Broder Says Nixon Departure Probable Within Three Months

Americans will witness within three months the "last act of the Washington drama" which probably will end with President Nixon's departure from the White House, noted Washington Post columnist David S. Broder said yesterday.

Broder told a Kennedy Institute of Politics seminar the possibilities of Nixon's departure are "quite real," and he added that Congress should pressure for resignation since it has been reluctant to impeach.

"Nixon cannot tolerate total disclosure, even now when pressures for disclosure are irreversible," Broder said. "We must consider how long he has taken to disclose his role in the Watergate matter."

"He still can turn the tables on his critics with full disclosure of his past activities, but there is now not much political stock left in him. The situation has tipped beyond his control," he said.

Force Nixon

Broder said that while Nixon must soon decide for himself whether he can continue to hold office, Republican congressmen must question him and force him to assess the situation realistically.

"The President knows what we [the public] do not, and he has been calculating the consequences of his action in the past," he said. "His tactics must be viewed in this context."

"Nixon should know the cost to his credibility that his tactics have incurred. The Republican leadership must act responsibly in this matter," Broder said.

Broder predicted Americans will force themselves to forget about Nixon once he resigns, as they have been doing with former Vice President Spiro Agnew.

He called the new Vice President Gerald R. Ford a "reassuring figure" to most Americans. "He's been known to deal with problems realistically and not based primarily on his psychological needs," Broder said.

"I see qualities in Ford that make him suited for his position," Broder said. "He is a non-neurotic individual who once aspired for Speaker of the House, but later settled with the realities of his position in Congress."