Chapter 82: Moving through the first half of 1973
I'll try to get through most of 1973 today, because with the Vietnam War in an armistice, domestic matters take control, including the indictment of some Nixon officials for Watergate. Additionally, Leonard Nimoy lands two movie roles.
DEAN, EHRLICHMAN INDICTED FOR ROLES IN WATERGATE BURGLARY, PENTAGON PAPERS SCANDAL
April 17, 1973
President Nixon's former White House counsel John Dean and John Ehrlichman, former White House domestic adviser, were indicted for obstruction of justice and conspiracy in attempting to cover up the previous administration's role in the Watergate burglary and Ehrlichman's role in attempting a cover-up of the Pentagon Papers. Dean and Ehrlichman were arraigned in District of Columbia Superior Court yesterday. Both men did not resist arrest and turned themselves into authorities peacefully. Prosecutors claim that Dean was instructed by President Nixon to keep a running record of all events that occurred during the Watergate burglary, and intended to shield the Nixon administration, including the President himself, from any liability. The District Attorney of the District of Columbia also claims that in the indictment, Ehrlichman orchestrated a burglary of the psychiatrist who was treating Pentagon Papers whistleblower Daniel Ellsberg. Dean and Ehrlichman have both requested immunity and a potential deal for their congressional testimony to avoid lengthy terms in prison. Speaker of the House Morris Udall welcomed the news, telling the Post that "we would love to hear the testimony of Mr. Dean and Mr. Ehrlichmann in front of the House Watergate Special Committee, and determine if they can form other links that connect more directly to President Nixon's involvement in the scandal."
DEMOCRATS PASS MEDICAID EXPANSION, ENVIRONMENTAL ACTS INTO LAW
May 11, 1973
The Democrats in Congress have accomplished two of their primary policy objectives as outlined by President Edmund Muskie in his inaugural address. They have passed a major expansion to the Medicaid program, shepherded through the House of Representatives by Mr. Morris Udall and other members of the House liberal wing, and through the Senate by majority leader Mr. Mike Mansfield and Mr. Edward Kennedy. The Medicaid expansion, which includes under its purview all families with at least one child and all Americans currently under the federal poverty line, passed the House 221-214 and the Senate 52-48, after being filibustered for two weeks by a combination of conservative Republicans and southern Democrats, who derided the proposal as "Muskiecare". Eventually, the Senate filibuster broke, and the bill became law. "We have given access to Medicaid for most Americans, which will eventually lead to a national healthcare system that covers all Americans," President Muskie said. "It is one of the crowning achievements of any administration, and a major mission accomplished by the Congress. I applaud Speaker Udall and Majority Leader Mansfield for their ability to negotiate for the bill and win the votes required for passage. We have fulfilled a goal of the Great Society led by President Johnson when I was in the Senate."
Democrats also passed the Clean Industries Act, championed by President Muskie himself, after he witnessed the oil slick and chemical fire that destroyed the ecology of Lake Erie near Cleveland, Ohio. The law tasks industries to move to cleaner technologies over the next decade and provides federal subsidies to businesses who present plans to reduce pollution and their dependency on fossil fuels to the federal government. President Muskie said of this law, "Although oil is a critical component of the American economy, we risk future damage to our economic position if we allow oil producing governments not allied to the United States to control oil prices. We need to remove the leverage OPEC holds if they decide to raise prices and attempt to shock our economy." President Muskie also mentioned studies indicating that the burning of fossil fuels could affect the climate of future generations. "I saw scientific journals which indicated that if we continue burning fossil fuels at this rate, the planet will warm in an irreversible fashion in 50 years. I would like my grandchildren and great-grandchildren to live in a cleaner, more pristine world, and I hope Americans view that hope in the same way."
NIMOY LANDS ROLES IN GATSBY, GODFATHER SEQUEL; QUIPS ABOUT KIDS
June 4, 1973
Leonard Nimoy has signed on to two more Paramount productions, both scheduled to hit theaters in 1974. He will play Thomas Buchanan in a remake of The Great Gatsby, scheduled for filming next month, and has a planned role in the Godfather sequel, where he will play a corrupt United States Senator from Nevada who reportedly interacts with Michael Corleone. "I am excited to be branching out into major films and am honored to be considered for these productions," Nimoy said. "It represents a significant expansion of my career after the conclusion of Mission: Impossible." Nimoy rocketed to stardom playing the Vulcan Spock in Star Trek, and aside from some difficulties with stress and health in early 1970, it has been an upward trajectory for his career since. He occasionally attends Star Trek conventions, a cult phenomenon, and receives standing ovations every time he speaks in front of adoring Trek fans. However, he is focusing on teaching his children how to drive. "I can finally trust my daughter Julie behind the wheel, and I know that she won't get me killed if she wants to drive me somewhere," Nimoy said. "Now I'm worried about Adam, my son, driving recklessly because he's now at that age where he's got to get behind the wheel."
TIMES BOOK REVIEW: KOENIG ON RUSSIAN INVENTIONS
June 24, 1973
Walter Koenig, famous for playing the young, headstrong Russian Pavel Chekov on Star Trek, has written a book, possibly poking fun at himself, about Russian inventions. Entitled 10 Russian Inventions--And 5 non-Russian Inventions, Koenig takes a surprisingly accurate historical look at the contributions of Russia in world society, and definitively states that scotch, triticale (a form of wheat), baseball, the Garden of Eden, the English astronomer John Burke, and the Cheshire cat from Alice in Wonderland were not Russian inventions. However, he does accurately describe Russian advances such as vodka, powdered milk, which was invented by Osip Krichevsky, decimalization, first invented by Peter the Great to delineate between rubles and kopeks, and the first space flight, Sputnik, developed by the Russians in 1957. Koenig also delves into the development of the periodic table, pioneered by Dmitri Mendeleev, electrotyping, invented by Moritz von Jacobi in 1838, the kettlebell, a piece of exercise equipment, cracking of hydrocarbons, invented by Vladimir Shukhov in 1891, the heavy bomber, invented by Igor Sikorsky, and the idea of classical conditioning, largely developed by Ivan Pavlov. Koenig's work is a surprisingly strong addition for historians, despite it being written by a non-historian, and television actor, and we recommend it for further reading and perusal.
DEAN, EHRLICHMAN INDICTED FOR ROLES IN WATERGATE BURGLARY, PENTAGON PAPERS SCANDAL
April 17, 1973
President Nixon's former White House counsel John Dean and John Ehrlichman, former White House domestic adviser, were indicted for obstruction of justice and conspiracy in attempting to cover up the previous administration's role in the Watergate burglary and Ehrlichman's role in attempting a cover-up of the Pentagon Papers. Dean and Ehrlichman were arraigned in District of Columbia Superior Court yesterday. Both men did not resist arrest and turned themselves into authorities peacefully. Prosecutors claim that Dean was instructed by President Nixon to keep a running record of all events that occurred during the Watergate burglary, and intended to shield the Nixon administration, including the President himself, from any liability. The District Attorney of the District of Columbia also claims that in the indictment, Ehrlichman orchestrated a burglary of the psychiatrist who was treating Pentagon Papers whistleblower Daniel Ellsberg. Dean and Ehrlichman have both requested immunity and a potential deal for their congressional testimony to avoid lengthy terms in prison. Speaker of the House Morris Udall welcomed the news, telling the Post that "we would love to hear the testimony of Mr. Dean and Mr. Ehrlichmann in front of the House Watergate Special Committee, and determine if they can form other links that connect more directly to President Nixon's involvement in the scandal."
DEMOCRATS PASS MEDICAID EXPANSION, ENVIRONMENTAL ACTS INTO LAW
May 11, 1973
The Democrats in Congress have accomplished two of their primary policy objectives as outlined by President Edmund Muskie in his inaugural address. They have passed a major expansion to the Medicaid program, shepherded through the House of Representatives by Mr. Morris Udall and other members of the House liberal wing, and through the Senate by majority leader Mr. Mike Mansfield and Mr. Edward Kennedy. The Medicaid expansion, which includes under its purview all families with at least one child and all Americans currently under the federal poverty line, passed the House 221-214 and the Senate 52-48, after being filibustered for two weeks by a combination of conservative Republicans and southern Democrats, who derided the proposal as "Muskiecare". Eventually, the Senate filibuster broke, and the bill became law. "We have given access to Medicaid for most Americans, which will eventually lead to a national healthcare system that covers all Americans," President Muskie said. "It is one of the crowning achievements of any administration, and a major mission accomplished by the Congress. I applaud Speaker Udall and Majority Leader Mansfield for their ability to negotiate for the bill and win the votes required for passage. We have fulfilled a goal of the Great Society led by President Johnson when I was in the Senate."
Democrats also passed the Clean Industries Act, championed by President Muskie himself, after he witnessed the oil slick and chemical fire that destroyed the ecology of Lake Erie near Cleveland, Ohio. The law tasks industries to move to cleaner technologies over the next decade and provides federal subsidies to businesses who present plans to reduce pollution and their dependency on fossil fuels to the federal government. President Muskie said of this law, "Although oil is a critical component of the American economy, we risk future damage to our economic position if we allow oil producing governments not allied to the United States to control oil prices. We need to remove the leverage OPEC holds if they decide to raise prices and attempt to shock our economy." President Muskie also mentioned studies indicating that the burning of fossil fuels could affect the climate of future generations. "I saw scientific journals which indicated that if we continue burning fossil fuels at this rate, the planet will warm in an irreversible fashion in 50 years. I would like my grandchildren and great-grandchildren to live in a cleaner, more pristine world, and I hope Americans view that hope in the same way."
NIMOY LANDS ROLES IN GATSBY, GODFATHER SEQUEL; QUIPS ABOUT KIDS
June 4, 1973
Leonard Nimoy has signed on to two more Paramount productions, both scheduled to hit theaters in 1974. He will play Thomas Buchanan in a remake of The Great Gatsby, scheduled for filming next month, and has a planned role in the Godfather sequel, where he will play a corrupt United States Senator from Nevada who reportedly interacts with Michael Corleone. "I am excited to be branching out into major films and am honored to be considered for these productions," Nimoy said. "It represents a significant expansion of my career after the conclusion of Mission: Impossible." Nimoy rocketed to stardom playing the Vulcan Spock in Star Trek, and aside from some difficulties with stress and health in early 1970, it has been an upward trajectory for his career since. He occasionally attends Star Trek conventions, a cult phenomenon, and receives standing ovations every time he speaks in front of adoring Trek fans. However, he is focusing on teaching his children how to drive. "I can finally trust my daughter Julie behind the wheel, and I know that she won't get me killed if she wants to drive me somewhere," Nimoy said. "Now I'm worried about Adam, my son, driving recklessly because he's now at that age where he's got to get behind the wheel."
TIMES BOOK REVIEW: KOENIG ON RUSSIAN INVENTIONS
June 24, 1973
Walter Koenig, famous for playing the young, headstrong Russian Pavel Chekov on Star Trek, has written a book, possibly poking fun at himself, about Russian inventions. Entitled 10 Russian Inventions--And 5 non-Russian Inventions, Koenig takes a surprisingly accurate historical look at the contributions of Russia in world society, and definitively states that scotch, triticale (a form of wheat), baseball, the Garden of Eden, the English astronomer John Burke, and the Cheshire cat from Alice in Wonderland were not Russian inventions. However, he does accurately describe Russian advances such as vodka, powdered milk, which was invented by Osip Krichevsky, decimalization, first invented by Peter the Great to delineate between rubles and kopeks, and the first space flight, Sputnik, developed by the Russians in 1957. Koenig also delves into the development of the periodic table, pioneered by Dmitri Mendeleev, electrotyping, invented by Moritz von Jacobi in 1838, the kettlebell, a piece of exercise equipment, cracking of hydrocarbons, invented by Vladimir Shukhov in 1891, the heavy bomber, invented by Igor Sikorsky, and the idea of classical conditioning, largely developed by Ivan Pavlov. Koenig's work is a surprisingly strong addition for historians, despite it being written by a non-historian, and television actor, and we recommend it for further reading and perusal.
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