1
Rocky calls for immediate nomination hearings
WASHINGTON (AP) — Nelson
A. Rockefeller has called for im
mediate hearings by the two con
gressional committees probing his
nomination as vice president, say
ing he is being tried in the press
without a chance to present all the
facts.
Rockefeller aides said the former
New York governor telephoned Se
nate Rules Committee Chairman
Howard W. Cannon in Las Vegas
and House Judiciary Committee
Chairman Peter W. Rodino Jr. in
Washington on Tuesday.
He urged Cannon to reconvene
the Senate hearings “tomorrow,
Wednesday morning if possible —
and certainly before the end of the
week,” aides said.
A spokesman for Cannon said no
hearings were planned for Wednes
day and the senator had made no
plans to meet with the committee. A
spokesman for Rockefeller said ear
lier that Cannon agreed to poll his
committee on whether a resump
tion of hearings would be possible
this week.
The request had been disclosed
by President Ford inadvertently an
hour earlier. Ford mentioned it to
Senate Democratic Whip Robert C.
iSyrd at a bill-signing ceremony
while the two were standing near a
she gain
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29
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Che Battalion
Vol. 68. No. 24
College Station, Texas
Friday, October 11, 1974
rt'li
live microphone, and newsmen
overheard his comments.
Rockefeller said in a statement:
“My nomination is being tried in the
press and not before the appropriate
committees of Congress, without
my having the opportunity to pres
ent all the facts.
“This is being done on the basis of
selective leaks from my income tax
returns and gift tax returns, all of
which were submitted to the com
mittees in confidence, ” Rockefeller
said.
The House committee has been
conducting an inquiry into the Roc
kefeller nominations and the Senate
panel is considering reopening its
earlier hearings, but neither had
been expected to hold hearings
until after the November elections.
Republicans on the Senate com
mittee also urged speedy hearings
Tuesday.
Earlier in the day Ford expressed
complete faith in the integrity of
Rockefeller.
A White House spokesman said
Ford fully supports Rockefeller and
“has complete faith in Gov.
Rockefeller’s integrity.”
But Byrd commented that a 1970
campaign biography of Arthur
Goldberg “is pretty reminiscent of
the dirty tricks of the Nixon era.”
Goldberg was Rockefeller’s
gubernatorial opponent in New
York that year, and the book was
financed by Rockefeller’s brother,
Laurance.
Ford economic menu
offers 10-course meal
KANSAS CITY (AP) — President
Ford presented a 12-point program
for Americans to become voluntary
inflation fighters and energy savers
Tuesday night.
He warned Congress that if it
doesn’t accept the “marshmallows”
in his economic proposals he may
come back with “some tough tur
key. ”
Ford followed up last week’s
economic speech to Congress in a
speech to the Future Farmers of
America FFA convention and to the
nation by television, calling on citi
zens to postpone unnecessary bor
rowing, save more, shop for bar
gains and drive more slowly.
“Believe you me, all of us here
tonight, we are going to bite the
bullet, Ford was assured by Mark
Mayfield, president of the
500,000-member organization.
Ford said Americans are already
responding to his call to battle infla
tion, declaring "a great citizens’
mobilization has begun and is be
ginning to roll,” while chiding law
makers and other critics for their
lukewarm response to his proposals.
Noting that some said he bad of
fered “only a marshmallow” instead
ofasking the nation to “bite the bul
let, Ford declared that Congress
rejected a proposed delay in federal
pay raises and hasn’t “shown much
appetite for the other marshmal
lows’ in my latest message” that in
cluded a 5 per cent surtax.
“But if they don’t like my menu, I
may be back with some tough tur
key,” the President said, adding, “L
sense that the American people are
President
to tell all
on pardon
CHICAGO (AP)—President
Ford will testify that fie was asked
eight days before Richard M. Nixon
left the White House if he would
pardon Nixon in the event of a res
ignation, the Chicago Tribune said
in its Wednesday editions.
Quoting White House sources,
the newspaper said Alexander M.
Haigjr., Nixon’s chief of staff, posed
a hypothetical question about the
pardon to Ford, who then was vice
president.
If Nixon did resign, Haig asked,
would he receive a full pardon and
escape criminal prosecution, the
newspaper said.
President Ford will tell the
House judiciary subcommittee
Thursday, however, that he made
no promises to Haig and refused to
make a deal involving Nixon’s resig
nation, the Tribune said.
News reports last month said
Haig had persuaded Ford to grant
the pardon, but the White House
has steadfastly denied any such role.
When Deputy White House
Press Secretary John Hushen was
asked whether Haig had urged Ford
to grant the pardon, Hushen said,
No, Al Haig’s role is described to
me . . . as basically neutral. He was
certainly in favor of the pardon, but
he did not lobby for it. ”
A month after Nixon’s Aug. 8 res
ignation, Ford announced he was
pardoning Nixon for any crimes he
may have committed as president
Brezhnev
plans visit
to Cairo
MOSCOW (AP)—Soviet Com
munist party leader Leonid Brezh
nev will visit Cairo in January for
talks with President Anwar Sadat of
Egypt, the Soviet news agency Tass
announced today.
hungry for some tougher stuff' to
chew tonight.”
Earlier Tuesday, the White
house asked the major television
and radio networks for free time to
carry Ford’s speech after they de
cided against broadcasting it as a
news event.
All major radio and television
networks decided later to broadcast
the address.
In his speech. Ford called for cre
ation of local citizens’ action com
mittees, including labor and man
agement representatives in every
community to report by Thanksgiv
ing “which plants, stores or other
enterprises are doing the best job of
ho Id ing the li ne on costs and
prices. ”
He said he would then award
them flags bearing the anti-inflation
“WIN” emblem — “Whip Inflation
Now” — to individuals, companies
and other groups that fight inflation
and save energy.
He also urged every governor to
form a statewide “WIN Committee”
to coordinate the voluntary anti
inflation efforts and said this will
“lead to greater civic efforts by mill
ions of Americans and a focused aw
areness of what directions public
policy should take toward economic
justice for all.”
Ford warned the country that
“we will not be out of the economic
trenches by'Christmas. ” But he
said, “Every battle in history has
been won by the side that has held
on just five minutes longer.”
In listing ways ordinary citizens
can fight inflation, the President
added two recommendations — re
duce waste and guard health — to
the 10 points recommended by his
Citizens’ Action Committee to
Fight Inflation headed by columnist
Sylvia Porter.
Its 10 recommendations are:
—“Bring budgeting back in style”
by balancing family budgets and ex
pecting government officials to do
the same.
—Postpone unnecessary borrow-
Jordan still
unsure on
Rocky vote
HOUSTON (AP)—Rep. Barbara
Jordan, D-Tex., says she has not de
cided how she will vote on Nelson
Rockefeller’s nomination as vice
president but that his cash gifts to
aides and public officials “raise seri
ous questions.”
“A little conflict of interest for a
vice president doesn’t make much
difference, but it would make a
great deal of difference for a presi
dent,” said the Houston member of
the House Judiciary Committee.
She said the committee must hold
Rockefeller to a high standard of
conduct because, if confirmed, he
would be next in line for the presi
dency. For this reason, she added,
the gifts “raise serious questions
about his fitness to be president.”
Miss Jordan, a black, made her
comments while opening her cam
paign headquarters for reelection to
a second term from the Texas 18th
district.
ing and wait for interest rates
come down “as they will.”
—“Save as much as you can —
and watch your money grow. ”
—“Conserve energy” by observ
ing the 55-mile speed limit using
public transit and car pools and
walking more.
—Business and labor should only
raise prices or wages to the extent
that costs or services absolutely re
quire.
—“Insist on productivity im
provements where you work” to
waste less time and material.
—“Shop wisely, look for
bargains. . . and brag about the fact
you are a bargain hunter.”
—Work to eliminate “outmoded
regulations that keep costs of goods p*"
and services high and to enforce
regulations that advance efficiency,
health and safety.”
—“Plant WIN gardens for your
self or within your community” and
pool other skills.
—Assist recycling programs and
reuse scrap materials.
FIRE BROKE out in a Hughes dormitory room Tuesday when a refrigerator caught on fire. Firemen
put out the fire with extinguishers and the room was damaged slightly by the smoke and fire. (Photo by
Glen Johnson)
‘Inflation-fighter
Mansfield wants controls
WASHINGTON (AP)—Fuel ra-’
tioning and tough controls on
wages, prices and profits are neces
sary to solve the nation’s economic
problems, Senate Democratic
Leader Mike Mansfield said Tues
day.
In a nationally broadcast Democ
ratic response to President Ford’s
economic program, Mansfield also
called for allocation of credit, a
broad system of tying workers’
wages to living costs and a tax break
for the poor.
Ford’s inflation-fighting prog
ram, built around a 5 percent surtax
on middle-income families, “bears
too close a resemblance to the fiscal
and monetary policies of the previ
ous administration, policies which
have long since proved to be inade
quate to meet the emergency,” the
Montana Democrat said.
“To 'Whip Inflation Now’—WIN,
as the slogan goes—will require ac
tion, action that encompasses some
thing more and different than a
10-point program which begins by
imposing greater tax burdens on
families with annual incomes of
$15,000; more than increased ac
reage allotments for peanuts, cotton
and rice production,” Mansfield
stated.
His program embraced generally
what he told Ford’s White House
summit meeting last month. It is
based on a broader government role
in the economy—a role that even
some congressional Democrats con
sider counterproductive.
Dancer backs Mills' story
but denies being on payroll
OIL PAINTINGS by a former student of A&M were on display Saturday in the Forsyth Alumni
Center. The paintings were of current Aggie football players. The oils were for sale and a portion of
the money made on sales went to the Former Student Association.
WASHINGTON (AP)—Rep.
Wilbur D. Mills’ version of what
transpired when park police stop
ped his car “is exactly what hap
pened,” says the former dancer who
plunged into the Washington Tidal
Basin in the incident.
Annabel Battistella, 38, who has
avoided talking to reporters since
the bizarre episode Oct. 7, broke
her silence in a telephone interview
in which she expressed fears for her
future and anger at press accounts.
The press, she said, “is trying to
destroy a great man and me and my
chances for going back to school. ”
Mills, chairman of the House
Ways and Means Committee and
one of the most powerful men in
Congress, released a statement sev
eral days after the incident occur
red. He has not appeared in Con
gress since.
A native of Argentina, Mrs. Batis-
tella backed up Mills’ statement but
refused to elaborate on it.
“I’m not going to say any
more—whatever damage has been
done is enough,” she said.
She denied a statement by her
husband, Eduardo, that she began
working for Mills as a personal sec
retary a year and a half ago.
A check of Mills’ congressional
payroll records back to 1971 did not
show Mrs. Battistella’s name.
Battistella, who said he runs an
import business in Washington,
made the statement in an interview
in Buenos Aires, Argentina.
“I was not on his (Mills’) payroll,”
Mrs. Battistella said. “I did decorate
his apartment, I am not a profes
sional interior decorator, but I man
age very well.”
Mills, an Arkansas Democrat,
paid her for the decorating job, she
said, but she refused to say how
much.
Mills’ account of the events of
Oct. 7 said the evening began with a
bon voyage party for a cousin of
Mrs. Battistella who was returning
to her native Argentina.
Mills’ wife, Polly, had a broken
foot and insisted he take the party
Election reform
Political financing
law signed
regulated
WASHINGTON (AP) — Declar
ing that “the times demand this
legislation,” President Ford signed
Tuesday a far-reaching, Watergate-
inspired campaign spending reform
bill.
“There are certain periods in our
nation’s history when it becomes
necessary to face up to certain un
pleasant truths. We have passed
through One of those periods,” Ford
said in a clear reference to the
Watergate scandal.
“The unpleasant truth is that
big-money influence has come to
play an unseeming role in our elec
toral process,” he added in a state
ment released as he signed the
measure, which he said “will help
right that wrong. ”
Starting next year, the law im
poses limits on the amount of money
that any person or group can give
and on the amounts candidates can
spend in campaigns for federal office
— president. House and Senate.
It also provides for public financ
ing of presidential campaigns, but
not for House and Senate races, and
establishes an independent com
mission to enforce the law.
“By removing whatever influence
big money and special interests may
have on our federal electoral pro
cess, this bill should stand as a
landmark of campaign reform legis
lation,” Ford said.
He said he supported the aim ol
the legislation, but “I still have
some reservations about it — espe
cially aobut the use of federal funds
to finance elections.”
The federal financing comes from
a $1 checkoff which taxpayers may
authorize when they filed their an
nual income tax returns.
“I maintain my strong hope that
the voluntary contribution will not
become mandatory and that it will
not in the future be extended to
congressional races,” Ford said in
his statement.
Major party nominees for presi
dent automatically would be as
sured of $20 million for their general
election campaigns, and minor
party nominees would qualify for an
amount in proportion to their
party’s past voting strength.
out while she stayed home, he said.
“Mrs. Mills went out with us all
the time,” Mrs. Battistella said.
“We were always with other
people—never alone.”
The party had some refresh
ments, Mills said, Mrs. Battistella
became ill and, as they were being
driven home, attempted to leave
the car.
“In the ensuing struggle her
elbow hit my glasses and broke
them, resulting in a number of small
cuts around my nose,” he said.
Park police who stopped the un
lighted, speeding car said Mills
emerged with his face bleeding and
his breath smelling of alcohol.
Mrs. Battistella refused to discuss
these details, but she disagreed
with the police account in one re
spect.
Police said she jumped into the
Tidal Basin, a backwater of the
Potomac River. A policeman pulled
her out of the water.
- Today-,
Today in the Batt
Center fees p. 3
New doctor p. 4
Adjustment board p. 6
Weather
Fair and cool Tuesday with
a high of 67°. Winds from
the north 10-16 mph. Low
tonite 45°. Clear and mild
Wednesday; high 69°.