Watergate will have no influence on talks: Brezhnev

Moscow, June 15: The Soviet Communist Party Leader Mr. Brezhnev yesterday brushed aside suggestions that the Watergate affair would have any influence on his coming Summit talks with the US President. Mr. Brezhnev said: “It does not enter my mind to think of whether Mr. Nixon has lost or gained any influence because of the affair.” The Watergate affair was brought up by US newsmen at a Kremlin news conference with Mr. Brezhnev. It was Mr. Brezhnev’s first news conference since he took power from Mr. Khrushchev nine years ago. Before trips to France and Germany, he granted individual interviews but never conducted a full-scale news conference. M. Brezhnev will shorten his summit visit to the US by one day, US Presidential Adviser, Dr. Kissinger said at a press conference in Washington. He also said Mr. Brezhnev would not visit the Houston Space Flight Centre after all. The Soviet leader had decided to cut short his visit because of “urgent business” in Moscow as well as a comprehensive summit agenda that did not allow too many excursions, Dr. Kissinger said.