Nixon Stricken by Viral Infection, Enters Hospital

MIAMI BEACH, Fla. — Richard M. Nixon was admitted to a Miami area hospital today suffering from a viral infection and dehydration, and an aide said the 73-year-old former President was suffering from the flu.

Eileen Marcus, a spokeswoman for the Miami Heart Institute, said Nixon “was admitted at 1:04 p.m., suffering from a viral infection and dehydration.”

She said Nixon’s Miami area physician, Dr. Lewis Elias, had not reported immediately on the former President’s condition.

At Nixon’s New York office, spokesman John Taylor said of Nixon’s ailment: “It’s just the flu.”

Taylor said Nixon and his wife, Pat, had been vacationing in the Bahamas since the middle of last week and “sometime over the weekend” Nixon began feeling ill.

Stopped for a Checkup

Nixon decided to stop in Miami for a checkup, Taylor said, adding, “He was referred by friends to the Miami Heart Institute.”

Nixon had planned to return to his New Jersey home today from his vacation, Taylor said.

A formal statement released later by Nixon’s office did not indicate his condition. The length of his stay in the hospital will be determined by Elias, Nixon’s office said.

Nixon, 37th President of the United States and the only President forced to resign in disgrace, left office Aug. 9, 1974, amid the Watergate scandal.

It was disclosed last year that Nixon had a cancerous growth removed from behind one of his ears and had suffered a severe bout of shingles, but he has enjoyed generally good physical health since leaving the White House.