert Troubles Town
WATKINS GLEN, N.Y. (AP)—Joe Conley will take in the chase lesions in front of his motel this weekend, but will leave the American flag flying.
There is going to be a rock concert Saturday in this town of 3,000, probably the biggest concert since 1969 when more than 400,000 people assembled at Woodstock, N.Y., and an estimated 300,000 gathered at Altamont in California.
The concert promoters say ticket sales will stop at 150,000 State police will stop people without tickets 20 miles down the road and expect at least 200,000 people in the area.
"People in this community are willing to pat up with nearly anything, but they want it orderly," said Mayor Bill Simille. "We don't want them to become known as another Woodstock."
"Everyone in town is a little apprehensive," Dean said. At the same time, the local people are all talking to me about it. "You don't have to see."
Conley, the motel owner, spent Tuesday collecting the signatures of 37 businessmen for a petition requesting that their "property and well being" be protected. The petition has been sent to Gov. Nelson Rockefeller.
A vanguard of several hundred people with back packs and sleeping bags has arrived in town. Barefoot, cut-off jeans, long hair.
"I can't understand what it is going to do for the town," said Mayor Simele. "It is going to help our regular tourist business. We gain nothing from it. It could ruin us."
"Monday morning we will just sweep the streets and go on, 1 hope."
Docking Looks to Senate Race
By LEW FERGUSON
By LEW FERGUSON
Associated Press Writer
TOPEKA—Robert Blackwell Docking, a Democrat elected four times as governor in this Republican-dominated state, is taking a role in looking at seeking a seat in the U.S. Senate.
He insists that the final decision on whether he will challenge Republic Sen. Bob Dole in the 1974 general election has not been made.
However, he left little doubt in an Associated Press interview before departing on a trip to Washington and New York, where he felt heavily toward seeking the Senate seat.
DOCKING ALSO LEFT the strong impression he either will challenge Dole next week.
Prof Gets Civic Award
Larry Heeb, associate professor of physical education, has been awarded the Certificate of Achievement of the Lawrence Association of Life Underwriters.
Heeb is chairman of the Douglas County Red Cross Disaster Committee and of the Douglas County Unit of the Eastern Kansas Multiple Sclerosis Society.
The association presents its Certificate of Achievement monthly to a member of the Lawrence community who has achieved success in his occupation and also accomplished a great deal in community and civic activities.
Former Air Force Official Says He Was Unaware of U.S. Raids
WASHINGTON (AP)—Robert Seamans Jr. told the Senate Armed Services Committee Wednesday that as Air Force secretary he was unaware of U.S. bombing raids against Viet Cong sanctuaries in Cambodia.
THE FORMER SECRETARY took over the post in February 1969, the month before the B52 raids began. He stepped down as civilian head of the Air Force last spring,
"Such was the case with bombing missions carried out in Cambodia prior to MK43."
In testifying about the 3,630 bombing runs, Seamans said it was "hardly credible", but true, that the service secretaries stand apart from the chain of command and were "not privy" to certain sensitive military operations.
"Not being in the chain of command, I was not made aware of certain special military operations, even long after they occurred." Seamans testified.
Afterward, Seamans told newsmen that the raids were ordered by President Nixon and Melvin Laird, then secretary of Defense.
SEAMANS SAID HE now believes the Army, Navy and Air Force secretaries should be more involved in operational matters.
The 1969 bombing raids into Cambodia came to public light this week when the United Nations said it was
Senate Democratic leader Mike Mansfield and chairman J. W. Fulbright of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee Wednesday disputed a State Department account that Secretary of State William R. Bradshaw told the BS2 raids in Cambodia in April 1970.
MANSFIELD ALSO DENIED that Prince Norodom Sihanouk of Cambodia had told him about the bombings when the Montanan visited Phnom Penh in August 1989.
However, chairman Thomas Morgan of the House Foreign Relations Committee said his group had been informed about the raids at that time.
Dole has said several times he expects Docking to be his opponent when the senator bids for a second six-year term next year. A year ago he would seek reelection.
"We knew they were bombing sanc-
tueries over there at silanouk's invitation," said Ahmad. "We got him in."
"I might seek a fifth term. I don't know that it's unlikely that I would do that, but I'm considering a campaign for the Senate, or a possibility of retiring from candidate politics more seriously than I was two years ago." Docking said.
Docking, however, did not rule out the possibility of seeking a fifth term. Under a 1972 constitutional amendment the elected in 1747 will serve a four-year term.
He said he would issue an injunction against further U.S. military operations there but delayed the order until 4 p.m. Friday to allow the government to appeal.
Vandalism 'No Problem' For Greeks in Summer
—The State Department acknowledged that American civilian officials are operating in Cambodia to provide information on the military situation there but denied they are engaged in paramilitary activities.
York City ruled that the current bombing in Cambodia was unconstitutional.
He denied that it was reason to believe U.S. bombers will continue striking targets in Cambodia beyond the Aug. 15 cut-off legislated by Congress.
IN RELATED DEVELOPMENTS:
U.S. DISTRICT Court Judge Orinud Jitt of New
THE SUIT was brought by Elizabeth Holzman, D.N.Y., and three Air Force men based in Guam. They contended the suit as usurped Congress' power to declare war.
- Secretary of Defense James Schlesinger said the misreporting to Congress of the bombing raids was a bureaucratic blunder.
Captain B. L. Ellison of Traffic and Security said, though there were no exact figures, "I would guess that there is more vandalism to dorms when they are occupied, just because there are more people around."
REPUBLICANS GENERALLY believe they face a stern challenge from Docking next year in helping Dole try to retain his seat.
Ellison said that if vandalism occurred at a residence hall during the summer, it usually was not discovered until the fall. Harrel said that the same was true of the case on Friday, and that the vandalism figures on these buildings would not appear until August.
GOP suspicions appear to have solidified since the publication about two weeks ago of a statewide poll conducted by the Oliver single public relations organization in New York.
According to Lawrence Police and Traffic and Security, vandalism to unoccupied fraternities, sororites and residence halls is not a problem in the summertime.
Both the police and Traffic and Security said that vandalism was not a serious problem.
Lieutenant Vernon Harrel of the Lawrence Police Department said that statistics do not show any rise in vandalism. Police have said fraternities and sororites are located.
making their regular patrols. Harrel said that most fraternals and sororites inform the police department when they vacate their buildings in the spring and leave information as to whom to call in case of emergency.
According to Elison, Traffic and Security officers do not do anything to guard the roadway.
It showed Docking with 54 per cent, Dole with 40 per cent and 6 per cent undecided when those two were matched in a test Senate race.
Gov. Docking
Vacation Library Hours
"I don't see that much problem with vandalism," Harra said.
During the summer break, Spencer library hours for service and visitors will be 9 a.m. to 5 p.m.
From July 30 to August 21 the staff will update cataloging of books and records.
exhibits will be on display August 22 when the regular 9 to 6, Monday through Friday.
LADIES DAY TODAY 15c Draughts
The Ball Park
HILLCREST SHOPPING CENTER
Open Till Midnight
State Investigation Covers Facts, Republican Says
TOPEKA (AP)—Jack Ranson, state Republican chairman, suggested Wednesday that putting state Penal Director Robert Wood in charge of an investigation into state penitentiary Warden Raymond Gaffney's alleged involvement with a prostitute constituted a "whitewash" of the affair.
"If Gov. Docking seriously wants to assure the people of Kansas that persons in his prison administration are not involved in potentially illegal and immoral activities, he will ask the appropriate legal counsel for all charges and rumors." Rapson said.
"Could it be that Gov. Robert Docking wanted Woodson to investigate this affair so that a thorough whitewash would cover up the facts in the case?" Ranson asked in a speech delivered to Tuesday's announcement that Gaffney would be reinstated as warden.
three-member committee appointed by Woodson had concluded Gaffney's appearance before a Kansas City grand jury. He said that information that Gaffney had a prostitute procured for him by a former Kansas City, Kan., policeman had not impaired his effectiveness to continue as warden at the Lansing State Prison.
"In the interest of honesty and integrity in state government, he can do no less."
Woodson said Gaffney was being restored to his position effective Wednesday after a
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"They entered with basic ideas," says Blatchford. "When these weren't accepted by Congress, the press or the bureaucracy, they turned paranoid."
THE PRESIDENT'S isolation and the subsequent disaster of Watergate was Nixon's own fault, in the opinion of former Interior Secretary Walter Hickel.
Hickel, who was fired by Nixon in 1970 after publicly opposing the Cambodia invasion, said in a recent public interview that he was "a big fan" of the gunners of the staff system he had created.
Hickel views the President as an analytical and unemotional man whose success is largely dependent on the quality of information he receives. We he restricted input of information, says Hickel, the Press also created the conditions for Watergate.
NONE OF THE officials interviewed said that illegal acts were urged upon them by the White House staff, although Butler said the White House had encouraged a $75,000 grant for a study to H. Ross Perot, the millionaire Texas industrialist.
"We just shuffled it off and I don't know what became of it," he says.
All the former administration officials complain of a consistent lack of commitment to an identifiable principle of governing.
"The President didn't care much about what our education and health policies were just as long as they were salable," said Butler. "This was also true for environmen-
It is Blatchford's view that the President has been much more isolated in domestic issues than in foreign affairs. Drawing upon what he says, Blatchford in Peace Corps and ACTION, he says:
BLATCHFORD, asked why he didn't speak out critically in public when he left the administration, she didn't want to harm either Peace Corps or the other ACTION volunteer programs, which have survived despite White House disinterest.
"I got the impression that the President wasn't as directly interested in the domestic side of things. Lyndon Johnson had gotten into too many things and ruined himself in the process. He wasn't going to make the same mistake."
IN THE discussion of White House staff officials, the person most frequently singled out for criticism is Ehrichman, who once Butler's moot court partner at Stanford.
"John takes pride in being a tough person, in being decisive," says Butler. "He has no shame."
Butler says that Ehrichman, who threw a farewell party for him on the presidential yacht, was "straight" in his personal dealings and more approachable than other administration officials on such issues as Cambodia and women's rights.
He says that Ehrlichman did not understand the difference between "obstruc- jution" in a public position and fighting in legal action in a Seattle municipal court.
"The public ethics now displayed in Watergate are not much different than what you find everyday in the business world," she added. "I have never been in a position of power."
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