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There seems little doubt that she actually wrote the memo, but there are conflicting theories about why. According to one, she wrote it for the exact reason it states—to squelch loose talk about the $400,000 gift by company officials. Others suggest that she was about to be fired because of her abrasive personality and that she fabricated the memo to get even with ITT. The corporation has officially denied that the contribution to the G.O.P. was in any sense a political payoff, and insisted that there was no deal of any kind to settle the antitrust case.
So far, the hearings have established only that the Justice Department figures involved have both frail memories and a rather chummy relationship with certain ITT executives. Kleindienst may well survive further testimony with his reputation unsullied. Now, though, the chances of his confirmation being defeated were put at 25%—up from zero the week before.