For the Record

■ Ups and downs for the President among Senate and House Republicans. In the Senate, conservatives Buckley (N.Y.) and Tower (Tex.), and moderate Norris Cotton (Vt.) have called on the Administration to cooperate wholeheartedly in the Watergate investigation. “We are coming to the moment of truth about Watergate,” said Buck- ley. “If there is a crime involved I would like to see it exposed.” . . . Buckley, Tower, and Cotton also recently sparkplugged the 23 to 4 vote by the Senate Republican Conference in support of Mr. Nixon’s vetoes of what he regards as fiscally irresponsible legislation. Said Cotton: “It’s time for Republicans to have enough guts to stand and show their colors and not pass the buck to the President.” A united front by Senate Republicans would mean most presidential vetoes could be sustained. . . . The President lost one in House when Rep. Bob Michel (Ill.) beat out the White House-favored Rep. Clarence Brown (Ohio) as head of the Congressional Campaign Committee. The Administration had earlier tried to purge former Chairman Bob Wilson, and failed. Wilson ran for the post, was elected, and only then resigned. Hassle was over what Wilson and others, among them Silvio Conte of Mass., considered White House pressure last year on the GOP in the South not to run effective candidates against 55 “friendly” Democratic congressmen. . . . On the Democratic side, the Democratic Caucus last week voted 92 to 69 against a motion by Rep. Don Edwards (Calif.) to abolish the House Internal Security Committee (formerly HUAC). A surprise advocate of HISC: Rep. Edith Green of Oregon who, she says, has changed her position since seeing antiwar demonstrators burning American flags on the Capitol steps.

■ Not unlikely, an announcement very soon that GOP Rep. Paul McCloskey of California has switched parties. Human Events reports McCloskey has changed his registration from Republican to “no party affiliation” in order to, as he explains it, “keep my options open.” . . . John Connally, who was expected to make the switch a fortnight ago, hasn’t. (Waiting for Watergate to run dry?) A recent, very private poll, shows him running behind Sen. Lloyd Bentsen in popularity in his native Texas. . . . John Schmitz, presidential candidate of the American Party in 1972, has withdrawn from the party and registered as an independent in California (he had been a Republican). He gave no reason for his resignation. . . . American Party, which was founded by George Wallace in 1968, is rudderless, having announced some time back that it no longer considers Wallace its leader. . . . Question that somehow wasn’t asked when Edward Kennedy defended his acceptance of an invitation to speak at a rally in honor of George Wallace next summer: Not so much why did he accept, as why was he asked in the first place.

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House of Representatives

■ Ups and downs for the President among Senate and House Republicans. In the Senate, conservatives Buckley (N.Y.) and Tower (Tex.), and moderate Norris Cotton (Vt.) have called on the Administration to cooperate wholeheartedly in the Watergate investigation. “We are coming to the moment of truth about Watergate,” said Buck- ley. “If there is a crime involved I would like to see it exposed.” . . . Buckley, Tower, and Cotton also recently sparkplugged the 23 to 4 vote by the Senate Republican Conference in support of Mr. Nixon’s vetoes of what he regards as fiscally irresponsible legislation. Said Cotton: “It’s time for Republicans to have enough guts to stand and show their colors and not pass the buck to the President.” A united front by Senate Republicans would mean most presidential vetoes could be sustained. . . . The President lost one in House when Rep. Bob Michel (Ill.) beat out the White House-favored Rep. Clarence Brown (Ohio) as head of the Congressional Campaign Committee. The Administration had earlier tried to purge former Chairman Bob Wilson, and failed. Wilson ran for the post, was elected, and only then resigned. Hassle was over what Wilson and others, among them Silvio Conte of Mass., considered White House pressure last year on the GOP in the South not to run effective candidates against 55 “friendly” Democratic congressmen. . . . On the Democratic side, the Democratic Caucus last week voted 92 to 69 against a motion by Rep. Don Edwards (Calif.) to abolish the House Internal Security Committee (formerly HUAC). A surprise advocate of HISC: Rep. Edith Green of Oregon who, she says, has changed her position since seeing antiwar demonstrators burning American flags on the Capitol steps.

■ Not unlikely, an announcement very soon that GOP Rep. Paul McCloskey of California has switched parties. Human Events reports McCloskey has changed his registration from Republican to “no party affiliation” in order to, as he explains it, “keep my options open.” . . . John Connally, who was expected to make the switch a fortnight ago, hasn’t. (Waiting for Watergate to run dry?) A recent, very private poll, shows him running behind Sen. Lloyd Bentsen in popularity in his native Texas. . . . John Schmitz, presidential candidate of the American Party in 1972, has withdrawn from the party and registered as an independent in California (he had been a Republican). He gave no reason for his resignation. . . . American Party, which was founded by George Wallace in 1968, is rudderless, having announced some time back that it no longer considers Wallace its leader. . . . Question that somehow wasn’t asked when Edward Kennedy defended his acceptance of an invitation to speak at a rally in honor of George Wallace next summer: Not so much why did he accept, as why was he asked in the first place.