Juanita Broaddrick tells a national TV audience a compelling story of being raped by Bill Clinton

At times tearful, Juanita Broaddrick appeared on national television Wednesday describing a horrifying rape at the hands of Bill Clinton 21 years ago.

``I was a little bit uneasy, but I felt a real friendship toward this man and I really didn't feel any danger'' in letting him come up to her Little Rock, Ark., hotel room during a nursing administrators' conference in 1978, she told NBC's Dateline.

In the interview, taped Jan. 20 but held by the network until Wednesday night, Mrs. Broaddrick cried briefly as she detailed the alleged assault and she said of Clinton, ``my hatred for him is overwhelming.''

She said he forced himself on her when she ``pushed him away and told him `no.'''

Clinton, who was attorney general of Arkansas in 1978, refused comment earlier Wednesday on Mrs. Broaddrick's allegations, saying he stood by the statement of his attorney, David Kendall, who called the accusations ``absolutely false.''

Mrs. Broaddrick told NBC nobody tried to intimidate her to remain silent and no one paid her to keep quiet or to speak out. She said she had filed an affidavit in the Paula Jones sexual harassment case denying she'd had any unwelcome advances from Clinton because she was unwilling to tell her story at that time.

Word that NBC's Lisa Myers had interviewed Mrs. Broaddrick last month had buzzed through the Internet and media gossip circles. Some accused NBC of sitting on the interview in order to protect the president and an internal battle raged at the network over whether or not to air the interview.

NBC denied pressure, saying it needed time to complete reporting on a complicated story, but other sources said network news President Andy Lack was clearly worried that the report would anger the White House. While the network tried to check out Mrs. Broaddrick's account, The Wall Street Journal did its own interview with Mrs. Broaddrick and other media organizations followed.

``I just couldn't hold it inside any longer,'' Mrs. Broaddrick said in trying to explain why she is finally coming forward with her account. She said she didn't want her granddaughters and nieces asking her, ``Why didn't you tell what this man did to you?''

Mrs. Broaddrick said she was unable to recall when Clinton assaulted her, so NBC tracked down the fact that a nursing conference had been held at the hotel where she was staying on April 25, 1978.

The network also tried to check Clinton's whereabouts that day -- receiving no help from the White House on that question. After an exhaustive search, the network said it found no evidence that Clinton had any public event the morning of the alleged assault and ample evidence from various public records that he was in Little Rock later that day.

NBC also reported that it could not find any holes in Broaddrick's story and aired corroborating statements from friends.

The White House had no comment following the broadcast.

Meanwhile, the woman at the center of Clinton's impeachment scandal, Monica Lewinsky, told ABC's Barbara Walters she wanted to apologize to the nation for the yearlong political ordeal triggered by her affair with Clinton, The Washington Post reported in today's editions.

Walters interviewed the former White House intern last Saturday, and the Post reported on some highlights of the interview, without direct quotes, attributing its information to a source who was present during the interview, which airs next Wednesday on ``20/20.''

Ms. Lewinsky told Walters she still had warm feelings toward Clinton, but she also promised never to have an affair with a married man again.