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NYTimes
1 7 1973
Packwood Lays It on the LinNOV
e to Nixon
By R. W. APPLE JR.
special Watergate prosecutor.
WASHINGTON, Nov. 16—
Most members of Congress,
When Bob Packwood, a 41Mr. Packwood said, believe, •
old first-term Republican Senrightly or wrongly, that Mr.
from Oregon, went to the
Nixon broke his word by that
White House last night to
act.
talk to President Nixon about
Matter of Credibility
the Watergate case, he was
"Con
gress has come to
throughly prepared.
expect that many people who
Robert W. Packwood, a
testify before it lie," the
convivial yet intensely serearnest young Senator said.
ious young man, took with'
"It's an entirely different
him an outline for a six-or
matter, however, when one
seven-minute statement. He
person gives his word to
had thought it through care-.'■
another. That is a bond which
fully. A supporter of Mr.
those of us in politics revere
Nixon in the earlier stages of
highly. Those who breach
the Vietnam war and on the
that bond suffer an incalcuantiballistic missile, an oplable loss or dre'dibility."
ponent on Supreme Court
Bridging the Congressional
nominations and the supergued, would be relatively,
sonic transport, Mr. Packwood had come to view •
easy. Simple communication,
Watergate as a symbol of rot
he said, together with a bit of
in American public life, and
political ego massage; would
he had waited months to tell
correct much of the difficulthe President why.
ty. In an unusually candid
With 10 other Republican
remark; he told the President
Senators, he was ushered into
the White House solarium—
that "most of us will sucnewly christened the "Calicumb to attention"—the old
fornia room." After a drink
slap on the back.
and a few social amenities,
"If Stans and Mitchell are
he and his colleagues sat in
acquitted," Mr. Packwood inan oval around the President,
sisted, "it simply means that
Who relaxed in an overthere was not presented evistuffed chair. Four White
dence beyond a reasonable
House aide's, including Ronald
doubt to convince reasonable
L. Ziegler, the press secrejtirors of their criminal guilt.
It does not mean they were
tary, were also there.
innocent of wro, 9 g,doing."
Statement to President
Senator Pa
od's advice
Others precedei him. But
for dealing wite credibilMr. Packwood's ' statement
ity gap was simple. He recwas the most comprehensive
omrigidecr two specific steps:
one, according to Presidential
Oneie disclose "everything
aides, during the whole series of. Congressional meet—the tapes, confidential notes
ings.
— everything" bearing on the
Here is some of what he
scandal. "There can't be a
said:
missing tape accidentally dis"All of us, Mr. President,
posed of by a janitor. There
whether we're in politics or
can't be a memo uncovered
not, have weaknesses," the
by an inquiring reporter,"
Senator began. "For some,
Two: Hold an open-ended,
it's drinking. For others, it's
no-time-limit news confergambling. For still others, it's
ence with only six or seven
women. None of these weakreporters.
nesses applies to you. You're
"I recommend this first,"
the Senator said, "because
weakness is credibility. This
you are good at an adversary
has; always been your short
proceeding and second, besuit with the news media and
cause the public must be
the general' public."
convinced that you have opAccording to eyewitnesses,
ened yourself up to your
the, President took that , reharshest critics."
mark and the equally frank
ones that followed with
equanamity—obviously concentrating, obviously thinkink, serious but neither grave
nor piqued.
Mr. Packwood suggested
that Watergate had created
a twofold problem for Mr.
Nixon: one with the Congress, the other with the
general public.
The President's Congressional difficulties, he went
on, arose from neglect—he
described the Congressional
Republicans as "never consulted, never heard, never
heeded"—and from the ousting .of Archibald Cox, the