5 Presidents to Gather at Nixon Library Rites

President Bush and his four immediate predecessors plan to attend the dedication next month of the Richard M. Nixon Library and museum in Nixon’s birthplace of Yorba Linda, Calif.

Also attending the July 18-19 celebration will be former First Lady Lady Bird Johnson. There has been no word on whether Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis will attend.

Gerald R. Ford, who succeeded Nixon as President and pardoned him in the Watergate scandal, Jimmy Carter, who defeated Ford in 1976, and their wives are scheduled to be at the dedication. Ronald and Nancy Reagan, who are fellow Californians, have sent word they are planning to attend, friends said. First Lady Barbara Bush is scheduled to attend.

Nixon’s ailing wife, Pat, who has rarely been seen in public in recent years, and their children, Tricia Cox and Julie Eisenhower, and four grandchildren also will be on hand for the occasion.

A spokesman for the National Archives said that the Nixon library is a private project and is being funded by the former President and outside donations at Nixon’s behest. Unlike the nation’s eight presidential libraries, which are maintained by the National Archives and government funding, the Nixon library will also be maintained by private contributions.

In addition, Nixon’s official presidential papers by statute and court orders following the Watergate scandal are the property of the federal government and stored by the National Archives. His library and museum will mainly house his pre-presidential and post-presidential documents and mementoes.

Members of Nixon’s Cabinet and other Administration officials also are expected to attend the dedication. Some of the officials were convicted of involvement in the Watergate scandal, which eventually led to Nixon’s resignation in disgrace from the presidency.

Many of the ex-Nixon aides have stayed in contact and meet annually in Washington in what has been called the “February Club.”

The celebration will be a two-day affair with a private viewing and reception on July 18 and the formal ceremonies on July 19. The celebration concludes with a black-tie dinner at the Century Plaza Hotel in Los Angeles.

The Yorba Linda site was decided on after Stanford University turned down a proposal to locate the library on its campus.