July 20, 1973

fist fights break out at July 19 bd meeting of Lower East Side School Dist 1 after bd member H Ramos punches bd pres A Roher as panel moves to strip controversial dist supt, L Fuentes, of much of his power; 25 club-swinging policemen attempt to clear area and several persons are injured; in melee following Ramos's attack on Roher, tables are upended and chairs break under weight of masses of people; as brawling continues, 6 anti-Fuentes bd members who took office on July 1 vote swiftly among themselves to approve 10 proposals reducing Fuentes's authority; 4 policemen and at least 6 other persons are injured before night is over; 3 of civilians hurt are innocent bystanders injured in surrounding sts by roving bands of youths who go on spree of brick- and bottle-throwing and window-breaking; meeting illus

1,200 persons to be added to staffs of Cost of Living Council and its enforcement agency, IRS, bringing total complement of econ stabilization officials to 5,000

former Asst Atty Gen R C Mardian testifies on July 19 to Sen Watergate com that he had related to former Atty Gen Mitchell statement by G G Liddy, Watergate conspirator, that eavesdropping scheme had Mitchell's approval and that Mitchel I 'didn't deny it'; denies testimony of other witnesses that he (Mardian) had been central character in Watergate cover-up; insists that knowledge of break-in and cover-up came to him as atty for re-election com and that he was therefore obliged by atty-client ethic of confidentiality to withhold information; says that J W Dean 3d was 'dead wrong' in testifying that Mardian had been given access to confidential repts on FBI probe; refuses to concede that he had ever taken part in discussions of plan of J S Magruder to advance cover-up by giving perjured testimony last fall; denies awareness of discussion of efforts that led to enlistment of H W Kalmbach in raising funds to make payments to Watergate conspirators; swears that Magruder is mistaken in saying that he (Mardian) once suggested altering Magruder's apptmt calendar to hide truth about meeting on Feb 4 '72 that was related to intelligence gathering scheme; insists that M H Stans is in error about Mardian efforts to secrete $81,000 of campaign funds that had not been reptd; disputes Dean's testimony that Mardian suggested that CIA might provide break-in defendants with 'silence money'; quarrels with statement of F La Rue that it was Mardian who arranged June 20 '72 interview of Liddy in La Rue's Washington apt; says that Liddy at time tried to convince him that there was no chance that break-in might be traced to re-election com officials

egg prices in NYC met area, reacting to Pres Nixon's Phase 4 econ policy, rise 5c a dozen at wholesale level

White House official says on July 19 that Pres Nixon has decided not to give Sen investigators access to tape recordings of his personal and telephone conversations with Watergate suspects in '72 and '73; says it has already been made clear that Pres papers will not be turned over and that White House considers tapes to be Pres papers; Capitol Hill sources say that Pres counselor M R Laird has informed Repub Cong leaders that he believes pertinent sections of tapes should be released and that he is arguing that position within Adm; says Laird has admitted that Nixon has not been willing recently to take his advice on Watergate matters; White House aides who would like Nixon to make tapes public have proposed apptmt of special reviewing officer who would listen to tapes and decide which are relevant; former Repub Sens J J Williams and J S Cooper have been named as possible candidates; Sen com counsel S Dash says com will 'settle for nothing less' than full tapes; White House press sec Ziegler says tapes are not being reviewed by White House counsel's office; status of proposed meeting between Nixon and Sen Ervin is unsure; hoax perpetrated on Ervin, in which someone calling himself Sec Shultz phoned Ervin and told him tapes would be made available, noted; illus of Ervin