European Stars and Stripes (Newspaper) - September 28, 1977, Darmstadt, Hesse                                Page 12 the stars and stripes wednesday september 28, 1977 William f. Buckley did Nixon consider quitting in april 73? the press is reporting on the Forth coming Book by or. Raymond k. Price former principal speechwriter for Richard Nixon whose title with Nixon is entirely straightforward. Or. Price was is and will be with Nixon though to be sure he has his misgivings. The news Story is that on Reading the final draft of his april 30, 1973, speech president Nixon thought of resigning his office. I have to admit that if i had had to read that speech i would Ira c. Eaker canal treaty questions disturbing despite the unprecedented Campaign in support of the Panama canal trea ties some disturbing questions remain. No valid evidence has been revealed to Date that Gen. Omar Torrijos Herrera is not a marxist dictator who overthrew a freely elected Republican president of Panama by a military coup. Furthermore there can be no question that Torrijos enjoys the sympathetic support and encouragement of Cuba and Russia. Will not. Therefore our negotiations of a treaty very favourable to Panama enhance the prestige and popularity of this red Dic Tator will it not in fact insure his continued illegal control of the panamanian government is this what we want is it in our nation Al interest is it As a matter of fact in the interest of the Freedom Loving people of Panama would it not be Wiser for the . Leadership to say we will not negotiate a revision of the Panama treaty of 1903 with other than a freely elected government of Panama the present treaties recently negotiated and now being considered by con Gress refer More than once to the Republic of  can anyone seriously contend that there is now a Republic of Panama there Are doubts and questions concern ing the loss of sovereignty involved in these treaties. There Are also economic questions about our initial payments and Loans to the Republic of Panama of some 300 million plus the greatly increased annual payments $2.4 million to $10 Mil lion. The most persuasive views i have seen concerning these questions were contained in a joint letter of four former chiefs of naval operations admirals Robert b. Columns comments Carney Arleigh a. Burke George w. An Derson and Thomas h. Moorer sent to president Carter on june 8,1977. I commend their Well reasoned letter to All our leaders executive and legislative and to the Liberal news Media which to Date have Given it Little  distinguished naval leaders concluded their letter to or. Carter with the Panama canal represents a vital portion of our . Naval and maritime assets All of which Are absolutely essential for free world  there is another ominous Factor which for me is the gravest concern of All what part in these negotiations did Russia play it is noteworthy that shortly after the announcement of the Panama canal treaties a delegation from Moscow was received by Torrijos. Evidently Panama s dictator chose to Clear these treaties with the Kremlin. This looks suspiciously like a replay of the Suez canal seizure by Gamal Nasser. Before the egyptian dictator closed the Suez canal he received assurances from the Kremlin that the resulting loss of annual revenues would be supplied by the soviets. Is Torrijos now being assured by Brezhnev that in the event he closes the Panama canal by sabotage he will be reimbursed by Moscow if Russia by fishing in these troubled Waters gains control Over the Panama canal either directly or through marxist proxy groups it will be the last restricted strategic waterway in the world to fall under red domination. Russia today has the necessary military Power distributed geographically so that she can control passage through the Mediterranean sea the Suez canal the persian Gulf the red sea the Malacca Straits Ardour vital Oil routes around South Africa. C los Angeles times the opinions expressed in the columns and cartoons on this Page represent those of the authors and Are in no Way to be considered As representing the views of the stars and stripes or the United states government. Pan Mcanal Reagan anal certainly have resigned and probably Cut my Throat. Now that sounds like an unfriendly thing to say about a fellow writer so under the circumstances i reveal that i have been a Friend of Ray Price since i was 21 years old. A year behind me at College he joined the conservative party of the political Union. He was then 18 years old but looked As though he had just celebrated his tenth birthday there was never in the history of american youth any lad of fresher More innocent Mien. You will understand the Surprise in my grizzled set veterans All of world War ii when we woke to discover that Young Price had become the balance of Power in the political Union dominating absolutely a Young band of freshmen who voted Exa Tlyas Price instructed in All matters. His surreptitious nickname was Ange it Demon which is How at Yale they say Angel boy and  in his current Book he defends the whole notion of Tricky Dick. You gotta be Tricky says old Ange it Demon in order to manipulate people to do the right thing like avoid world wars and vote for Richard  the april 30 speech was without exception the worst presidential speech in modern american history. It is the one Best remembered by its conclusion since Bob Haldeman and John Ehrlich Man Are the finest civil servants i have Ever known i am forthwith firing  that was the analytical High Point of that address which inflamed America against Nixon convincing the majority that indeed the president was far gone in dissimulation. On seeing the final draft of that speech Ray Price writes the president turned dramatically to his speechwriter and told him that he Price had always served As Nixon s conscience and if Price thought that Nixon should himself resign just write it into the next draft and i la do  one can readily understand or. Price s reactions under the circumstances. They would almost certainly have been yours and mine too. He implored the president not to resign remember at that Point the Nixon people still believed him to be substantially innocent. One assumes that Price used All the conventional arguments to talk Nixon out of doing something he did t want to do in the first place. But listen to the clinching argument. It was this that if Nixon resigned Agnew would become president. Not having seen the text i cannot advise How Many exclamation Points Are appended in the original to that statement designed to terrify even the stoutest hearts. The fact of the matter is that in april 1973, Spiro Agnew was not known to have been implicated in the financial venality is of Baltimore political life. He had serve four years As vice president his instincts on All major issues were Correct he had a great following. And most important of All under the circumstances he had Bee selected by Nixon himself As a running mate after four years experience. So Ange it Demon let the Opportunity go by. Nixon might have been spared his sub sequent humiliation. The Republican party would have been spared what May yet prove to be mortal wounds and All for what to spare us the Prospect of having As president the Man personally selected by Nixon to serve in that capacity in the event of a disability to the incumbent. Truly the Nixon Story becomes every Day More interesting More Labyrinthine. As Mary Mcgrory complained the other Day what do people in Washington spend their time doing talking about the Cal Houn National Bank s overdrafts Nan. They watch serialization of the Nixon years by Ehrlichman Nixon Frost on Martha Mitchell and now Ray Price who went from manipulating the Yale political Union to manipulating the president of the United states. C Washington Star