Demand on Nixon

Press, Volume CXIII, Issue 33413, 20 December 1973, Page 15

Demand on Nixon

(N.Z. Press Assn.—Copyright) WASHINGTON, December 19.

The United States Senate Watergate committee, supported by new legislative authority, has voted to subpoena President Nixon for documents and tapes of no fewer than 200 of his Watergate - related conversations with White House aides.

After a private committee meeting, the chief counsel, Mr Samuel Dash, told reporters that the subpoenas probably would be served tomorrow. He said the committee would attempt to serve Mr Nixon personally if his lawyers refused to accept the papers. Mr Dash said the subpoenas would cover the tapes of “at least 200” of Mr Nixon’s meetings and conversations with an estimated 30 people whose names have been linked to the Watergate scandal in all its aspects, as well as all documents related to the committee’s inquiry. Moments before the committee met, Mr Dash said, a White House lawyer, Mr Fred Buzhardt, advised him that the White House was not certain whether it would accept the subpoenas. The committee voted one day after Mr Nixon refused to sign—thus permitted to become law—legislation conferring on the Federal courts legal jurisdiction to handle the Senate committee’s demands for White House evidence in its Watergate investigation. Senator Sam Ervin, the committee chairman, said the panel’s vote was unanimous, and he added that he hoped the President would comply with the subpoenas. He said he had no knowledge of reports that the White House might refuse even to accept the new subpoenas from the committee. But he said if the subpoenas were not accepted they would be legally delivered by either leaving them with Mr Nixon’s lawyers or sending them by registered mail.