News of the day (and the week of) July 1, 1973 - Watergate testimony resumed, Threatened Constitutional Crisis over Cambodia bombings and war in Vietnam, Brezhnev concludes Washington Summit, Military coup in Chile aborted (for now).
July 1, 2011

John-Dean---Watergate.jpg
John Dean - aka: Mr. "There's A Cancer On The Presidency".


So July started off with a bang in 1973. First was a threatened Constitutional Crisis over the bombings of Cambodia. It was agreed the bombing would end in August, but Nixon also wanted to keep his options open and so he threatened a Veto to the measure and it threw Congress into a state of near chaos. Keeping the nickname "Tricky" alive even as focus was down the hall.

The little matter of Watergate resumed with John Dean giving his historic bomb-strewn testimony. But by the end of the week he concluded that he "hoped the President is forgiven". Meanwhile, it was suggested President Nixon be called on to testify himself, but that drew a vigorous "ain't gonna happen" from the White House. The whole matter of bugging was on everyone's minds, with even freshly resigned former Attorney General Richard Kleindienst expressing shock and outrage that even he had his phone conversations bugged. The irony wasn't lost on anyone, but it did produce a few chuckles.

World-wise, Soviet leader Leonid Brezhnev concluded his summit talks in Washington and was asked if he and Nixon discussed Watergate which was met with a sharp and somewhat perplexed "no". China trumpeted success in their first test of a Hydrogen Bomb, letting the world know. And in return the world became just a bit more nervous. In South America a military coup in Chile against the Allende government failed due to alleged lack of support from the Military. But that wasn't going to be the last, not by a long shot. And a Military Attache at the Israeli Embassy in Washington was gunned down by "unknown assailants".

And so went this particular July 1st in 1973 as reported by Stuart Novins on the CBS Radio program The World This Week.

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