WASHINGTON. UPI - The federal
~government—says—it—has~spent-nearly-
$2 million improving President Nixon's
homes in Florida and California, all of
it relating to «security.»

The White House also disclosed that
businessman Robert H. Abplanalp, who
helped the President buy his San Cle-
mente, Calif,, retreat, has been getting
Some money back in the form of rent
associated with Nixons Key Biscayne,
Fla,, place.

A moath ago the White House had
listed $39,000 in federal funds for
improving the.Western White House
at San Clemente since Nixon baught

aa See
 —Ht-in-1960,

Last week, after a. further search
of record, -it raised this figure to
$460,302,

On Thursday, General Services ad-
ministration GSA, the government's
housekeeping agency, said a still more
‘wextensive. audit put .the.totalfedaral
expenditure at San Clemente at $703,-
367 over four fiscal years beginning
July 1, 1969, ‘This included only the re-
Sidence there, not the White House
office space, °

GSA listed for the first time the
federal expenditure for improve-
ments, equipment, operation and main-
tenance at the White House complex
at Key: Biscayne, including both resi-

 

dence and offlcé space - $1,180,522,
spread over five fiscal years begin-
ning July 1, 1968,

Included” in the Key Biscayne figure
was $161,463 for renting two houses in
the complex for the Secret Service and
White House communications staff.

The White House sald one of these
houses is owned by Abplanalp and the
other is owned in the name of Edwin
H, Underwood, trustee for the Indiana
National Bank, Indianapolis,

The White House said all of the tax-
payers’ money spent in San Clemente
and Key Biscayne was for security re-
lated improvements and that all work
was done at the request of the Secret
Service, not the President,

. THE GSA data showed items such as
$53,644 in fiscal year 1970 for interior
security and communications at San
Clemente, It also included $3,303 in
fiscal 1970 for golf carts for the Se-
eret Service patrol at Key Biscayne,
- ‘Two years later there appears ano-
ther item of $5,230 for. three Secret
Service golf carts there.
 
WASHINGTON, Aug. 28 —
Continuing conferences with Re-
publican campaign managers in
the east, Herbert Hoover today
was assembling information upon
which to base a decision as to the
extent he will participate person-
ally in the presidential fight there.

William H. Hill, chairman of
the New York state committee,
had an engagement with the Re-
publican standard bearer to sup-
plement the advices given him yes-
terday by Charles D. Hilles, na-
‘tional committeeman for New
York, and Daniel E. Pomeroy, vice
chairman of the New Jersey com-
mittee,
 