NOW IT'S BRAZEN 'TRICKY DICKY'

President Nixon's nominee Astorney-General, Poss at for the vacant post of last promised to appoint an independent investigator into the Watergate affair.

The only snag is that Richardson won't name his investigator until the Senate has confirmed his own nomination to the AttorneyGeneral's post.

And once he conirmed in the job, RichardSecond Lebanese premier resigns LEBANESE Prime Minister Amin Al-Hafez resigned early yesterday after his government declared a state of emergency as fighting continued between troops and Palestinian commandos.

The resignation came amid threats from neighbouring Syria that its armed forces might intervene to protect the guerrillas from further Lebanese attacks. The Syrian government accused the Lebanon of wanting to destroy the Palestinian fighters.

Dr Hafez resigned a few hours after a government communiqué announced a state of emergency with the army taking control of internal security.

An army spokesman said later that a state of siege-a more intensive form of a state of emergency-had been imposed giving sweeping powers to the Yesterday there were renewed efforts to mediate a settlement between the Lebanese authorities and the commandos.

A. holy, personal representative Egypt's President Anwar Sadat, called at the presidential palace in Beirut to see President Suleiman Franjieh.

Previous attempts at mediation to kring about a ceasefire have faileu: each agreement has lasted only a brief period third sides a mysterious force' is firing on them to keep the conflict on the boil.

The possibility that Israeli agents are trying to inflame the battle and disrupt any attempts at a ceasefire cannot be discounted. The fighting in the Lebanon is a direct result of Israeli pressure for the annihilation of the guerrilla leadership.

Israeli commandos landed without resistance in Beirut just over three weeks ago. They murdered three leaders of the Palestine Liberation Oraginzation and escaped without meeting any serious opposition.

The Lebanese government responded to the Beirut attack by son is answerable the President.

Richardson's own partiality is considerable: he is one of the few Republicans around Nixon who have not so far been touched directly by the Watergate Until he takes office as Attorney-General heremains Defence Secretary in Nixon's cabinet.

Richardson made announcement in the wake stepping up its military preparations for action against the Palestinians. It sent tanks and planes against the refugee camps to applause from Zionist Press over the border. Ranged against the Palestinians are the bulk of the Maronite Christians and many of the wealthy Lebanese businessmen, both Christian and Moslem. The extreme right-wing Phalangist Party is armed and very hostile to the Palestinians. They are demanding that administration of the refugee camps be handed over to the government and taken out of the hands of guerrilla organizations. Despite very heavy casualties caused by aerial bombardment of the crowded camps the Palestinians have refused • to give way.

Driven out of Jordan, tightly controlled in Syria and Egypt, the guerrilla organizations have nowhere to go and are fighting with desperate heroism to hold on to their positions.

They have the support of the organized workers of Lebanon, who turned out in their thousands to mourn the victims of the Israeli raids and pledge vengeance on the murderers.

The government crisis in Beirut underlines the weakness of the Lebanese bourgeoisie and the growing power of the army. This represents the most conservative sections of society and has repeatedly made clear that it would rather fight the Palestinian commandos than the Israeli forces. of a White House statement flatly denying that Nixon had anything to do with the Watergate bugging, knew nothing about it and had no part in the subsequent attempt to cover it up.

This statement was no doubt aimed at countering evidence brought forward y John Dean, the White louse counsel who. was sacked out of hand eight days ago:

Dean told Newsweek' that the President had direct responsibility for the cover-up job following the Watergate burglary.

There can be few people left who believe that Nixon did not know about the whole scandal from the start.

explain served suspici Nor lame excuses his 'ignorance' have only to increase has his credibility been enhanced by the blanket claim that 'executive privilege' covered all statements and communications between himself and any of his staff, which could not therefore be used in court.

Dean has alluded to a mysterious box of papers in a strongroom which may even implicate Nixon in the bugging plot directly.

While the revelations continue to emerge, the US Grants sit-in at Poly OVER 100 students occupied the north-east London Polytechnic administrative block at Barking yesterday in support of their campaign for higher grants.

The National Union of Students has given the Department of Education and Science until May 21 to make up Its mind government is partially paralysed with a vacuum around the President filled only by General Haig, the new chief of stafi.

However, Nixon's latest move makes it plain that he intends if he possibly can to brazen out the Watergate scandal and rely on the great powers vested in him by the constitution to try and escape the consequences of his involveabout their demand for an end to discretionary awards; for more grants for married women students; and for an immediate increase of £65 on all grants.

The students at Barking told wanted a cost-of-living index to be applied to their grants, In line with rapidly rising prices.