The Nation: Pointed Questions for the President

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Weicker cites a federal law stating that it is "misprision of felony" for any citizen to fail to report a crime of which he has knowledge. While the law is widely ignored, it would seem a serious matter for a President to take no action when his own aides report criminal activity to him. Although Weicker does not say so, such failure might violate the President's oath to uphold the law.

How do you explain your repeated statements that one reason you knew nothing about Watergate or its cover-up was that you were busy with affairs of state-with prominent mention of Russia, China and Viet Nam-and yet your daily logs for June and July 1972 show literally hundreds of meetings with principal Watergate figures, while only minutes were spent with individuals such as Dr. Kissinger?

Weicker submitted excerpts from White House logs showing that Nixon held 164 meetings with figures who are now part of the Watergate investigation during the period from June 20 (three days after the Watergate breakin) to July 31, 1972. During the same period, Nixon was logged as meeting Henry Kissinger, who was primarily responsible for foreign affairs, only ten times, for a total of little more than 2% hours.