Public No Longer Willing to Dismiss Watergate As 'Just Politics'

Home , Jeb Stuart Magruder, John Ehrlichman

The Harris Survey

For Release: Tuesday, June 26, 1973 --- A SPECIAL BONUS COLUMN

PUBLIC NO LONGER WILLING TO DISMISS WATERGATE AS 'JUST POLITICS'

BY LOUIS IIARRIS

The American people now have become convinced that the central issue in the Watergate affair is the question of integrity of the federal government itself. By 47-43 percent, the public has now ceased to look upon Watergate as being "mostly political" and sees it "as a very serious question involving the honesty of the White House." This is a marked change from last fall, when by 62-26 percent, a sizable majority chalked up the Watergate charges as.mainly political rhetoric, or the kind of thing in which both sides engage in political campaigns.

On the question of his handling of the Watergate affair, by 58-21 percent, a majority of the people believe Mr. Pixon "has withheld important information about it" and has "not been frank and honest" with the people on the matter. His personal rating on his handling of Watergate has now slipped to 70-15 percent negative, down sharply from the 57-31 percent negative standing recorded for him in May by the Harris Survey.

By the same token, before he was scheduled to testify, no more than 6 percent of the public felt that statements and leaks from former White House counsel John Dean were "very truthful," another 27 percent felt he had been "only partly truthful," and 17 percent were convinced he was "hardly truthful." How- ever 50 percent of the hmerican public did not feel competent to pass judgment on this issue. Neverthe- less, it appeared that Mr. Nixon's chief adversary was coming ~p short in his own credibility although public reaction to his testimonv had vet to be measured.

The latest Harris Survey, conducted in person in 1,509 households between June 14th and 18th asked about the truthfulness of the testimony and other public statements by key figures in the Watergate case. Most of the public simply is not yet prepared to make definite judgments about the veracity of the testimony and other statements. Obviously, as a jury, they are still withholding their final judgment. But skepticism among the people is high, indeed. The disposition of most people is to doubt most of what they had heard.

"HOWtruthful do you think (READ NAME ON LIST) has been in what he(she) has said about the Watergate affair -- very truthful, only partly truthful. or hardly truthful at all?"

TRUTHFULNESS OF KEY FIGURES IN WATERGATE AFFAIR

Very Partly Hardly Truthful Truthful Truthful Not Sure % % % % President Nixon 16 2 3 James McCord 15 12 Martha Mitchell 15 21 Jeb Stuart Magruder 10 13 John Caulfield 8 9 Maurice Stans 7 14 John Dean I11 6 17 E. Howard Hunt 5 13 John Mitchell 5 34 John Ehrlichman 4 20 H. R. "Bob" Haldeman 4 20 Charles Colson 3 9

Most suspect of all in the public's nind, in terms of telling the truth, quite clearly are three central high-level figures: former presidential chief of staff H.R. Haldeman, former domestic adviser John Ehrlichman, and former Attorney General John Mitchell. Together with former White House special counsel Charles Colson, who is largely unknown to the public up to now, Haldeman, Ehrlichman, and Mitchell were closer to Mr. Nixon than any other four %en durlng his first Administration. The results indicate one of the real problems involved in the Watergate case: how to determine who is telling the truth and how any one individual can convince the American people he is telling the truth, even when he is called to testify under oath. Obviously, the aura of public skepticism about the veracity of the key figures is a serious handicap for these men to clear their names if innocent. By the same token the public itself has now indicated that the central pivot on which Watergate will turn is the integrity of the White House over the affair.

No longer do people believe that Watergate is a matter of "politics," as was so long the case. Periodically, the Harris Survey has asked:

"Do you think the Watergate episode is a very serious question involving the honesty of the White House, or do you think it is mstly politics?"

SERIOUS QUESTION OR MOSTLY POLITICS?

June May April Oct. ----'73 '73 '73 '72 0 % % % Ser.ious question involving White House integrity 47 40 36 26 Mostly politics 43 52 48 62 Not sme 10 8 15 12

It is apparent that the man people are looking for most of all for answers is the President himself. And his rating on handling Watergate has now slipped to a low of 70-15 percent negative. No matter what the impact of the Dean testimony and that of Mitchell, Haldaman, Ehrlichman, and the others to follow, only a convincing story from Mr. Nixon himself now will suffice, according to the American people themselves. Obviously, the crisis of public opinion over Watergate has now been reached.