It Goes Back to the Big Man

In a rare tribute to a victorious opponent, Attorney John J. Wilson called James Neal, the chief U.S. prosecutor in the Watergate conspiracy case, "the greatest lawyer I ever saw in a courtroom." Wilson's client, H.R. Haldeman, and three of the four other Watergate defendants were convicted at least in part because of Neal's awesome command of the facts in the case and his ability to summarize complex events in a persuasive Tennessee drawl. After his courtroom triumph, Neal, 45, was eager to return to his private practice: "I'm going to catch the first flight back to Nashville--I've got to think of taking care of my family." Before he departed, he was interviewed by TIME Correspondent Hays Gorey:

GOREY: Did Nixon authorize the Watergate bugging?

NEAL: No. The tapes show some surprise on Nixon's part when he was told of the breakin. For instance, on the June 23, 1972 tape [Nixon asked Haldeman: "Who was the asshole that did it? Was it Liddy?"].

Q. Was Watergate something the Nixon men drifted into?

A. No. Watergate doesn't stand in isolation. There were a lot of other things going on of the same nature such as the Huston plan [to use break-ins, wiretaps and other illegal means to spy within the U.S.] and the Ellsberg breakin. Remember this: we had to show relevancy for every taped conversation that we obtained by subpoena. Were we so good that we got everything there was? Watergate goes back to the nature of the big man.

Q. You mean Nixon?

A. Yes, but more than Nixon too. It's the drift over the years to an all-powerful presidency. The tremendous power that has been marshaled in the White House pervades all who work there, resulting in an inability to put things in perspective. I think one of Haldeman's lines on the tape explains it better than anything. He was talking with Nixon when things were coming apart, and he said: "It was done for a higher good."

Q. Then this powerful presidency causes men to think whatever they do is justified?

A. In this case, it resulted in a willingness to use unacceptable means. There were constant reactions and overreactions.

Q. What do you think of the men you have brought to trial and the ones who have pleaded guilty?

A. These are not evil men. There was no one man in control. There was no czar. But men who become convinced their cause is just resort to means to attain it that they otherwise would not consider. For example, I can't conceive of any Government, any presidential Administration, letting a man like Liddy run around loose.

Q. How do you think the trial was conducted?

A. I thought the trial was well run. We all had a bumpy start, making statements we shouldn't have made. But considering the complexity of the case, the emotions involved, it went along fairly smoothly. I think Judge Sirica did himself a lot of good by the fair way he conducted the trial, which some didn't expect.

Q. What will the appeals be based on?

A. Pretrial publicity. Denial of motions for severance. Some of the statements on the tapes. But there's not much in the trial itself that anyone can argue with.

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