August 7, 1974

NYC Pks Dept officials and NY Shakespeare Festival producer Joseph Papp on Aug 6 reach tentative agreement on plans for bldg new 2,500-seat open-air theater in Central Pk; theater, which is expected to cause some controversy among pk preservationists, will cost $3-million to $4-million and will probably occupy site of present Delacorte Theater; pk officials stress that choice of site is not final; Pks Dept dir of historical preservation James Marston Fitch urges new theater on site closer to Central Pk West and demolishing Delacorte Theater; George Delacorte, whose grant made original theater possible, says he intends to make commitment towards building new theater; has already advanced money to cover fee for architect Giorgio Cavaglieri; Papp's plans call for completion of theater for '76 summer season with '75 summer season presented indoors at Vivian Beaumont Theater; Central Pk curator Henry Hope Reed urges restoration of Delacorte; proposed designs of theater noted; Pks Admr Edwin L Weisl comments; map of pk, illus of theater (L)

Pres Nixon's support in Sen crumbles; Sen R J Dole says that if Nixon had 40 votes a wk ago, he has no more than 20 today; he would need 34 to survive a Sen trial; another Repub Sen estimates that only 10 Sens are prepared to stand by Nixon; politicians of both parties and growing number of officials in and close to White House say it appears almost inevitable that Nixon will be forced out of office, through resignation or conviction and removal by Sen; Repr J J Rhodes comments; prominent HR Repubs and Dems rule out possiblity of passing bill granting Nixon immunity from prosecution if he should resign; Sen P V Domenici is reptdly leaning toward conviction; Sen R L Hruska says he is newly undecided; Sen J G Tower says he can no longer defend Nixon, meeting of Repub Policy Com; says he feels sentiment among his Repub colleagues is that resignation would be in 'natl interest'; Sen B Goldwater refuses to comment but others say he will no longer back Nixon; Repr C E Wiggins and Repub Natl Com Chmn G E Bush comment; Sens J B Allen and J C Stennis seen leaning toward conviction; Dole por (L)

WASHINGTON, Aug. 6—The possibility possibility of President‐Nixon's resignation hung Iike an uncertain rain cloud over Washington today—a cloud that could burst at any moment but very well might not.

Article in NY Times series on inadequate NYC mental health facilites; says acute shortage of beds has created breakdown in mental treatment of some of city's most disturbed criminals and condemned them to revolving door that leads from jail cell to hosp bed and back again; such patients receive at the most stopgap psychiatric treatment that experts who treat them concede is of little value; several drs and city officials comment (M)

Pres Nixon tells his Cabinet that he will not resign but will remain in office while const process of impeachment runs its course; Nixon reptdly describes with feeling the trouble he is in to Vice Pres Ford, dept heads and his top aides; no one at Cabinet meeting, which was also attended by Repub Natl Com Chmn George Bush, suggested that Nixon resign or took issue with his analysis of situation; they reptdly rallied behind him in his request that Adm leaders work harder than ever to operate Govt during impeachment process; Treas Sec W E Simon says Nixon is totally dedicated to task of running US; participants in Cabinet meeting say Watergate and impeachment took up only few mins time and rest of time foreign and domestic matters were discussed; Nixon's Aug 5 statement and his explanation to Cabinet indicate that Nixon will base his defense in Sen trial on argument that his conviction and removal would do irreparable damage to office of Presidency; White House deputy press sec Gerald L Warren is not as positive as he has been in his denials that Nixon will not resign; denies Nixon's decision to release 3 tapes on Aug 5 were based on any sort of ultimatum or anything like that from Nixon's atty James D St Clair; HR members say they were led to believe by St Clair that he had insisted Nixon put in his statement admission that he had withheld evidence; Raleigh News and Observer quotes J Malcolm Howard, member of St Clair's staff, as expressing reservations about legal defense of Nixon; good deal of attention in Cabinet meeting is focused on Vice Pres Ford; Warren and others say Ford backed Nixon's admonition to Cabinet members to work harder on Govt performance and that he reaffirmed his intention to continue his speaking tour to give leadership to Repub party; illus of Nixon and Defense Sec J R Schlesinger; illus of tourists at White House fence (L)