Pubdate: Sun, 27 Aug 2000 Source: Arizona Daily Star (AZ) Copyright: 2000 Pulitzer Publishing Co. Contact: http://www.azstarnet.com/ NIXON TOOK DRUG THAT ALTERS MOOD, BOOK SAYS WASHINGTON - President Richard M. Nixon took a mood-altering prescription drug in the White House and, depressed by hostile public reaction to the bombing of Cambodia in 1970, consulted a New York psychotherapist who considered him "neurotic," according to a biography to be published tomorrow. Moreover, concern about Nixon's mental state in 1974 led Defense Secretary James R. Schlesinger to order all military units not to react to orders from "the White House" unless they were cleared with him or the secretary of state, writes Anthony Summers in "The Arrogance of Power: The Secret World of Richard Nixon." Schlesinger confirmed the account in an interview Friday and said the book's description of events was the most accurate account of his actions, which had been reported in more general terms earlier. The book quotes him as saying, "I am proud of my role in protecting the integrity of the chain of command." He confirmed Friday that that was how he felt. The book reports that the prescription drug, Dilantin, was given to Nixon in 1968 by Jack Dreyfus, founder of the Dreyfus Fund, after Dreyfus had dinner with Nixon and friends in Florida. Dreyfus confirmed the account. Dreyfus said in the interview that he gave Nixon 1,000 of the 100-milligram capsules, "when his mood wasn't too good." He said Nixon scoffed when he said they should be prescribed by a doctor, and he later gave the president more. In the book, Dreyfus says Nixon told him: "To heck with the doctor." Dr. Richard A. Friedman, director of the psychopharmacology clinic at Cornell medical school, said Thursday that Dilantin was properly used to prevent convulsions and anxiety but has "potentially very serious side-effect risks, like change of mental status, person becoming confused, loss of memory, irritability, definitely could have an effect on cognitive function." Nixon's pre-presidency treatments by Dr. Arnold A. Hutschnecker have been reported. But the White House and Nixon allies steadfastly denied that Nixon was treated once he became president. - --- MAP posted-by: Don Beck