Joseph Alsop wxpost . i. I 1974 Goldwater 's Visit: 'Not Whether But When'

President Nixon's problem with his own party has become downright cruel. The best symbol of the problem The fact that the question is not is Sen. Barry Goldwater of Arizona, whether but when is both certain and whom the President openly regards as plain from the record. To begin with, the indispensable conservative leader Sen. Goldwater has already publicly in his fight against impeachment and stated that it will be the President's conviction. duty to resign, rather than put the By a great many other Republicans, country through the wrenching experi- Sen. Goldwater is instead regarded as ence of a long Senate trial, if the the one man who would have the best House of Representatives votes a bill chance of persuading the President to of impeachment by a solid majority. leave the White House voluntarily. In Behind the scenes, moreover, Sen. consequence, near-mob scenes have oc- Goldwater and the other congressional curred recently, when private errands leader the President most depends have taken Sen. Goldwater to the upon, Rep. John Rhodes of Arizona, House of Representatives. began arguing on the basis of not whether but when some time ago. This By now, in fact, an extraordinarily remarkable fact is now an open secret high number of the Republican House in the Republican Party's Watergate- members have begged Sen. Goldwater sickened inner circle. to do his best to secure the President's House Minority Leader Rhodes is al- early resignation. Furthermore, one most as important to the President as can be pretty sure of something more. his friend and fellow Arizonan, Sen. In brief, the big remaining question is Goldwater, simply because the con- probably not whether but when Sen. gressman speaks for the same party Goldwater will make the grim visit to group as the senator. Judging from the White House that so many Repub- contemptuous presidential remarks in licans have been insistently nagging the transcripts of the White House him to make. tapes, the President would be strongly discinclined to heed advice from the Senate minority leader, Hugh Scott of

Pennsylvania. But Sen. Goldwater and ther, and the despair in Republican purposes, a quiet visit to the White Rep. Rhodes form a team the Presi- ranks has correspondingly risen to House may perhaps be made as early dent can hardly brush aside any new levels. as mid-June, on present prospects. longer. Thus it is not at all evident that a In sum, on present prospects there is One must note that "any longer," deputation urging the President's res- no longer much doubt that the Presi- ignation will be delayed until the however, In fact, it is also known that dent will rather soon be advised to re- when Sen. Goldwater and Rep. Rhodes House vote on impeachment. If the sign by those members of his party began to- talk about the need for the present trend in the House is not re- whose help he needs the most. As on President to resign some time ago versed, Rep. Rhodes will have a positive so many other previous occasions in they both agreed that it was useless to duty to report to the President that the long Watergate history, the Presi- advise resignation at that time. This the House Judiciary Committee will dent has sworn that he will never, was precisely because they also agreed pretty surely produce a bipartisan ma- never, never accept such advice. On all jority favoring impeachment, thereby those previous occasions, the President that the advice would then be brushed ensuring a large pro-impeachment ma- aside. later changed his mind when the going jority on the House floor. got too rough. It is fairly evident that Sen. Goldwa- Already, these are the expected re- What'he will do if and when the ex- ter's public statement above-quoted sults in the House. As to the second pected Republican visitors quietly ap- suggests the result of these first round of the dire process, Sen. Gold- proach him is still anyone's guess, of Rhodes-Goldwater strategy discussions. water is known to believe that the Sen- course. Yet it seems hard to believe The decision evidently was to urge the ate will vote to convict the President if that he will cling to office after being President to resign, if and when his the House produces a large pro-im- told that the party leaders he most re- impeachment had been voted in the peachment majority. He too will have lies upon can do nothing further to House. Now, however, the President's a positive duty to tell the President help or save him. situation has deteriorated much fur- this in plain words. For these harsh Los Angeles Times