Townspeople visit
White
House
to delay
on tapes
WASHINGTON (AP) The White
House informed the House Judiciary
Committee yesterday it wants to wait
until after the Easter recess of Congress
before deciding how to respond to a
committee request for tapes of 42
presidential conversations.
James D. St. Clair, President Nixon’s
defense counsel in the impeachment
inquiry being conducted by the com
mittee, indicated in a letter that ad
ditional materials would be furnished
after Congress returns from its Easter
holiday on April 22 that “will permit the
committee to copnplete its inquiry
promptly."
The committee had set a yesterday as
deadline for a reply to its request for
the tapes. But a White House official,
who declined to be quoted, insisted the
only thing expected of St. Clair was to go
about considering the request.
In a letter to committee special
counsel John M. Doar, St. Clair said
Nixon “has directed me to advise you
that a review of the materials in question
is under way.” The letter continued:
“We expect that the review can be
completed by the end of the Easter
recess, and that the additional materials
furnished at that time will permit the
committee to complete its inquiry
promptly.
St. Clair’s letter fell far short of
promising to furnish all the materials
sought by the committee.
Chairman Peter W. Rodino, D-N.J.,
Testimony
over government claims
NEW YORK (AP)—lnsurance tycoon
W. Clement Stone cast doubt yesterday
on government claims that former Atty.
Gen. John N. Mitchell warned a
Republican presidential campaign aide
to “stay away” from financier Robert L.
Vesco and his $200,000 campaign con
tribution.
Vesco’s secret cash contribution, the
government charges, was the reason for
the charges of conspiracy, obstruction of
justice and perjury of which Mitchell
and former Commerce Secretary
Maurice Stans are accused.
The testimony about the warning had
come earlier in the trial from Daniel
Hofgren, a government witness at the
criminal conspiracy trial of Mitchell and
Stans.
Hofgren testified he talked to Mitchell
at a reception that preceded a March 8,
1972, fund-raising dinner at the
Washington Hilton hotel, and that
Mitchell made the “stay away” remark
on that occasion.
Stone, however, testified for the
defense that Mitchell was his guest at
the sl,ooo-a-plate dinner; didn’t make
the reception, and arrived late for the
dinner itself.
That left it up to the jury to decide
whether Mitchell had the opportunity to
talk with Hofgren that night.
In an attempt to counter the
testimony, the government, on cross
examination, drew from Stone
testimony that there were a number of
other receptions at the hotel that night at
which Hofgren might have encountered
Mitchell.
Stone, 71, a Chicago multimillionaire,
was the largest single contributor to
President Nixon’s 1972 campaign,
Collegian
the
daily
J. DOYLE CORMAN, county commissioner was escorted
around campus yesterday by Jef Wall, former president of
ARHS. Corman was one of the townspeople on campus as part
of Town Days.
plans a committee meeting for today or
tomorrow to deal with the possible
issuance of a subpoena for the materials
if St. Clair’s response is deemed un
satisfactory.
Earlier yesterday, Judiciary Com
mittee Democrats supported a proposal
to let President Nixon’s lawyer attend
closed sessions of the committee during
the impeachment inquiry.
Republican members have been in
sisting St. Clair, Nixon’s chief im
peachment lawyer, be allowed to par
ticipate in the committee’s activities,
while Democrats generally have said
that would turn what is essentially an
investigation into a trial.
It has been suggested by Rodino, D-
N.J., that the question of St. Clair’s
participation be dealt with after the
committee receives a presentation of the
facts developed by the committee staff.
But at an informal meeting of com
mittee Democrats, there was wide
spread agreement to let St. Clair be
present when John Doar, chief
committee counsel, starts laying out the
case.
In another apparent concessions to
Republican critics, Doar said he would
be able to present an overview of the
case in about seven days, rather than
take five to six weeks in a detailed
presentation, as he had proposed earlier.
The Democrats are still proposing to
delay any decisions on whether to call
witnesses or receive additional evidence
until the initial presentation is com
pleted.
That is another area of disagreement
with at least some Republican members,
who want assurances that important
witnesses' will be brought before the
committee for crossexamination by St.
Clair.
'Die main Republican goal, however,
is to establish at the outset the right of
St. Clair to be present when evidence is
put before the committee. With that
apparently attained, they would
probably be willing to wait until Doar
presents his facts before pressing the
issue of calling witnesses.
casts doubts
donating more than $2 million. He picked
up a $lO,OOO tab for a table for 10 at the
dinner.
Stans and Mitchell are accused of
obstructing a massive Securities and
Exchange Commission investigation of
Vesco’S financial empire, in return for
Vesco’s $200,000 contribution to the
Nixon re-election campaign.
Robert Finch, Nixon’s secretary of
Health, Education and Welfare and later
.counselor to the President also testified
for the defense yesterday.
Finch, who now practices law in
California, told about a campaign
finance meeting he attended on March
13, 1972. »
“The subject of the meeting,” Finch
testified, “was to discuss and decide
whether or not contributions made up to
that time were to be made public, since
the law didn’t require it.” Sen. George
McGovern, who was to become the
Democratic presidential candidate, had
already released a list of his con
tributors.
Finch said the consensus was that
names of Republican contributors prior
to April 7,1972 would not be revealed. A
new law mandating public listing of
campaign contributors took effect April
7.
The government has contended that
Stans and Mitchell ignored the April 7
deadline and kept Vesco’s contribution
secret for fear it might harm Nixon’s re
election prospects because of the
financier’s SEC problems.
The defense contends the only reason
for the secrecy was that Stans and
Mitchell were honoring a promise to
Vesco of anonymity.
One dead after tanker explosion
PHILADELPHIA (AP) One person
was killed and more than 20 more were
missing last night when an 800-foot oil
tanker exploded at its mooring at the
docks of the Atlantic Richfield Co.
refinery, police said.
Officials said most of the 35-member
crew jumped into the water when the
explosion occurred shortly before 10
p.m.
Rescuers said they could account for
only 10 of the crew of the Greek-registry
tanker Elias.
“We have one dead and at least 15
injured,” said Philadelphia Police Sgt.
Philip Kalman.
Officials refused to allow newsmen
close to the burning vessel because they
feared a second explosion.
“Anyone on that ship is dead,” said
Fire Commissioner Joseph Rizzo at a
briefing several hundred yards from
Pa. ends voluntary gas rationing
HARRISBURG (API— Pennsylvania
ended its voluntary odd-even system of
gasoline rationing yesterday, and Gov.
Shapp said the state has been promised a
“fairer shake” in gas allocation for the
rest of the year.
By executive order, Shapp rescinded,
effective immediately, the two-month
old system which allocated gas on odd
even days according to inspection
sticker numbers. It first was based on
license plate numbers but this was later
changed to the stickers.
The system was voluntary and
compliance by drivers and service
station dealers was believed to be spotty.
The Pennsylvania Turnpike also said
it would drop the odd-even system on its
To advance that defense claim, there
was testimony* also from DeVan
Shumway, who attended the meeting
with Finch and Stans and a number of
other GOP policy makers. He was public
relations director at the time for Stans’
Finance Committee to Re-elect the
President. For the last three months He
has been editor of the Illinois State
Journal of Springfield, 111.
“Mr. Stans was concerned that he had
promised contributors anonymity,”
Shumway testified. “He was concerned
about the contributors getting that. He
had made his promise to them that their
names would not be disclosed under the
law as it was then. He did indicate he had
taken contributions on that basis—that
they would not be made public.”
“I was asked whether I felt there
would be any adverse press reaction if
we did not release the names. My
reaction was that there would be ad
verse press reaction for a time...but then
it would die down.:
“Mr. Stans didn’t mention Robert
Vesco at that meeting, did he?”
Shumway was asked on cross
examination.
“No,” the witness replied. “I must say
he didn’t mention any contributors
specifically.”
Weather
Mostly sunny and milder today, high 47.
Tonight fair and cool, low 34. Tomorrow
increasing cloudiness and warmer, high
59.
Town Day: interaction
More than 50 townspeople and their
escorts braved the snow and cold
yesterday during Town Day. The
Organization of Town Independent
Students sponsored the event which
brought guests to campus from a variety
of professions in State College.
According to Rich Glazier, Town Day
co-chairman, the program was a suc
cess. “Townspeople are beginning to
take a second look at students,” he said.
“Talking with students and learning
their points of view and becoming
friendly on a personal level” was a
statement echoed by many of the Town
Day guests.
Guests and escorts spent most of the
day touring different parts of the
campus. Local dorm area student
governments provided lunch for the
guests in the dining halls, after which
they toured various buildings, including
dormitories, in each area.
Town Day activities were concluded
last night with a banquet in the HUB
Terrace Room. Town Day Co-chairman
Vince Cianni said, “The purpose of the
dinner was to thank townspeople for
Photo by Ira Joffa
where more than 200 firemen battled the
blaze.
“I couldn’t see anything but flames,”
said Frank Kelly, 52, a guard who wit
nessed the explosion.
Witnesses said flames were shooting
several hundred feet into the air.
The force of the blast split the ship in
Oil arrives,
WASHINGTON (AP) The first big
tanker-load of Arab oil to reach the
United States in five months arrived
yesterday at Norfolk, Va., the Federal
Energy Office announced.
The shipment marks the beginning of
the end of the U.S. oil shortage that
began when imports of Arab oil dried up
last November; federal officials now
26 gas stations.
Shapp lifted the voluntary Sunday gas
station closings on March 22 following
President Nixon’s request.
Shapp said his decision to drop the
odd-even system was prompted by
Federal Energy Office and oil company
decisions which will give the state more
gas than expected for both this month
and the rest of the year.
The FEO, Shapp said, has agreed to
accept the state’s figures as a bench
mark for gas allocation, thus freeing
up to 286 million gallons, or about five
per cent more than the FEO was to
provide.
The governor also said the oil com
panies will provide the state 10 million
more gallons than expected for April.
“This means we can expect a fairer
By JOHN MITCHELL
Collegian Staff Writer
ARHS appeals order
despite student vote
By STEVE SHIKOFF
Collegian Staff Writer
With hopes of postponing popular elections until next
Spring Term, the Association of Residence Hall
Students will appeal a March 17th court decision to
hold its elections by the eighth week of this term.
ARHS unanimously voted at last night’s meeting to
appeal the Undergraduate Student Government
Supreme Court’s order to hold popular elections for
ARHS executive officers if students voted in favor of
open elections.
Residence hall students voted 4,553 to 965 in favor of
the elections on a referendum in last week’s USG
elections.
The court order resulted from an ARHS con
stitutional review by the court in which ARHS agreed
to hold a referendum asking for student opinion, but
did not agree to hold elections pending a favorable
vote.
ARHS Vice President Joe Davidson said, “We do not
feel ARHS must have elections by the eighth week of
this term. I don’t think so, and the council’s opinion is
that they don’t either.”
“We feel that we have several cases for appealing
the decision,” he said.
Davidson said the appeal will go to the Student
Organizational Appeals Board.
“We can appeal any decision the appeal board
makes. We can go to Dr. Oswald if we want to,” he
added.
According to ARHS President Wendy Morris, “There
was a question about whether the rule in the student
handbook, saying we have five days to appeal this,
pertains to March 17th.”
According to the student handbook, a written request
for an appeal must be submitted within five class days
after a decision has been conveyed to the
organization.”
Ten cents per copy
Wednesday, April 10, 1974
Vol. 74, No. 132 12 pages University Park, Pennsylvania
Published by Students of the Pennsylvania State University
what they have done in the past to help
students and the University.”
OTIS presented State College Mayor
Jo Hays with a tree from the students as
a gesture of friendship to the town.
Accepting the tree, Hays said, “College
Avenue is one street that should be made
narrower,” and added that Town Day
had made a step in the right direction.
“I hope Town Day will be one of many
similar events in the future,” Hays said.
University President John W. Oswald,
speaking at the banquet, said, “It is
important that this community and
University work closely together. The
future of both are tightly woven, and
when we talk of progress, we talk of
common problems whose solutions we
must work together to solve.”
Charles Lupton of the Penn State
Foundation was guest speaker at the
banquet. Speaking to the townspeople
University administration and the
students, he said, “Each of us should try
to remember how we got where we are.
“We have to keep our differences in
mind when relating to those around us,”
Lupton said. He said members of the
University community and the town
should use their “mutual respect
half with burning oil seeping into the
water.
“You could smell that oil for miles,”
said the witness.
Kelly was inside a guard post several
hundred hards from where the Elias
erupted. He said a car parked nearby
was demolished by flying chunks of steel
shortage nears end
expect the imports to increase over the
next month or two until they match the
levels of last September.
But the Arab nations have not made it
clear whether they would increase the
production beyond that level, and the
Federal Energy Office has forecast
small but chronic petroleum shortages
for the rest of the year.
shake in gasoline allocation for the rest
of the year than we have received up to
now,” Shapp said.
While calling the gas supply adequate,
he said it is not plentiful and called on
Pennsylvanians to continue to conserve
fuel.
“We may still, in fact, continue to
experience spot gasoline shortages in
some areas of the state. If so, we will use
our state gasoline set-aside through the
Fuel Users Emergency Line to provide
as much relief as possible, although the
amount is limited,” Shapp said in a
statement.
The governor’s executive order also
rescinded a voluntary provision that a
motorists' gas tank had to be less than
half full to obtain a purchase.
Shapp thanked motorists and service
station dealers “whose voluntary
quotient in dealing with each other.”
“I would like to think that Town Day
has caused each of us to ask ourselves,
‘how am I doing, how airtfl relating, how
am I making College Avenue a little
easier to cross,’ ” Lupton said.
According to Glazier, “We had a few
minor problems, but generally the day
was a fantastic success. A lot of good will
came from the program. We made some
friends and opened some avenues of
communication that weren’t there
before.
“Our major problem came from some
students not knowing what was going
on,” Glazier said.
Acting Chief of Police Elwood
Williams, one of the guests, said, “Town
Day is a * ery big step forward by young
people in bringing about better town-
University relationships.”
OTIS President Thomas Sweitzer
presented the idea for a “thank you and
awareness day” to the administration
last fall. Sweitzer said he considered
Town Day a success and said, “We are
hopeful that every day * •n-'mes a ‘Town
Day’ in State College.”
from the ship
“It looks pretty bad right now. We
have various reports that there are
crewmen still aboard and that some
crewmen are in the water,” said a guard
at the riverside plant of the Atlantic
Richfield Co.
An FEO spokesman said U.S. Customs
officials reported the arrival yesterday
in Norfolk of the first major tankerload
of Arab oil: A hefty 344,000 barrels of
crude oil from Algeria, carried in the
Italian tanker Elba Loliigeiti.
The FEO said it did not know the
identity of the importer or the eventual
destination of the oil.
cooperation during the past two months
helped reduce long lines and conserved
gasoline in a time of uncertain supply.”
Shapp’s order was applauded by the
Pennsylvania Service Station Dealers
Association, which said the system was
unnecessary now since stations have
plenty of gas.
“The lines disappeared and now it
isn’t beneficial to the customer or the
dealer to use' the system, and the
governor realized that,” said John
O’Donnell, the group’s controller.
He credited the system with cutting
down the car lines in February when gas
was scarce.
O’Donnell estimated 90 per cent of the
dealers complied with the system
initially, falling to perhaps 20 per cent or
lower at the end.
:«S ; S:vSi^
The court claims the appeals board received
notification of the decision immediately after its
decision.
Davidson said he feels that the appeal is valid
because the decision is not pending until election
results were made public.
If this is true, ARHS will meet the five-day deadline
by submitting its appeal tomorrow.
“I talked to the supreme court today, and they said
we can appeal. However, if the appeal is declined and
we do not have elections, our charter will be revoked,”
Morris said.
West Halls President Jamie Cowen said, “We have
no other choice than to hold elections. We must prevent
student antagonism against this organization.”
“Administration members are opposed to us opening
elections, and they are disappointed with the whole
USG approach,” Morris said.
Bill Grand, West Halls representative to ARHS, said,
“Opening elections will bring this organization down to
the level of USG.”
“We are representing the students, not the ad
ministration,'’ Cowen responded.
Bruce Lazarus, North Halls representative to ARHS,
said, “We should protect this organization from going
downhill, by discussing elections and deciding on
election procedures.”
Mike Christopher, North Halls president, said, “If
we go to the USG court for constitutional amendments
on elections, then there goes the supreme court telling
us what to do.”
“I don’t want to see elections by the eighth week, I
want to see it next year,” Lazarus added. , p
East Halls President David Brumbaugh said, “We Jfj
got what was coming to us from walking out on the SRP §
(Students Rights Party) case. The case could have g
ended differently if we hadn’t walked out, now I think >:■
we should open up elections.” §
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