News stories from Monday April 30, 1973
Summaries of the stories the major media outlets considered to be of particular importance on this date:
- President Nixon has accepted the resignations of H.R. Haldeman and John Ehrlichman, two of his most trusted aides, and Attorney General Richard Kleindienst; presidential aide John Dean has been fired.
Kleindienst said that Attorney General is a vital post on which the President must be able to depend in cases such as Watergate. Kleindienst, a close associate of John Mitchell, has bungled the Watergate investigation and recently removed himself from it because of his friendships with those who are implicated in the case. Haldeman and Ehrlichman are both extremely close to the President and have been with him for years. Dean has accused them of directing him in the Watergate cover-up.
President Nixon nominated Elliot Richardson to take Kleindienst's position. Richardson has served as Health, Education and Welfare Secretary and as Secretary of Defense. Richardson stated that he feels he has a duty to accept the nomination.
After questioning Jeb Magruder and others, prosecuting attorney Earl Silbert learned of L. Patrick Gray's burning of important documents, John Mitchell's and John Dean's participation in wiretap planning meetings, the Liddy-Hunt burglary of the office of Daniel Ellsberg's psychiatrist, and other still-undisclosed incidents. A meeting was arranged with Attorney General Kleindienst on Sunday, at which time Kleindienst learned that some of his friends and associates were implicated in Watergate. Kleindienst and Assistant Attorney General Henry Petersen then met with the President.
[CBS] - Congress is happy about the resignations of the President's aides. Senator Mike Mansfield praised President Nixon's actions and Majority Whip Robert Byrd called the step an appropriate beginning to full disclosure. Rep. John Moss suggested that a special House panel examine the possible involvement of the President in the bugging.
Republicans are also happy to see Ehrlichman and Haldeman go. Senator Barry Goldwater said that he doesn't like Kleindienst resigning, but is glad that the White House is being cleaned out. Senator Hugh Scott said that those involved in Watergate must leave the White House. Seeress Jean Dixon predicted a wiretapping scandal involving Nixon on October 21, 1968.
Middle America reacted to the latest developments in the Watergate scandal -- most people in Chicago are not much concerned with Watergate, but in Platte County, Nebraska, they seem to be generally unhappy with President Nixon's handling of the case. Most people in Minnesota believe that Nixon aides were involved in Watergate, and some feel that the President himself was involved.
[CBS] - The Watergate scandal is being compared to previous scandals such as corruption in the Grant administration, the spoils system of Andrew Jackson, and Teapot Dome in the Harding administration. The Truman administration was tainted by General Harry H. Vaughan's activities; the Eisenhower administration was scarred by the Sherman Adams incident. While many feel that the Watergate scandal is not as serious as previous incidents, others feel that the right of the nation to freely choose a President after a fair campaign has been denied. When White House power is used to increase its own power, the path towards dictatorship has been chosen. [CBS]
- The defense in the Pentagon Papers trial of Daniel Ellsberg and Anthony Russo has asked that key figures in Watergate scandal be subpoenaed to testify about links between the two cases. Judge Matthew Byrne said that he wants their sworn affidavits first. Byrne admitted that he met with President Nixon and John Ehrlichman last month and was offered a federal position by Ehrlichman. Byrne claims that the Pentagon Papers case was not discussed at the meeting, however. Byrne may be nominated to head the FBI. [CBS]
- Henry Kissinger will visit the Soviet Union to discuss trade, Indochina, and Soviet party boss Leonid Brezhnev's upcoming visit to America. [CBS]
- Reports from Cambodia say that Communists near Phnom Penh and elsewhere were driven back with the aid of U.S. air strikes today. On Capitol Hill, Secretary of State Rogers defended the action in Cambodia, saying that the U.S. has a legal right to bomb Cambodia as long as North Vietnam has troops there in violation of the Vietnam truce agreement. Rogers also said that U.S. action in Cambodia is expanding. [CBS]
- President Nixon sent his tax reform message to Congress. The reforms would tighten tax loopholes, give tax breaks to the elderly and to families with children in private schools. Controversy could develop over the provision to give a 7% tax credit for new oil and gas drilling. [CBS]
- Congress voted to grant a one-year extension of the President's power to control prices and wages. [CBS]
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Stock Market Report
Dow Jones Industrial Average: 921.43 (-0.76, -0.08%)
Arms Index is the ratio of volume per declining issue to volume per advancing issue; a figure below 1.0 is bullish. | |||||||||||||||
| Market Index Trends | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Date | DJIA | S&P | Volume* |
| April 27, 1973 | 922.19 | 107.23 | 13.73 |
| April 26, 1973 | 937.76 | 108.89 | 16.21 |
| April 25, 1973 | 930.54 | 108.34 | 15.96 |
| April 24, 1973 | 940.77 | 109.99 | 13.83 |
| April 23, 1973 | 955.37 | 111.57 | 12.58 |
| April 19, 1973 | 963.20 | 112.17 | 14.56 |
| April 18, 1973 | 958.31 | 111.54 | 13.89 |
| April 17, 1973 | 953.42 | 110.94 | 12.83 |
| April 16, 1973 | 956.73 | 111.44 | 11.35 |
| April 13, 1973 | 959.36 | 112.08 | 14.39 |