McGovern Deputy Attacks Committee

The deputy campaign manager for George McGovern in 1972, now a first-year Law student, yesterday accused the Senate Watergate Committee of a partisan political attempt to smear the McGovern campaign.

Richard G. Stearns, western regional coordinator in the Democratic presidential campaign, was subpoenaed by the committee to testify about the use of some McGovern phones to promote an anti-Nixon rally at the Century Plaza Hotel in Los Angeles.

The former McGovern aide told the committee he could not recall approving use of the phones. Frederick J. Taugher, former head of the McGovern campaign in Southern California, said Wednesday Stearns knew about plans to use the phones and approved of them.