American Notes ETHICS

When it comes to teaching right from wrong, few people are more qualified than convicted Watergate conspirator Jeb Magruder. Now a minister in Columbus, the former Nixon aide, who pleaded guilty to perjury, heads the city's Commission on Ethics and Values, which last week launched a campaign aimed at inspiring honesty in local citizens. The group was created last year, after the door of an armored car popped open, spilling about $1 million onto a highway; most of the cash was never returned. Funded by private donations, the "Take an Honest Look" campaign will feature forums, TV spots and award plaques to "role models" like the two hotel maids who found a shoe box containing $65,000 in a room and turned it in. Says Magruder: "It could have been different in Watergate if there had been continuing emphasis on good values."