Tapes proposal by White House

Press, Volume CXIV, Issue 33512, 18 April 1974, Page 11

Tapes proposal by White House

fN.Z. Press Association—Copyright)

MIAMI, April 17.

I'he White House is preparing to turn over to the House of Representatives Judiciary Committee those portions of subpoenaed tape-recordings which the President’s lawyers believe would serve as evidence in the committee’s impeachment inquiry.

Portions dealing with national security, or with matters felt to be irrelevant to the President’s conduct, will apparently be screened out, but identified as such in a statement being prepared for the committee.

This is the information that Administration sources have been putting out in the five days since the committee subpoenaed 42 taped conversations between the President and various aides in February, March, and April of last .year. If Mr Nixon and his lawyers stick to this plan, it is unlikely that .the committee will find it acceptable: both the committee and its staff • have agreed that it is-proper •that some matters not bearling on the President’s coniduct should be screened out, | but they have insisted that ithe committee should have a ihand in the screening. The special Watergate proisecutor, Mr Leon Jaworski, yesterday asked the District Court in Washington to issue a subpoena for tapes of 63 conversations in the White House. Mr Jaworski said that he had tried unsuccessfully to obtain access to the material through President Nixon’s Watergate lawyer. Mr James iSt Clair, but since he had • received no response, he felt obliged to ask for a subpoena.

The tapes, and other items,

he said, were needed for the trial of John Mitchell, H. R. Haldeman and John Ehrlichman, and four other defendants in the so-called Watergate cover-up trial due to begin on September 9. Mitchell and his successor as Attorney-General, Mr Richard Kleindienst, yesterday attacked the credibility of the key Watergate figure, John Dean, a former White House lawyer, in an effort to prove that Mitchell had not tried to tamper with a grand jury investigation. Mitchell, in extensive crossexamination at his trial, said that he could not believe the words coming from Dean's mouth as the former White House lawyer testified against him. He also attacked Dean’susefulness to him in government, claiming that to telephone him was “the most non-productive thing one could do.” Mr Kleindienst, a surprise witness for Mitchell, said that he could neither recall nor believe Dean ? s evidence relating to a telephone call Dean was alleged to have made to him. “I don’t believe it (the telephone call) happened,” Mr Kleindienst told the Court. “He never said anything to me to indicate that he was acting as a messenger boy fot John Mitchell, who is one of my closest friends. “John Mitchell did not need! I messenger boys with me.”