fll
- Ziegler returns
V
a
after six months’
plait
J credibility gap
WASHINGTON <A>> — White
House Press Secretary Ronald L.
Ziegler, a survivor of high-level
recommendations that he be re
placed because he lacked credi
bility, is back confronting the
media again.
“I intend to give more brief
ings,” Ziegler announced Tuesday.
He had just surprised the White
House press corps by returning
to the press room podium after a
lengthy absence from regular
briefings.
Ziegler’s credibility was shak
en last year when he declared
“inoperative” Watergate - related
statements he had made over a
period of months.
“Six months is too long to be
away from my friends in the
press,” he told White House re
porters with whom he often has
been at odds.
Ziegler has not appeared regu
larly to brief reporters at the
White House since last June. As
questions about his credibility
were raised by the press corps,
key Nixon advisers Melvin R.
Laird and former Treasury Sec
retary John B. Connally sug
gested that he be replaced.
But Ziegler, a former advertis
ing executive with the J. Walter
Thompson agency, has survived
and been given added stature as a
presidential assistant.
While abdicating the briefing
podium to his stand-in, Deputy
Press Secretary Gerald L. War
ren, Ziegler has surfaced peri
odically to handle major an
nouncements. He last appeared
Nov. 29 when Warren was ill.
Some veteran White House re
porters suspect Ziegler is return
ing because Nixon wants his most
trusted press man out front now
that the serious issues of im
peachment and the possibility of
more Watergate indictments are
coming to the fore.
Asked why Ziegler was return
ing, Warren said, “The President
thought it was a good idea and
Ron wanted to do it.”
At a 50-minute Tuesday morn
ing briefing, Ziegler faced a bar
rage of Watergate-related ques
tions.
One reporter asked: “Do you
think your credibility has been
restored ? ”
“I think credibility is always
a question that has to be deter
mined by the listener,” Ziegler
said. He said that in speaking
for the White House he has stated
the facts as he knew them to be
and could speak “in very good
conscience.”
Asked about a new White
House directive that all White
House aides report to him on their
contacts to the press, Ziegler said
the procedure was launched be
cause many news stories have
been quoting anonymous White
House sources. He said Nixon
aides now *would “go on the rec
ord as much as possible except
when it is beneficial to us or to
you.”
When the briefing was over,
the press secretary was asked
how he liked getting back into
the fray.
“Well, it hasn't changed much,”
Ziegler replied.
Our mistake
Yesterday The Battalion print
ed an erroneous schedule for the
Thursday and Friday public hear
ings of the Student Service Fee
Allocation Committee. The correct
schedule is as follows:
Thursday: 7:30 p.m.. Athletic
Department; 8:30 p.m.. Intramu
ral Department.
Friday: 7:30 p.m.. Student Pub
lications; 8 p.m.. Health Center;
8:30 p.m., Student Lawyer; 9
p.m., Student Government.
The committee hearings will be
in Room 501 of the Rudder Tower.
Today in the Bait
Perfect structure p. 3
NSL poll results p. 6
Two-point miscue p. 12
Cbe Battalion
Weather
Continued rain Wednesday and
Thursday. High today 56°.
Thursday morning low 38°.
Vol. 67 No. 335
College Station, Texas
Wednesday, January 23, 1974
ervices fees
son Senate agenda
I The Student Senate will begin
its long work on fee allocations
■t 7:30 tonight in Room 102 of
Zachry Engineering Center,
if Randy Ross, Student Govem-
inent president, said that some
Bast history and future proposals
Konceming Student Service Fees
Brill be discussed.
I The Senate will also discuss a
(proposal to appoint two students
nd two alternates to the Athletic
ouncil.
Shariq Yosufzai, S.G. vice pres
ident, said presently no students
on the Athletic Council. “If
phppointed the students should
pave voting privileges on the
ouncil,” Yosufzai said. “I can’t
ver emphasize the need for stu-
ents on the council. A lot of our
tudent fees go to the Athletic
Souncil and we need a voice in
ecisions.”
Yosufzai said many other uni-
ersities have students on their
thletic Councils.
“Baylor University has two stu-
ents on its Athletic Council, Tex-
s University has two, Texas Tech
s two and Rice University has
two students but no voting privi-
I
leges,” said Yosufzai.
Some major legislative and ju
dicial constitutional changes will
also be discussed tonight.
John Tyler (Corps) explained
that the revision resolution would
change the title of vice president
of the senate.
“Vice president would be called
speaker of the senate and he
would be elected by the Senate,”
Tyler said.
Also the jobs of the correspond
ing secretary and the recorder
would be combined to recording
secretary.
The Judicial Committee would
be changed to the Judicial Board.
The Legal Rights Commission,
presently a part of the Judicial
Committee, would be dissolved.
Silver Taps
Silver Taps for Patricia A.
Ward and Wayne Hanawa is
scheduled tonight at 10:30. Stu
dents are reminded that lights
will be turned off from 10:20
until the conclusion of the cere
mony.
MSC asks for $57,000
services fee increase
Don Webb addresses members of the Student Services Fee Allocation Committee.
Photo by Alan Killingsworth)
Nixon ‘not involved
Ford claims well-financed plot
in erasures
to oust President
WASHINGTON <A>) — Vice
President Gerald R. Ford said
s Tuesday he knows President
Nixon had nothing to do with
f the IS'/^-minute erasure of a key
Watergate tape.
The reason, he told a news
;; conference, is a one-hour, 45-
f minute conversation he had Mon
day with Nixon. Based on what
Nixon told him, Ford said, “I do
know the President was not in
volved” in the erasure.
The vice president defended
■ last week’s speech in which he
said a small group of political
enemies was out to impeach the
| President as “the truth,” saying
“As long as I tell the truth . . .
my credibility is not eroded at
all.”
He said he told the President
there is “a coordinated, well-
financed, skillful effort on the
part of some organizations to
oust him.
“I think he is fully cognizant
of the various polls, he is fully
cognizant of what some members
are saying” and what some
organizations are doing, Ford
added.
Ford also said: “I have not
indicated there was an organized
effort in the Congress.”
“I have no knowledge of that,”
★ ★ ★
Ford added. “I know certain
members believe that. I know of
no organized effort” in Congress
to impeach Nixon.
Ford said:
“It would be unwise and im
proper for the White House to
release” transcripts of conversa-
★ ★ ★
tions between President Nixon
and former presidential aide John
W. Dean III that Senate GOP
Leader Hugh Scott said show
Nixon’s innocence.
The reason, Ford said, is that
these matters are before the
courts and grand juries.
★ ★ ★
Impeachment seen less likely
NEW YORK <A>)—NBC News
said Tuesday a poll of returned
congressmen shows the number
for impeachment of President
Nixon has dropped but many who
opposed impeachment last fall are
now undecided or silent.
NBC reported that all 431
members of the House of Repre
sentatives or their aides were
polled since last Thursday and
results were compared with a
similar poll last October, after
the firing of special Watergate
prosecutor Archibald Cox.
In October 109 of the 427 mem
bers responding favored or tend
ed to favor impeachment. The
new poll shows only 90 saying
they favor or tend to favor im
peachment, NBC said.
But while in October 167 were
against or tended to be against
impeachment, only 137 now ex
press opposition to impeachment,
it said.
NBC said the number of House
members undecided or those de
clining to give an opinion rose
from 151 in October to 204 at
present.
NBC also reported that the poll
showed 50 uncommitted congress
men saying they would favor im
peachment if the House Judiciary
Committee recommended it, and
another 53 saying that such a
recommendation might change
their minds—a total of 103 votes
that could be affected by the
committee’s action.
—“The President is not going
to resign,” and Ford added “the
President would be very unwise
to resign. It would be very wrong
for him to do so, particularly
since I believe bee is not guilty.”
Ford was asked about his state
ment last week that impeachable
grounds were lacking, even if
Nixon were involved in the 18%-
minute erasure on a tape of a
conversation between the Presi
dent and former aide H. R. Halde-
man.
“I do not believe that the Pres
ident was involved at all. I do not
know who was involved. I do
know the President was not in
volved,” Ford said.
Asked how he knew, he refer
red to the Monday meeting and
said that “I know from these con
versations that the President had
no prior knowledge of the Water
gate break-in, took no part in
the coverup and was not part of
any of these allegations that
have been made by some.”
By VICKIE ASHWILL
Sums totaling over $300,000
were discussed in a public hearing
concerning student services fees
allocations Tuesday night.
The three and one half hour
meeting was spent in questioning
a requested $57,298 increase in
funds to the Memorial Student
Center and a $60,000 request by
the shuttle bus committee.
MSC Council President Don
Webb said they are the only fa
cility which will triple in size next
year and the requested increase
would not be expected each year.
“We will not be using the fa
cilities to their capacity without
the increase in funds. Neither
will TAMU students have the pro
grams available at other univer
sities,” said Webb.
MSC programs is asking for a
total of $255,629 over the $198,-
331 they received from student
services fees last year.
Increases in the recommended
budget include the creation of a
graphic arts coordinator, arts and
crafts coordinator, assistant pro
grams coordinator and a box of
fice manager.
Other expenses totaling $78,665
include records and tapes for use
in the Browsing Library (neces
sary to utilize new epuipment),
initial supplies for arts and crafts,
programming increases and cam
era and radio committee moving
expenses.
Without the increase, Webb said
there would probably be a de
crease in programs instead of
employes and the facilities would
set idle until money was allocated
to use them.
“To get the best and most use
out of the equipment the center
has, we need to spend the money
on the programming now,” con
tinued Webb.
Webb also said the equipment
had been approved in last year’s
budget and procedure made the
center wait until this year to ask
for money to hire persons to work
the equipment.
Committee members suggested
it might be possible to reallocate
funds from OPAS to pay for more
MSC employes, helping to lower
the budget request.
“It seems to me that OPAS is
OPAS features ballet in second presentation
“The Sleeping Beauty,” a
classic ballet, will be danced by
the National Ballet of Washing
ton Thursday, Jan. 31 at 8 p.m.
in Rudder Center Auditorium.
The ballet is the second event in
the premiere season of the Opera
and Performing Arts Society.
Staged by Ben Stevenson, it is
a full-length production with a
prologue and three acts. The
original choreography was exe
cuted by Marius Petipa. The
musical score by Tchaikovsky
was composed especially for the
Petipa ballet.
The dancers are under the
direction of Frederic Franklin
and Stevenson. Six were prize
winners at the International
Ballet Competition in Varna,
Bulgaria, in 1972.
Admission to the ballet will be
by OPAS season ticket or single
admission. Tickets are on sale
at Rudder Center Box Office,
Monday through Friday, from 9
a.m. until 4 p.m. For more in
formation, call 845-2916.
a Caddillac running on a Volks
wagen budget,” said Ron Miori
committee member.
Webb argued that students did
attend the OPAS programs and
that possibly in two to three years
OPAS would be able to pay for
its programs without any subsi-
dation.
“W’e finally making various
cultural programs available to the
students,” said Webb. “It’s not
fair to take OPAS away from the
students.”
Any money taken from the
OPAS budget would kill the en
tire program, said Webb.
“The primary complaint by stu
dents is there is not enough to
do,” said Webb. “Students might
answer differently when asked
about an increase in student ser
vices fees if told the increase was
to improve programs.”
Webb also said Political Forum
was requesting $9,500 over the
(See BUDGET, page 6)
Tchaikovsky provides the dance music for “The Sleeping Beauty.”
Donald Hall
Famed poet
makes visit
One of the best-known poets in
America will give a free public
reading Thursday at 8 p.m. in the
Forum Room of the Rudder Con
ference Tower.
Donald Hall, a Harvard gradu
ate, will launch three days of
workshops on communication and
motivating students toward im
proving their writing skills.
Besides Hall, the TAMU com
mittee on Freshman English will
bring James B. Hogins of San
Diego Mesa College, co-author of
“Reading, Writing, and Rhetoric.”
Charles Christianson of Little,
Brown & Co. in Boston and Frank
Gaddis of Science Research Asso
ciates, Inc. in Chicago and Palo
Alto, Calif., will also be present.
A reviewer in New York City
summarized Hall’s impact as “a
very relaxed and often humorous
platform manner that suits his
varying moods better than any
poet’s I’ve heard since I listened
to my Dylan Thomas records.”
Hall not only writes poetry but
short stories, biographies and
formal and informal essays as
well. He has been working for
several years on a biography of
the late British actor, Charles
Laughton. Now a professor of
English at Michigan University,
Hall has held fellowship at Ox
ford and Stanford and is the
recipient of two Guggenheim
awards.
University National Bank
“On the side of Texas A&M.”
Adr.