A4
sonday, Nov. 1973
R
THE WASHINGTON POST
Nov
1 1 1913
7WX1364-
Watergate Baffles E. Europe
.
By Dusko Bader
Despite the blackout, Water- Stalinist regimes, he asked. U. S.
foreign policy (and not
Washington Post Foreign Service
gate has become a household Didn't President Nixon, after
for
the
better, from their,
WARSAW, Nov. 10—The word
in East European intel- all, back down and fire his viewpoint).
Watergate
affair
has lectual circles. With disbelief closest associates?
On the unofficial level, most
prompted mounting concern
and skepticism, intellectuals By and large, East Europe- East Europeans have experiin East European capitals
in Warsaw, Prague and Buda- ans have reduced the political enced some concrete and tanand constitu
about President Nixon's politigible
pest are trying to decipher the ties of the tional complexi- on's benefits from Mr. NixWatergate scandal
detente. They are living
cal survival and speculation
as to the effect his possible re- latest news spread through ru- to a. crude conception of a better, their governments
moval from office could have mor mills or heard over West- party struggle—a President have become somewhat less
on East-West detente.
ern radio stations. Who is try- hounded by his political oppo- restrictive and, most imporSenior and middle-level offi- ing to impeach Nixon? Why? nents over minor issues.
tantly, there are hopes that
cials are now suggesting pri- What's so terrible about
This is not just the view of things may improve as the
vately that the sensation-stud- Watergate?
those without access to news East-West climate warms up.
ded affair may have eroded
Mr. Nixon's popularity may about the United States; it is A middle-aged Polish scienMr. Nixon's authority beyond be at its lowest point in the also prevalent among the rul- tist put it this way:
repair. The principal concern United States, but throughout ing elite, who receive informa- "We can't understand what's
of these officials is what effect Eastern Europe he is regarded tion about current world happening in America. Our
will this have on American as a great President whose vi- events through special daily press is silent, but we hear
foreign policy.
sion and courage in foreign bulletins prepared for top- and that the entire government is
One official—a member of policy ended the Cold War.
medium-level officials by gov- under investigation. Ministers
the ruling bOdy of a Warsaw
Conversations about Water- ernment news agencies.
are fired. The vice president is
Pact country—confided re- gate can provoke long, heated
On the official level, all convicted. Even Nixon is being
cently that until mid-October arguments.
Warsaw Pact governments attacked.
"We were pretty sure that "What's Watergate?" a 19- have welcomed Mr. Nixon's "Nixon is popular here. Any
Nixon would survive Water- year-old Prague student ar- rapproachment with the So- American President would be
gate, but we are not, so sure gued recently. "The AmeXi- viet Union. The detente forced popular here. There is a vast
any more."
cans have no idea about it. I Moscow to grant its allies reservoir of pro-American
The official, who insisted do—I have lived in Watergate greater room for maneuver, feelings among the Polish
peothat his name not be disclosed, all my life."
particularly in commercial rel- ple. There are ethnic
said, "the most important To buttress his point, the ations with the West. Since tural ties, you know. and culquestion" is whether Mr. Nix- students and his female com- Moscow was dealing with the
"But we are really worried
on's policy of detente would panion unloaded a lengthy, principal Western powers, the about our future. When
Amersurvive.
sad tale of misfortunes their other Warsaw Pact countries ica is sick we feel the effects
"Watergate," he said "is parents suffered during the were permitted to likewise.
of it. Detente is such a fragile
America's 20th Party Con- Stalinist terror.
Officials—many of whom have development. But
gress"—a reference to the How can the Watergate staked their political careers a thing. We live we can't do
1956 congress in Moscow, break-in and its subsequent an detente — are now con- of the superpo in the shadow
when the late Premier Nikita coverup compare with the cerned about any changes in hope that they wers, and we
don't revert to
S. Khrushchev launched his mindiliogglingarbitrariness of Washington that could affect Cold War
ways."
de-Stalin4ation campaign by
detailing to leading party officials Stalin's crimes and
abuses of power. "That was a
tortuous road, as you know,"
he added.
Publicly, however, all Soviet
bloc governments have refrained from commenting on
the Watergate affair and they
have imposed a near-total
news blackout on all Watergate news.