[Barbara Jordan Scrapbook, July - September, 1974] Page: 96 of 236
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1600 I4ENNSYLVANIA AVE.
After
Deputy Press Secretary Ger-
ald Warren is asked to charac-
terize the President's mood.
Warren: "I would characterize it
as confident."
Reporter: "About what?"
Warren: "Everything."
By Martin Schram
Newsday Washington Bureau Chief
San Clemente-The official view
throughout the first week of impeach-
ment, live and in color, was business
as usual and supreme confidence.
The unofficial view was shock and
increasing concern.
In the midday sun the other day,
a top White House official lounged
against the presidential golf cart-
the ignition key is tagged Search-
light One-and gave the official
view:
"I don't really care what's happen-
ing in the [House Judiciary] com-
mittee. We're going to win when it
gets to the full House. There is no
doubt in our minds. The President
believes it. We all believe it."
A short time later, another White
House official was asked about the
same topic:
"I don't know now ... that final
vote in the committee will definitely
be a factor. We'd hoped for a much
smaller defection from our side. Los-
ing Republican and Southern Demo-
crats hurts us. It sets a pattern that
may be magnified on the House
floor. So right now we don't know
what will hppen in the House. It
doesn't really look good."
Then, an hour after the committee
voted 27-11 to recommend that Nix-
on be impeached for obstruction of
justice, Warren was dispatched to
the press room to hand out a two-
sentence statement by his boss, press
secretary Ronald Ziegler:
"The President remains confident
that the full House will recognize
that there simply is not the evidence
to support this or any other article
of impeachment and will not vote to
impeach. He is confident because he
knows he has committed no im-
peachable offense."
And privately, aides said that he
has no intention of resigning be-
cause of the Judiciary Committee's
action.
Despite continued claims of un-
abashed confidence from Nixon
aides who are responsible for putting
out the official line, one presidential
assistant said that concern began to
set in during the week, as cracks in
the ranks of Nixon loyalists became
apparent.
The Nixon men never figured to
win in the committee. But they
wanted to hold the line on conserva-
tives and then win the full House.
Now this strategy has been badly
shaken.
First came the announcement from
Rep. Lawrence Hogan, a Nixon Re-
publican from Maryland, who said
Similar expressions of defection fol-
owed during the opening speeches
by other committee members. The
President and his men were appar-
ently stunned by Hogan's decision
and the comments of some other
committee conservatives. "Put them
together and it adds up to a signifi-
canthshock," one Nixon aide said.
Throughout this impeachment
week, te President made every ef-
fort to adopt a schedule of business
as usual. In midweek, he met with
O businessmen at the Western White
House to talk economics.
On Thursday, Nixon made a tele-dote,
A
vision speech on the economy. On
Friday, he met with West Germany's
foreign minister and Secretary of
State Kissinger. Yesterday, he met
with tie secretary of housing and
urban development and awarded a
Medal of Freedom to a 94-year-old
Los Angeles doctor who had already
been named "Doctor of the Cen-
utry" in 1971.
But throughout this business-as-
usual routine came-disconcerting in-
terruptions. White House Chief of
Staff Alexander Haig and Press Sec-
retary Ronald Ziegler came in now
and then to give the President the
latest news-most of it bad-from
the House committee. The news that
he had lost unanimously in his Su-
preme Court bid to withhold more
tapes also stung.
One interruption never came-
and the President may have wel-
comed it. He had no advance no-
tice that Illinois Republican Robert
McClory would propose to the
House committee that it seek Nix-
on's promise that he will furnish
tapes the committee wants in light
of the Supreme Court order, even
though the committee is not men-
tioned in the court decision.
Presidential Counselor D e a n
Burch and his staff has been keep-
ing in touch with several friendly
members of the committee through-
out the televised proceedings, ac-
cording to a White House source.
This source recounted the McClory
incident-a translation that is re-
vealing because it shows how the
White House system works and how
it breaks down.
He said:
"McClory did not consult us.
Back on Wednesday, he passed word
[to an aide to Presidential attorney
James St. Clair] that- it would be
helpful if the President would re-
assure the committee that he would
give them the tapes. It was passed
up the line to Burch and Dean
passed it to Haig so it could be
passed to the President. But then
the answer was never passed back
down the line so it could be given
to McClory. I guess that was be-
cause we just couldn't possibly give
a guarantee like that."
Throughout the Nixon years, pro-
prietors of both the San Clemente
Inn and the Surf and Sand Hotel in
Laguna Beach have fallen over
themselves to accommodate the
President, his staff and the White
House press corps.
But on this trip, the owner of the
San Clemente Inn evicted the White
House staff and Secret Service
agents, claiming prior commitments.
And the Surf and Sand kicked out
a number of reporters in mid-visit
to accommodate vacationers.
San Clemente Inn owner Paul
with his friend, Charles [Bebe] Re-
booster, may have booted the White
House party out rather than lose
money. But he did continue to rent
his oceanfront house, adjoining the
Nixon estate, to Haig-"for a size-
able price," Haig says.
Meanwhile, the President has
turned his Western White House
home into a virtual presidential re-
treat. On past visits, he was fond of
stepping out for dinner and taking
long drives along the coast, usually
with his friend, Charles [bebe] Re-
bozo. But Rebozo, the omnipresent
companion, has not been out this
trip, and the President has preferred
to spend his days and evenings at
home.'Confidence'
The President has also used his
Western White House as a retreat
from the press. He has not answered
any questions from reporters in
months. Yesterday, after he pre-
sented the medal to the Los Angeles
doctor, Nixon was approached by
members of the White House press
corps. The President took the initi-
ative and spoke first:"Hasn't the weather been great?"
he said. "I can tell which of you
have been inside. I can tell which of
you took sun and which of you took
other things."
Then a reporter asked a question
-when did the President plan to
return to Washington? Nixon turned
quickly to his left and walked brisk-
ly back to his office.s, . .
Rep. Danielson discusses impeachment article
Aye'
UPI I bciu
Wasn't Easy
-Continued from Page 3R
Rodino, the chairman and a Dem-
ocrat, cast the last vote in a quaver-
ing voice. "Aye."
Then the clerk, Garner Cline, the
committee's associate counsel,
counted the votes from his seat at
the walnut table facing the commit-
tee. "Twenty-seven members have
voted aye," he said. "Eleven mem-
bers have voted no."
The initial vote was followed by
a second pro forma vote, amending
the original set of impeachment ar-
ticles. Cline repeated the same -vote
total. And then, shortly after 7 PM,
it was over. Rodino, who had been
alternately looking down at his
hands and staring across the com-
mittee room at the television camera
stand, gave a half-smile to impeach-
ment counsel John Doar. Then he
leaned back in his black leather
chair to whisper to committee coun-
sel Jerome Zeifman.
Finally, Rodino announced:
"Pursuant to the resolution, that ar-
ticle will be recommended to the
full House. The committee will re-
cess until 10:30 Monday night." He
quickly corrected himself on the
time. "Monday morning," he said,
smiling.
For a brief few seconds the con-gressmen remained unmoving, un-
speaking at their desks. Then Ro-
dino announced that there had been
another bomb threat in the room.,
Most members began to file slowly
out of the room. A few lingered.
Rep. George Danielson, a Califor-
nia Democrat who voted for im-
peachment, said he was sad. "It's
hard to do, even though you're con-
vinced . . . . " he said. Rep. Wil-
liam Cohen, a Maine Republican
who voted for impeachment, agreed.
"It's a sad day," he said.
The last member to leave the
room was Rep. Drinan, a Democrat
and a Jesuit priest from Massachu-
setts. It was Drinan who, almost a
year ago, introduced the first resolu-
tion to impeach Nixon to the House
of Representatives.
Drinan's face was red, his jaw
taut from time to time, he raised a
hand to his eyes and dabbed at
them. "I feel sorry for him and his
family," he was saying. "It's so over-
whelming."
Then Drinan stuffed his copies of
the impeachment articles into a
black briefcase. He walked slowly
past the uniformed guards, out the
d o o r o f t h e committee room.
"There's no-joy," he said.Shaky
. .
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[Barbara Jordan Scrapbook, July - September, 1974], book, 1974; (https://texashistory.unt.edu/ark:/67531/metapth616583/m1/96/: accessed May 21, 2024), University of North Texas Libraries, The Portal to Texas History, https://texashistory.unt.edu; crediting Texas Southern University.