The Odd Couple
Date: 01 March 1973
ed on remarks made by Vice Pres Agnew in his speech to Minn Press Assn describing Nixon Adm's anti-press campaign as good-natured skirmish between friendly antagonists; holds that Adm has waged persistent and well-calculated effort to intimidate, discredit and legally curb press and that Adm's actions have moved well outside bounds of usual tradition of tense but healthy relationship between press and Adm
Full Article
RETIRED ADMIRAL HELPS ELLSBERG; He Rebuts Testimony That Disclcosure Harmed U.S. Document Held Important No Harm Seen
Date: 01 March 1973
By MARTIN ARNOLDSpecial to The New York Times
Retired Rear Adm G LaRocque on Feb 28 testifies at Pentagon papers trial that disclosure of '68 Joint Chiefs of Staff memorandum had not harmed natl security, rebutting testimony of Govt witness Lt Gen W G DePuy who testified that disclosure was detrimental to US defense; says he does not think that foreign analyst would find assessment in memo helpful because it is too vague for anyone to reach conclusion on; says when he read memo he found it 'absolutely unintelligible'; Judge W M Byrne upholds defense motion to keep Govt from putting into evidence pay scale of Army officers who worked on Pentagon papers; Govt wants to prove that value of papers is more than $100, which is necessary if defendants D Ellsberg and A J Russo are to be convicted on 6 theft counts as felonies; rules that defendants would not be allowed to bring in attempt to prove that Govt had suppressed evidence in case
Full Article
3 NEWSPAPERS GET PRINTER DEMANDS; Guild Also Gives Proposals on Contract at Times
Date: 28 February 1973
Typographical Union Local 6 on Feb 27 explains contract proposals to reprs of NY Daily News, NY Times and NY Post as formal talks get under way in effort to work out new agreements to replace those expiring March 30; local pres B A Powers leads his bargaining team in all-day session at offices of Publishers Assn; newspaper spokesman says another meeting with ITU has been scheduled for March 2 and that publishers will present their proposals to union on March 5; 1 of objectives of newspapers in current round of negotiations is to eliminate any bars to automation and to open way for use of modern printing techniques
Full Article
Defense Opens Its Case at the Pentagon Papers Trial; Long List of Witnesses Defense Argument
Date: 28 February 1973
By MARTIN ARNOLDSpecial to The New York Times
Defense in Pentagon papers case on Feb 27 opens its case with argument by atty L I Weinglass in which he promises jury that defense will present 'extensive' and 'compelling' testimony from high-ranking civilian and mil officials of Kennedy and Johnson Adms and from 'leaders of Congress' in '69 and '70; major thrust of testimony will be that had Pentagon papers been disclosed in '69 they would not have harmed natl defense and information contained in papers was needed by public in that year; defense will try to show that it was not defendants who defrauded Govt out of papers but that Govt, in withholding papers from Cong, was defrauding Cong; Weinglass says although papers were not devoid of mil facts, the few isolated facts were 'stale' and already in public domain; Adm G LaRocque, dir of Center for Defense Information, testifies that disclosure of '68 Joint Chiefs of Staff memorandum 'could in no way have been of harm to the US in 1969'; says assessments made in document are 'vague' and 'ambiguous'; says that he studied section of it for long time and 'couldn't figure out what it meant' and that information contained in it would probably be of interest to foreign anaylst but would be of no practical use to him 1 yr later; illus of Ellsberg and wife at Fed Bldg in Los Angeles
Full Article
Greece's Press, After Relative Freedom, Is Coming Under Growing Pressure; Word 'Student' Disappears 'This System Is Chaos' Loss of Advertising
Date: 01 March 1973
By ALVIN SHUSTERSpecial to The New York Times
article notes Greek press is coming under increasing pressure from regime to maintain silence on sensitive issues following period of relative freedom; notes Govt's Press and Information Dept recently called in 6 foreign journalists to protest what it thinks are false repts on Greece but that its main targets have been Greek newspapers; says Govt has now made it clear that it wants issue of student agitation to virtually disappear from papers; notes Govt spokesman B Stamatopoulos, when asked why newspapers are no longer writing about students, said that newspapers are free to write what they like and that what is forbidden is to write false repts; sees key reason for shift stemming from Feb 22 session when Deputy Premier S Patakos called in editors and publishers for 'exch of views' on handling of repts on student unrest, noting message was clear and stories disappeared; says about 100 reporters are circulating petition asking Athens Union of Journalists to explain to readers why all news of student unrest has suddenly vanished; revs experiences of Vradyni publisher G Athanassiadis, who reptd 20 tax officers entered his offices and made detailed search after he had decided to print more details of student troubles than Govt desired; notes newspapers that criticize Govt have found they are not receiving lucrative ads placed by Govt agencies and many big cos who fear making regime unhappy; says fullest coverage in Athens on demonstrations now appears in English-language paper The Athens News, which is not usually viewed with concern by Govt; notes paper's owner J Horn is being prosecuted for publishing 'misleading' headline
Full Article
Times Plans Effort To Quash Subpoena Served on Reporter
Date: 01 March 1973
NY Times publisher A O Sulzberger says on Feb 28 that 'all legal steps' will be taken to quash subpoena issued to Times reporter J M Crewdson by Pres Nixon's re-election com for material on NY Times's coverage of bugging of Dem Natl Com's hq; subpoenas, issued to dozen reporters and news execs, are also issued on behalf of several high-level Repubs who are involved in series of civil lawsuits and countersuits; Repubs' lawyer K W Parkinson says his clients are most interested in allegedly libelous statements made about them by some Dems
Full Article
TWO PROSECUTORS CALL NEWS VITAL; Say Disclosure of Sources Will Imperi Enforcement.
Date: 28 February 1973
By DAVID K. SHIPLERSpecial to The New York Times
David SHIPLERSpecial
Nassau County Dist Atty W Cahn and Covington, Ky, Dist Atty J J O'Hara on Feb 27 say that law enforcement would be hurt if newsmen were unable to guarantee anonymity to certain sources, Sen Judiciary Subcom on Const Rights hearing; Cahn says that newspapers often publish articles 'alerting investigators to sub rosa (confidential) crime-breeding conditions' with stories relying on confidential sources; O'Hara and Cahn rept they would have no objection to Fed law giving reporters partial immunity from forced testimony under most circumstances, although they oppose absolute immunity that would block all subpoenas; W F Thomas, editor of Los Angeles Times, says in past few yrs Times has been served with more than 30 subpoenas and threatened by more than 50 others; says Times has spent more than $200,000 in last few yrs defending itself against subpoenas; Sen S J Ervin Jr says he has decided to support Cong action that would give newsmen partial immunity
Full Article