Friday, November 7, 1986/The Battalion/Page 7
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World and Nation
Walker gets life sentence;
judge discourages parole
Air breakout
forces prison to
tighten security
SAN FRANCISCO (AP) —Em
barrassed officials tightened secu
rity at a suburban prison Thurs
day, a day after an escaped con
man in a stolen helicopter air
lifted his inmate sweetheart to
freedom.
The daring escape occurred at
the 80-acre Federal Correctional
Institution in Pleasanton, called
“Club Fed” because of its coun
try-club setting about 30 miles
southeast of San Francisco.
FBI agents, federal marshals
and police were searching for es
capees Ronald J. McIntosh and
Samantha Dorinda Lopez.
It was the First aerial escape
from a federal prison, said Jerry
Williford, western regional direc
tor of federal prisons.
Authorities say McIntosh, a
combat veteran, went to Aris He
licopters in San Jose on Wednes
day morning and chartered a
Hughes 500D helicopter for $420
an hour under an assumed name.
Pilot Peter Szabo said he was
forced at gunpoint to land in a
rural area near Danville, about 10
miles from the prison. The pilot
said McIntosh ordered him to
hand over his shoes, checked his
watch and then took off.
The helicopter landed in a rec
reation yard as surprised prison
ers and staff members looked on.
Lopez dashed across the court
yard and boarded the craft.
Warden Rob Roberts said one
armed guard was in the exercise
yard when the helicopter landed
but no shots were Fired.
McIntosh and Lopez had
worked together in the prison
business office and had been seen
walking together and holding
hands, Roberts said.
Deputy U.S. Marshal Dick Bip-
pus said, “They were boyfriend
and girlfriend in prison. It
sounds like something out of a
TV series.”
BALTIMORE (AP) — Former
Navy radioman John A. Walker Jr.,
admitted head of a family spy ring,
was sentenced to life imprisonment
Thursday and his son Michael was
given a 25-year term by a judge who
urged they be denied parole.
“Your task was to defend your
country. You chose to betray it,”
U.S. District Judge Alexander Har
vey II told the elder Walker, 49, who
received nearly $ 1 million from the
Soviet Union for his spying.
The judge, a World War II vet
eran, expressed personal revulsion
that two enlisted servicemen could
turn against their country, and
added, “In my opinion, your espio
nage activities have caused tremen
dous harm to the national security of
this country.”
Evidence showed Walker used his
high-level Navy security clearance to
obtain classified information about
Navy communications, ship loca
tions and routes, weapons and sen
sor data and Navy tactics, and de
liver it to the Soviets, pulling family
members into the arrangement. His
brother Arthur, 52, is serving a life
term for espionage.
In the pre-sentence report, pros
ecutors wrote that “if it were possible
to rate the harm to the nation caused
by particular acts of espionage, then
the injury caused by the Walker es
pionage ring must l>e of the first
rank.”
The judge followed pre-sentenc-
ing recommendations of U.S. Attor
ney Breckinridge L. Willcox and the
plea bargain agreement reached
with the Walkers in October 1985, in
which the elder Walker agreed to
testify against former Navy radio
man Jerry Whitworth and reveal de
tails of his spy activities.
But Harvey recommended that
no parole be granted to either man.
“You do not seem to appreciate
the enormity of these crimes. In my
opinion you have shown . . . no re
morse,” he told John Walker. “I
should do everything in my power to
see this (parole) does not occur.”
Walker’s attorney Fred Warren
Bennett immediately objected to the
judge’s parole recommendation,
calling it inconsistent with the sub
stance of the plea agreements.
The recommendation is non
binding on a parole board.
“There is at least something that
can be said on your behalf,” he told
Michael Walker, 24, who blinked
frequently and stood with hands
folded as the sentence was pro
nounced. “As an immature 21-year-
old you were easily led. It was your
father who profited from using you
as he did . . . and you received little.”
Charles G. Bernstein, Michael
Walker’s attorney, said he would re
view the plea bargain before respon
ding to the parole recommendation.
Robert Hunter, the FBI agent
who spent hours questioning the
elder Walker, said he believed
Walker had provided at least 98 per
cent of the espionage-ring story.
The judge and prosecutors ad
mitted there were questions as to
whether John Walker’s two escape
attempts violated the cooperation
called for in the plea bargain and
questioned whether he had told the
truth on polygraph tests. But, they
conceded that Walker’s testimony
helped convict Whitworth, who
drew a 365-year sentence.
GM will close 11 plants in 3 years
DETROIT (AP) — General Mo
tors Corp. will close 11 plants em
ploying more than 29,000 workers
over the next three years to reduce
overcapacity and cut losses, the com
pany said Thursday.
Closing the three stamping, one
body and seven final assembly plants
in Michigan, Illinois, Ohio and Mis
souri will reduce GM’s fixed costs by
$500 million a year, Chairman
Roger Smith said in a long-awaited
announcement.
GM and United Auto Workers of
ficials had no estimate of how many
workers will lose their jobs, saying it
will be months before they know
how many workers will be able to
transfer to other plants and how
many will be retrained for new jobs
at GM.
“There’s too many unknowns
here,” said Frank Joyce, a UAW
spokesman in Detroit.
The closings were part of the first
phase of a reorganization at GM.
GM President James McDonald said
other plants are being studied.
“These actions are absolutely nec
essary to maintain our marketplace
leadership and enhance the job secu
rity of the greater bulk of our work
force,” he said.
GM suffered third-quarter oper
ating losses of about $338 million.
“It’s a very constructive move on
GM’s part,” said industry analyst
Gary Glaser of First Boston Corp. in
New York. “I think as we go forward
there will be further closings.”
Assembly lines at the affected
plants were shut down Thursday
morning so the closings could be ex
plained to workers, most of whom
were disappointed but not sur
prised.
“We naturally regret this deci
sion,” UAW Vice President Donald
Ephlin said. “We will make absolu
tely sure that all of our people at ev
ery location receive all of the assis
tance and every negotiated benefit
they are entitled to.”
Most workers will be eligible for
some benefits, which range from
training for new jobs to guaranteed
income payments for those with over
10 years’ seniority.
About 3,000 of those affected by
the closings are salaried employees,
McDonald said.
RUMOUR:
THE FRISBEE OLYMPICS WAS
THE MOST POPULAR EVENT AT
TEXAS A&M UNIVERSITY IN
THE LAST DECADE. THIS NA
TIONAL AFFAIR WILL BE RE
PEATED JULY 4-6,1987 ON THIS
CAMPUS.
FACT:
ONE FREE FRISBEE WILL BE
GIVEN WITH THE PURCHASE
OF A HAMBURGER AND
FRENCH FRIES AT BOTH RU
MOURS SNACK BAR AND THE
GOLF COURSE SNACK BAR
FROM NOW UNTIL
CHRISTMAS.
Battalion
Classified
845-2611
This is Your LAST Chance!!
Since
Juniors, Seniors, Grad.,
Med, and Vet students
didn't get their pictures made,
the Aggieland is giving them
one iast chance.
Get your picture made by
November 21 at AR Photgraphy II
_ Mon-Fri
l f 8-12 1-5
707 Texas
Suite 120-B
(Across from the
A&M Polo Field)
Freshmen and Sophmores deadline Nov. 7.