Scene VII. The same, two months later.

[Enter Richard, Pat, Secret Service Agents, and Ziegler.]
Ziegler. Shall I add anything else to this release?
Richard. No. I think it stands good.
Ziegler. You have fired them, then? No more do these
men work for the government?
Richard. Good riddance to bad rubbish. Dean, Haldeman, 5
Ehrlichman, good-bye. Read the statement again.
Ziegler. Yes, sir. [He reads.] I welcome the Senatorial
investigation of these Watergate
matters. I have always said that we should
get to the bottom of this. I ordered, 10
last fall, a thorough investigation
through my top aides and they assured me that
no person in high public office was
involved. But here it’s been accused that
these top aides acted falsely. I have dismissed 15
these three persons and hand them over to
the Senate investigators. But these
matters, these alleged illegal acts,
of which I knew nothing, should be fairly
prosecuted to the fullest extent 20
of the law. All illegal acts must be
punished through the Courts. Therefore I have called
upon the local District Court to form
a Grand Jury to consider all the
facts and bring to justice all indictable 25
offenses. For the conduct of all these
Judicial investigations, I now
hereby instruct my Attorney-General,
Elliot Richardson, to thus appoint
a special Watergate prosecutor, 30
Mr. Archibald Cox, a trusted and
well known lawyer, to handle this case.
Let us then forget this scandal and leave
its conclusion to the Courts.
[Pat applauds.]
Richard. That should do it. 35
Pat. A fine announcement. The people will like it.
Ziegler. Let us hope so.
[Exit Ziegler.]
Pat. ‘Tis another mess thou has gotten out of.
Thou art indeed a well-bred President.
Richard. Ah. That’s the last we’ll hear of this 40
Watergate affair. I’ve dispatched it.
[Enter Julie and David Eisenhower.]
Julie. Hello, father. Dearest mother.
Richard. Dear daughter, and you David, how are you two?
David. Quite fine, sir. We’re well established
in our new home. 45
Julie. Things are going fine, save for the hounding
of the liberal press. They come to our door
and ask us all such personal questions.
Then they twist our statements to support their
misfound conjectures. 50
Richard. Yes, those liberal press hounds are out
to hunt me. But fear not, we’ll take care of them
and all our troubles will soon vanish.
[Exeunt.]