August 22, 1973

Vice Pres Agnew accuses members of Justice Dept on Aug 21 of effort to indict him in press and calls for investigation to expose Fed investigators responsible for leaking information to press concerning possible bribery, extortion, fraud and conspiracy charges against him, televised statement; charges there is 'clear and outrageous effort to influence the outcome of possible grand jury deliberations; Atty Gen Richardson says he shares Agnew's concern about 'unfair and inaccurate publicity' but says there is no basis for assumption that information had come from law enforcement officials; Baltimore, Md, US Atty Beall denies that his prosecutors were 'in any way' source of any news leaks; Agnew indicates Time (pub) article published on Aug 20 led directly to his decision to challenge publicly integrity of Fed Govt's investigation; article quoted unnamed Justice Dept officials as saying that evidence against Agnew, including alleged cash payments, was so strong that dept had no choice but to take matter to trial; Beall says investigation is in what he calls 'the Agnew phase but that no evidence that might involve Agnew has been formally presented to grand jury; says none will be until 'probably' after Labor Day; illus of Agnew, Richardson and Beall

The television industry, following two years of declining profits that began with the general economic slump of 1970, rebounded dramatically last year, according to a Federal Communications Commission report issued yesterday.

Laotian Acting Min Prince Sisouk na Champassak says several members of rebel force that attempted coup on Aug 20 have been executed by Laotian Army and there will be 'no trials' for the rest of the prisoners, news conf, Aug 21; key question seen as how the attempted coup will affect peace talks; some diplomats speculate that Pathet Lao will feel it needs more troops to protects its delegation in Vietiane; rumors persist that Thao Ma was executed after his plane was shot down; Champassak insists he died of crash injuries; right‐wing generals are angry about pending agreement with the Pathet Lao; diplomats think that the army could have gone either way during the first critical hour of the coup attempt; US charge d'affaires J H Dean credited with outcome because of his insistence to all sides that US stood behind Souvanna and would not support the coup; army finally fought its way into the airport, drove insurgents out and the rebellion was over; Pathet Lao pleased with outcome; side effect of coup attempt is deterioration in Laos‐Thailand relations; illus of Laotian soldier guarding a rebel after the coup attempt

US Repr Badillo's press sec J Vlasto says on Aug 21 that Badillo, who has decided not to run as ind candidate for NYC Mayor, has not yet decided if he will support Dem ticket, which includes NYS Sen H J Goldin for NYC Controller; minor parties Socialist Workers, US Labor and Free Libertarian have nominated D Roberts, L Johnson and T Avery respectively for Controller

White House on Aug 21 makes files on ITT available to Watergate special prosecutor A Cox; spokesman for prosecutor's office says that Cox and J F Buzhardt, Pres counsel dealing with Watergate and related matters, reached agreement on Aug 20 that attys from Cox's office could have access to files; says atty R J Davis obtained papers from White House ITT file; would not say whether files contained 6 intra‐govt memos which, it is believed, Cox does not have and particularly wants; 6 memos were mentioned in memo dated March 30, '72, from C W Colson, then White House asst to White House chief of staff H R Haldeman; Colson told Haldeman that it would be politically dangerous for Pres if these memos—plus 13 memos and lrs by ITT officials‐leaked during hearings then being conducted by Sen Judiciary Com on nomination of R G Kleindienst to be Atty Gen; ITT documents dealt with meetings between co and Adm officials as ITT sought settlement that would permit it to retain Hartford Fire Ins Co; 6 intra‐govt memos have never been made public; Colson in his memo to Haldeman said that he, J D Ehrlichman and F Fielding, only persons who had seen memos, believed they had succeeded in controlling, or rounding up and destroying several of documents, but that he was not sure of this

WASHINGTON, Aug. 21—The Cambodian Government appealed to Congress and the American people today to abide by “the moral obligation” of the. United States to help,

Labor Dept discloses on Aug 21 that food prices rose 0.8% in July Consumer Price Index, indicating that food prices have failed to respond completely to 60‐day price freeze, which ended for food on July 18; Council of Econ Advisers Chmn Stein notes that rise 'has not yet been fully explained'; only 'legal' explanation offered by officials for food price increases stems from technicality of freeze rules; officials concede that stores either inadvertently or knowingly violated rules of freeze

27‐day‐old strike by Chilean truck drivers on Aug 21 is joined by shopkeepers, physicians, airline pilots, engineers, technical and professional orgns and Christian Dem trade unionists

comment on Aug 21 events at World Univ Games in Moscow; games are marred by incident in which group of 20 Jews were attacked by unidentified group of Russians following basketball game; Russians were reptdly upset over how Jews cheered for Israeli basketball team; illus

Secret Service continues on Aug 21 to press its investigation of what was described as 'very serious, very large' conspiracy by 'nonmentals' to assassinate Pres Nixon during his Aug 20 visit to New Orleans, La; sources close to investigation say they used term 'nonmentals' to distinguish reptd assassination plot from more common threats of harm from mentally unbalanced individuals that Pres receives when he travels outside Washington, DC; Secret Service announced on Aug 20, in unprecedented move, that it had 'strongly recommended' to White House that route of Nixon's motorcade through short section of downtown New Orleans be changed; White House aides later said that Pres himself had ordered motorcade be canceled but in San Clemente, Calif, where Nixon flew after New Orleans visit, reporters overheard him say to his personal sec R M Woods, They called me last night. They canceled. They'll never cancel another time'; White House deputy press sec Warren says on Aug 21 that Nixon was alluding to another matter that Woods was working on with Pres and not to motorcade; Secret Service agents and score of heavily armed state and local officers search near Taos, NM, on Aug 21 for E M Gaudet, ex‐New Orleans policeman who has been charged with making separate threat against Nixon's life; J P Jones, chief of NM Secret Service says on Aug 21 that local officers exchanged gunfire on Aug 20 with man they believed to be Gaudet, who disappeared into nearby arroyo after firing 2 shots from high‐powered rifle; arrest warrant issued Aug 20 alleges that Gaudet said in a New Orleans bar last wk, 'Somebody ought to kill Pres Nixon. If no one has the guts, I'll do it'; Secret Service officials say they have found no evidence to connect Gaudet to reptd assassination conspiracy, but will not preclude possibility that connection might turn up; officials of FBI and Secret Service insist that alleged conspiracy is both broad and intensely serious and that its threat had not been 'blown out of proportion'; New Orleans police officials say they are unable to explain why change in route of Nixon's motorcade was publicly disclosed in advance of Nixon's arrival, a move that presumably would have alerted any conspirators that their plot had been uncovered and providing them time to flee; police officials say decision to make announcment was that of Secret Service, which said on Aug 20 that move was response to expected inquiries from reporters about change in Pres's plans

Angry mob besieges 7th Pct stationhouse for 2 hrs on Aug 21 demanding that police turn over to them a man they believed to be slayer of 4 young boys; 22‐yr‐old L A Gonzalez was spotted by employes of NENA Comprehensive Health Service Center, where he went to apply for job, because of his resemblance to widely circulated composite photo and description of man wanted in murders of L Ortiz, 10, W Hubbard, 10, D Owens, 9, and S Cropper, 7, whose body was found on Lower East Side roof on Aug 17; police took him to station for questioning and identification by witnesses, and it was verified that he was not suspect; meanwhile, crowd outside stationhouse grew despite police efforts to disperse it; mob refused to believe that Gonzalez was not killer and held up noose made of clothesline; police fail in attempt to deceive crowd by taking decoy dressed in shirt and trousers away in panel truck; they finally take Gonzalez out of area dressed as policeman and crowd disperses; illus

Article on controversy surrounding approval by W Ger N Rhine‐Westphalia state Justice Min D Posser of Communist lawyer's application for judgeship; application by V Goetz, who since '71 has been member of Ger Communist party, which is legal in W Ger, has caused public furor and divided state govt; reaction to application, which has attracted natl attention, reveals W Ger tension about leftist tendencies inside and outside Brandt's Soc Dem party; long series of examinations and explanations is to begin Aug 22, with special session of state legis; Posser illus