Nixon and Jaworski 'on crash course'

Press, Volume CXIV, Issue 33461, 16 February 1974, Page 1

Nixon and Jaworski 'on crash course '

(N.Z.P.A.-Re'uter—Copvnjihti WASHINGTON, February 15. President Nixon’s refusal to surrender any more documents and tape recordings relating to the Watergate scandal today brought the White House “on a collision course” with the special Watergate prosecutor, Mr Leon Jaworski.

Mr Jaworski announced yesterday that' President Nixon had in effect decided against co - operating further with his investigation into the break-in at the Democratic Party headquarters in June 1972. Although Mr Jaworski could - go to court for a subpoena to obtain the documents if necessary, angry liberals in the Senate indicated they were ready to fight on his behalf against the White House decision. Congressional sources said the Senate Judiciary Committee, which formally approved-Mr Jaworski’s nomination. last November, might summon the special prosecutor to explain what happened. Mr Jaworski’s predecessor Mr Archibald Cox, was 1 ' ; j 1 1

sacked by Mr Nixon last! October for defying presi-l; dential orders not to take? further legal action to force i; the surrender of Watergate i tapes. The White House decision! on the tapes was announced on the eve of the first court appearance as a witness ot the former presidential lawyer, Mr John Dean, a key figure in Mr Jaworski’s investigations into Watergate. Mr Dean’s testimony last year to the Senate Watergate committee publicly linked Mr Nixon with efforts to keep quiet high-level involvement in the Watergate scandal. He will face a former White House colleague, Mr J Dwight Chapin, once the > President’s appointments j secretary, who is charged; with lying to a Grand Jury! about the activities of the convicted political “dirty trickster,” Donald Segretti. Segretti is serving a sixmonth sentence for disrupting the campaigns of contenders for the Democratic Party presidential nomination in 1972. Mr Chapin is due to go on trial on April 1. Today’s pre-trial hearing will focus mainly on whether Mr Dean, as a White House lawyer, had established a lawyerclient relationship with Mr I Chapin which could bar him l ;

! from testifying against his I former associate. If the Court rules against iaccepting Mr Dean’s testimony in the Chapin case, isome observers believe other I former White House aides who could be indicted in connection with Watergate might use the same legal device to prevent Mr Dean from testifying against them. Informed sources said it would not drastically alter Mr Jaworski’s case if the Court ruled in Mr Chapin’s favour. They said Mr Dean would simply not be asked to testify about what he might have said to Mr Chapin in his capacity as a lawyer. The special prosecutor’s office said the White House decision against surrendering ■any more tapes and documents would not change Mr Jaworski’s prediction of further Watergate indictments before the end of the month. But sources indicated Mr Jaworski was unlikely to go to court at once for subpoena authority for the White House material because be feared a lengthy legal battle. It appears more probable that the Senate Judiciary Committee will try to exeit pressure on the White House—possibly through the Justice Department—for trie i President to change his I mind.