SFChronicie APR 1 2 1973
Goldwater's Analogy
Watergate Teapot Dome
Washington
Senator Barry Goldwater (Rep-Ariz.) likened
the Watergate case to. the
Teapot Dome scandal and
said in an interview pub- Baltimore
lished yesterday that he
Anne Armstrong, a White
has urged President Nixon House counselor, said yesto speak out personally on terday she agrees with Senathe issue.
tor Barry Goldwater (RepOtherwise, Goldwater told Ariz.), that
the Watergate
the Christian Science Moni- issue is hurting
the Republitor, Republican candidates can party.
will be hurt in the 1974 elecMrs. Armstrong said she
tion and the GOP will be unable to elect a Republican a 1 s o agrees that party
fund-raising efforts were
president in 1976.
Presidential counselor hurt by • the controversial
Anne Armstrong told report- case.
ers that Goldwater is "absolutely right" in asserting
that the Watergate case is
hampering the party's television, show that bugging
fund-raising efforts.
and political espionage are
`HURT'
nothing new in. American
"Yes; we are being hurt politics and that he himself
rtow,F she said. "But I ,am had been bugged when he
convinced the administra- ran for president in 1964.
tion' is determined to clear
TEAPOT
this up to the satisfaction of
Teapot Dome w a s the
the American public. So in name of Wyoming oil land
the long run, I don't think it set aside for Navy war use,
will be a detriment (to the and in the early 1920s Secparty )."
retary of the Interior Albert
Goldwater's strong 1 a n- B. Fall quietly leased Tea' u age was striking since in pot Dome and other oil rethe past the former GOP serves in California to pristandard-bearer has tended vate oil interests without
o shrug off the bugging and competitive bidding. Later,
•-.reak-in last June 17 of the Teapot Dome came to symDemocratic National Com- bolize all scandals in the
mittee headquarters in the Warren G. Harding adminisWatergate apartinent com- tration.
plex.
In the Monitor interview
As recently as Janurary 23 Goldwater said, "the Waterhe said on the Dick Cavett gate. The Watergate. It's be-
Asked what the president
can say, the senator replied,
"I dont know. If there's
something t o the whole
She also said the Presi- charge of unusual,' peculiar
dent is keeping aides from happenings in the Watergate
testifying publicly to avoid incident, he's got :to admit it.
"putting the Republican par- If • there's nothing, he's got
ty under a cloud for an ex- to s a y there's nothing —
which he has said repeatedly
tended period of time."
"Let's look at it pragmati- through other people. But
cally," said the former vice he, himself, has to have a
chairman of the .Republican press conference- where he
National Committee. "There spells it out."
are very few things the
Presidential press secreDemocrats can agree on, ex- tary Ronald L. Ziegler decept the Watergate."
clined to comment' on GoldAssociated Press water's statement other
than to mite his March 39
announcement that White
House staff members will
ginning to be like Teapot testify before a federal
Dome. I mean, there's a grand jury investigating the
smell to it. Let's get rid of case and will work out a
the smell."
procedure to cooperate with
The senator, who praised a Senate probe, headed by
the Nixon foreign and do- Senator
Sam
Ervin
mestic policy, said he sees (Dem-N.C.).
the Watergate issue as raisGoldwater said of the ofing the question: "Can you
trust Dick Nixon? It gets fer to allow staff testimony
betore a grand jury: "I
right down to that.
"All of us who support don't think (it) goes far
Nixon are going to be on the enough." .
line in the 1974 election.
He suggested that in aidWhen they say. 'are you still. ing the Ervin select commitSupporting the president?' tee White House aides like
I'd say, 'yes, I'm still sup- presidential assistant H. R.
porting the President.' And (Bob) Haldeman and counI'd say that even if . . . no, I sel John W. Dean III should
won't -say that. I might not give sworn testimony prisupport him if it turns out he vately to Ervin and Senator
knew all about this and kept Howard H . Baker (Rephis mouth shut. But I don't Tenn.). Then if Ervin and
think he knows about it."
Baker "feel they have a story to tell . . . let it be made
public," Goldwater said.
The senator added that the
political situation "is salvageable" for Republicans
"if the president was not involved."
But if Mr. Nixon or Haldeman or Dean were involved, Goldwater warned,
"there's no way" to salvage
the situation.
Watergate Issue
Washington Post Service