Extracted text

OCR Page 1 of 41
NEWS SUMMARYPRESIDENT HAS SEEN July 25, 1973 (Tues. nets, wires) The major stories of the day: JDE's appearance led all nets as investigation moved "a step closer to the Oval Office" (CBS). In his opening statement JDE (on NBC/ CBS) attacked Dean's "gallery-pleasing" description of WH paranoia, a description he strongly refuted saying RN was not "paranoid, weird, or psychotic" but rather an able, tough internat'l pol. Of Dean's description of Watergate as #1 WH concern between 17 June and 15 Sept., JDE called that "falser than all the other falsehoods combined." -- Most of JDE's testimony revolved around plumbers' activities and Ellsberg break-in and whether his authorizing "covert operations" to gain psychiatric records countenanced burglarizing Dr. Fielding's office. JDE on clip on all nets insisted it didn't. JDE said plumbers' activities, including break-in, fell under "express authorization under nat'l security situation of considerable moment to US. " And he said when he told RN in March of break-in, RN described Ellsberg inquiry as a vital, nat'l security matter which JDE saw and suggested RN saw as "w/in Pres inherent Constitutional powers. " On ABC/NBC clip, noted by CBS, JDE said he'd never worried that Liddy-Hunt had done "something completely irrational" in break-in because they were operating "pursuant to nat'l security setting. 11 Reminded by Dash on NBC that he'd said he'd expressed shock and told them not to do it again, JDE said that wasn't on grounds of legality but of public reaction if found out. But Chancellor said that opinion contrasted sharply w/what JDE told FBI in April: that he didn't agree w/burglary and had told Hunt not to do it again. As for JDE's saying RN agreed w/his defense of break-in on nat'l security grounds, Chancellor said JDE appears to be contradicting RN's statement of May 22 that he didn't authorize burglary and would have disapproved it if it'd been brought before him. Valeriani said RN's Rose Garden speech marks start of a counterattack, w/RN "no longer on defensive. 11 RN believes comm. is out to destroy his capacity to govern and sources say tactics of counterattack will become evident in coming months. NBC/ABC noted WH made it clear that RN wouldn't surrender tapes in response to subpoenas, w/ Valeriani noting Warren left clear impression WH will try to have them quashed. All nets noted Warren said tapes weren't edited. CBS/NBC said Warr en ducked "hypothetical" question of what RN would do if