Eighty"Six Years of Editorial Freedom
Edited and managed by students at the University of Michigan
Looking back at Spiro:
Gone but not forgiven
Saturday, October 11, 1975
News Phone: 764-0552
420 Maynard St., Ann Arbor, Mi. 48104
Ford's plan: Cheap politics
THE PRESIDENTIAL CAMPAIGN is
in full swing, and President Ford
is demonstrating the enormous ad-
vantages of incumbency in his latest
set of political rambles through the
countryside.
Ford has advocated an extension of
last year's income tax cuts, but has
said he will veto such a measure un-
less Congress agrees to put a lid on
federal spending for next year.
Congressional Democrats have re-
acted with legitimate outrage to the
proposal. Ford is asking them to buy
a pig in a poke, and they know it.
But Ford holds all the cards, includ-
ing crucial access to public opinion.
Using the exact reverse tactic that
Harry Truman employed, Ford has
asked the people to "throw out the
reformist Congress" unless it com-
plies with his plan.
But the plan itself is clearly un-
workable, at least to Congress. To ac-
ceede to it would be to virtually sign
away its sovereignty in budgetary
matters. The fact is that the tax cut
comes up well before the budget: if
the budget lid Is passed. Ford will
have a free rein to present a budget
which strongly mirrors his own pre-
ferences,
AND FORD'S FISCAL preferences
are all too well-known. Perhaps
the most doctrinaire Midwestern con-
servative since Warren Harding, the
man would, in all likelihood, put the
axe to social welfare items, leaving
his pet, the Defense Department, in-
tact.
No, approving an unseen budget by
agreeing to the spending lid is not
the right course of action, and con-
gressional leaders have wisely seen
through the veil of rhetoric.
The other question about the Ford
plan is that the economics involved
have been questioned by experts.
While Ford may believe that the de-
ficit on the federal budget will di-
minish by- cutting federal spending,
few economists share his opinion.
Many mainstream students of the
field have said that given the size of
the proposed tax cut and the drop in
government's spending, the move will
help the economy recover, as Ford
argues.
TODAY'S STAFF
News: Gordon Atcheson, Jim Finkle-
stein, Jim Nicols, Sara Rimer, Jeff
Ristine, Jeff Sorensen, Margaret
Yao
Editorial Page: Marc Basson, Paul
Haskins, Tom Kettler, Linda Kloote,
Tom Stevens
Arts Page: David Weinberg
Photo Technician: Pauline Lubens
THEY CONTEND THAT a cut in
spending will depress the econo-
my far more than a cut in taxes, and
that the plan is doomed to failure.
Despite the lack of intellectual co-
herence to his proposal, Ford still
controls the access to public opinion
more effectively than his opposition.
Until such time as the House Ways
and Means Committee comes up with
an alternative, or can work out a
compromise, Ford will once again
point at Congress, as he did with the
energy issue, and claim he has made
his plan known while the men onthe
Hill do nothing but attack him.
The American people should recog-
nize such demagoguery for what it
is. It's a cheap shot, delivered in
print and over the airwaves of the
media. They should not be deceived,
however, for Ford is not making a
realistic proposal, he's simply trying
to keep his job.
Sports Staf
BRIAN DEMING
Sports Editor
MARCIA MERKER ............ Executive Editor
LEBA HERTZ Managing Editor
JEFF SCHILLER Associate Editor
CONTRIBUTING EDITORS: Al Hrapsky, Jeff
Liebster, Ray O'Hara. Michael wison
NIGHT EDITORS: Rick Bonino, Torn Cameron
Tom Duranceau, Andy Glazer, Kathy Henne-
ghan, Ed Lange, Rich Lerner, Scott Lewis, Bill
Stieg
ASSISTANT NIGHT EDITORS: Enid Goldman,
Marcia Katz, John Niemeyer, Dave Wihak
DESK ASSISTANTS: Paul Campbell, Marybeth
Dillon, Larry Engle, Aaron Gerstman, Jerome
Gilbert, Andy Lebet, Rick Maddock, Bob Miller,
Joyce Moy Patrick Rode, Arthur Wightman
Business Staff
DEBORAH NOVESS
Business Manager
Peter Caplan...............Finance Manager
Robert F. Cerra ............Operations Manager
Beth Friedman ..................Sales Manager
David Piontkowsky.......Advertising Manager
DEPA. MGRS. Dan Brinsa, Steve LeMire, Rhondi
Mae, Kathy Mulhern, Cassie St. Clair
ASSOC. MGRS. David Harlan, Susan Shultz
ASST. MGRS. Dave Schwartz
STAFF John Benhow, Colby Bennet, Margie De-
Ford, Elaine Douas,.James Dykdema, Nine
Edwards, Debbie Gerria, Amy Hartman,
Joan Helfman, Karl Jenning, Carolyn Koth-
stein, Jacke Krammer, Anna Kwok, Vicki
May, Susan Smereck, Wayne Tsang, Ruth
Wolman
Editorial Staff
GORDON ATCHESON CHERYL PILATE
Co-Editors-in-Chief
DAVID BLOMQUIST ........... . . Arts Editor
BARBARA CORNELL .. Sunday Magazine Editor
PAUL HASKINS ............. Editorial Director
JOSEPHINE MARCOTTY Sunday Magazine Editor
SARA RIMER...............Executive Editor
STEPHEN SELBST................. City Editor
JEFF SORENSON ..Managing Editor
MARY LONG ..,.... Sunday Magazine Editor
STAFF WRITERS: Susan Ades, Tom Allen, Glen
Alerhand, Ellen Breslow, Mary Beth Dillon,
Ted Evanoff, Jim Finklestein, Elaine Fletch-
er, Stephen Hersh, Debra Hurwitz, Lois Josi-
movich, Doc Kralik, Jay Levin, Andy Lilly,
Ann Marie Lipinski, George Lobsenz, Pauline
Lubens, Rob Meachum, Robert Miller, Jim
Nicol, Cathy Reutter, Jeff Ristine, Tim
Schick, Katherine Spelman. Steve Stojic, Jim
Tobin, Bill Turque, Jim Valk, David Wein-
berg, Sue Wilhelm, David Whiting, Margaret
Tao.
By DAVID RAVID
"If I am known to raise my
voice in criticism, it is be-
cause I see danger in our na-
tion's course. Because Amer-
ica, like ancient Athens, can
become foolish and corrupt;
because a life of ease is not
a life of fulfillment." Spiro
"Ted" Agnew, Baltimore, 12-
11-69.
On August 1, 1973 Vice Presi-
dent Spiro T. Agnew was in-
formed by the United States
Justice Department that he was
under investigation for possi-
ble bribery, extortion and tax
fraud. Soon after this notifica-
tion, Vice President Agnew be-
gan negotiations, aided by his
lawyers, with the Justice De-
partment over the conditions of
a plea bargain, the prime con-
sideration of which being a "no
jail term" sentence. The bar-
gain arrived at was one where,
in return for Mr. Agnew plead-
ing to one charge, the Justice
Department pledged to drop
the other pending charges and
recommend leniency in the
judge's sentencing.
A public information official
at the Justice Department, Mr.
Robert Feldkamp, when recent-
ly asked why Mr. Agnew had
been given such a generous bar-
gain replied, "Policy. What
else can I do for you?" When
questioned as to whether the
reasons behind leniency recom-
mendations were discussed, he
stoically related, "No."
ON OCTOBER -10, 1973 Mr.
Agnew resigned the Vice Presi-
dency and immediately went to
Federal court where he pleaded
nolo contendere (no contest) to
tax evasion in 1967 while he
was governor of the state of
Maryland. He was sentenced to
three years probation and a
$10,000 fine payable in thirty
days. Yesterday was the second
year anniversary of that resig-
nation and conviction.
"How can you ask a man
in the street to stand up for
what he believes if his own
elected leaders weasel and
cringe? . . . America already
has too many politicians who
woulud rather switch than
fight." Agnew, Montgomery,
11-29-69.
The Justice Department then
released a forty page memo of
evidence which the state of
Maryland could have prosecut-
ed Mr. Agnew for.
"It is not an easy thing
to wake up each morning to
learn that some prominent
man or institution has implied
that you are a bigot, a racist,
or a fool." Agnew, Montgom-
ery, 11-29-69.
Yesterday, Jon Oster, Deputy
Attorney General for the state
of Maryland, said that no crim-
inal proceedings had been " in-
itiated against Mr. Agnew al-
though Oster thought Agnew had
an income tax liability to the
state. Mr. Oster continued by
saying that his "office only
takes a prosecutorial role in
rare cases." When asked if this
was not a rare caseche circum-
vented, "We only act upon the
Governor's request." Mr. Oster
then replied "yes" when asked
if his office had not prosecuted
as the result of an agreement
with the Justice Department.
T H E PROSECUTORS for
Baltimore and Anne Arundel
counties, where the state crimes
were alleged to have been
committed, were not available
for comment.
"I believe that the people of
the United States would like
to know their Vice President
for what he really is and what
he really thinks . . . Ironic-
ally, it is neither the greedy
nor the malicious, but the
'I believe that the people of the United States would like to
know their Vice President for what he really is and what he
really thinks . . .' Spiro Agnew, Harrisburg, Pa., 10-30-69."
self - righteous who are
guilty of history's worst atro-
cities." Agnew, Harrisburg,
10-30-69.
"A raised eyebrow, an in-
flection of the voice, a caustic
remark dropped in the middle
of a broadcast can raise
doubts about the veracity of
a public official . . ." Agnew,
Des Moines, 11-13-69.
"I am not asking for any
immunity from criticism."
Agnew, Montgomery, 11-29-69.
David Ravid is a member of
the Editorial Page staff.
RFK coC
By DAVID ROTHSCHILD
THE QUESTIONS surrounding
the assassination of Robert
F. Kennedy were not laid to
rest by the refiring of Sirhan's
gun. The lead story in Tuesday's
New York Times, "Experts
Rule Out Second Gun in Rob-
ert Kennedy Death", is mislead-
ing and in marked contrast with
the actual test results. It may
well be indicative of a delib-
erate attempt to suppress the
truth.
The group of forensic scien-
tists who conducted the refiring,
headed by Dr. Ralph Turner of
Michigan State, did not "rule
out" the possibility of a second
gun. In fact, the bullet found
lodged on Kennedy's neck, a
key factor' in the second gun
theory, was so badly damaged
it could not possiblyhave been
linked to Sirhan's gun.
Beyond the implications of
the ballistics test, there's sub-
stantial evidence to suggest that
the second gun theory is no
myth.,
THE RFK AUTOPSY report
as much as any single piece of
evidence points up the basic
contradiction between the facts
and the government's account of
the assassination. Former Los
Angeles County Coroner Thom-
as Noguchi - he's since been
dismissed and subsequently
cleared of any negligence in the
"SECOND GUN" AT MLB TONIGHT
rnspiracy theory still holds uP
matter - found that all the
gunshot wounds came from
"right to left directions, and
in an upward, back to front
trajectory." From the deeply
ingrained powder burns on the
senator's ear Noguchi conclud-
ed that the bullet that pene-
trated Kennedy's brain was
fired from a distance of "one
inch and no more than three
inches from the surface behind
the right ear."
Virtually every one of the
witnesses to the murder placed
Sirhan's gun between two and
three feet in front of the sena-
tor. The fatal shot was fired
1-3 inches under and behind
Kennedy's right ear. Criminal
investigators and witnesses
both agree Sirhan was not in a
position to do this.
A SECOND MAJOR discrep-
ancy centers around the num-
ber of 22 caliber bullets recov-
ered from the murder scene. A
total of ten 22-caliber bullets
were found. But Sirhan's gun
could only hold eight.
Reconstruction of the assas-
sination scene sheds additional
light: Kennedy is walking
through the pantry shaking
hands with well-wishers. Direc-
ly to his right is the hotel mai-
tre d', Karl Uecker. Behind
Kennedy, at extremely close
range, is Tane Eugene Ceasar,
a private security man. Ceasar
is part of a small external se-
curity force brought into the
hotel from the outside. Sirhan
approaches Kennedy from the
front. Shots ring out. Uecker
grabs Sirhan and attempts to
wrestle the gun from his hand.
Sirhan continues to squeeze the
trigger sending bullets flying
into the crowd.
Uecker testified that he de-
finitely stopped Sirhan's gun
from shooting in the direction of
Senator Kennedy after the sec-
ond shot.
AN EYEWITNESS, Donald
Schulman, saw the security
man, Ceasar, fire his gun while
standing directly behind Ken-
nedy's head. Ceasar's gun was
in a virtual blind spot behind
the Senator's head while Sirhan
was the center of attention.
The official investigation into
the Kennedy assassination itself
was ridden with conspiratorial
overtones. Out of the 199 wit-
nesses and 2000 others who tes-
tified to the authorities, Donald
Schulman was never called.
The Los Angeles Police Depart-
ment and the County Prosecu-
tor rationalized their failure to
subpoena Ceasar because of his
"inconsistent testimony".
Central to the prosecution's
case was their contention that'
Sirhan was mad. The team of
psychologists who testified at
the trial did so under the pre-
conceived notion thattSirhan
acted alone. Hence they at-
tempted to prove that he was
psychotic.
Many of the doctors never
met with Sirhan. They formu-
lated their conclusions together.
In one instance, five of the doc-
tors met in Defense Grant Coop-
er's office library for more than
six hours.
A key piece of written testi-
mony was submitted by Dr.
Schorr. In his report on Sirhan,
Schorr stated that there was a
"striking similarity" between
Sirhan and two case studies in-
volving psychotics. What actu-
ally happened was that Dr.
Schorr copied verbatim pass-
ages from the studies on "The
Mad Bomber" and "Christmas
Eve Killer", from a book by
Dr. James A. Brussell.
DR. EDUARD SIMSON, di-
rector of San Quentin's phycho-
logical testing program exam-.
ined and tested Sirhan exten-
sively during twenty weekly
visits. He has stated in an affi-
davit filed by Sirhan's defense
(last year) that Sirhan was not
mad.
Dr. Simson was unable to
complete his study of Sirhan.
He was removed from the case
by an assistant warden, and
subsequently resigned in pro-
test. Last August Dr. Simson
held one of the most remark-
able press conference of the
century. He declared that Sir-
han was "hypoprogrammed to
shoot." Sharing his opinion
was one of the prosecution's
own doctors, Dr. Bernard L. Di-
amond of the University of
California at Berkeley.
Simson and Diamond found
that Sirhan was extremely sus-
centible to hynosis. Sirhan
suffered amnesia, and when
hvpnotized could not remember
firine the gun. The last thing he
could remember was being with
a girl in a polka dot dress.
Several witnesses reported see-
ing Sirhan with a girl in the
hotel, but the police discounted
their stories. Simson, who while
at Heidelberg University, stud-
ied graphology, the science of
handwriting analysis, said Sir-
han's notebook was filled with
disjointed entries, many repe-
titive.
BUT IT WAS not composed in
the free - flowing, uninhibited
style of a-person in a trance, but
in a carefully concocted man-
ner. "Look at the 'P's," Dr.
Simson says, "a natural writer
doesn't disconnect his loops. The
notebook is imitation writing,
where you do a jerk at a time."
If the secrets of the assas-
sination are still locked in Sir-
han's mind, then his life is in
danger. This suggestion is bol-
stered by the recent strange
death of Ronald Wood, a former'
fellow inmate of Sirhan's at
San Quentin. In 1974, Wdod
asked Playboy Magazine for a
reported $30,000 in return for
what he called an inside ac-
count of a conspiracy learned
from Sirhan.
Simson adds that "Over a
long period of time, in a secure
setting, Sirhan's defensive sys-
tems might loosen. There are
"Though the L. A.
coroner said powder
burns indicated the fa-
tal shot could not have
been fired more than
three inches from
Kennedy's ear. But
virtually all of the wit-
nesses placed Sirhan
between two and three
feet in front of thesen-
ator."
things he might remember now.
"In September 1974 Wood
was quietly removed to the Ne-
vada State prison in Carson
City. Several days after the
transfer Ronald Wood was stab-
bed to death.
Given the range and depth
of evidence to the contrary it
seems that the Times did the
nation a grave disservice in
so hastily discounting the sec-
ond gun theory.
T H E SUPPRESSED docu-
mentary. "The Second Gun",
will be shown tonight in Aud. 3
of the MLB at 7 and 9 p.m.
David Rothschild is an LSA
junior.
Women stand up to sex bias
1' 'oTfrWORIRy',I FANYTJRING M4PPCNS, 'LL KNOW'"
.REV4~A
By KAREN THOMAS
EVERYONE KNOWS WHAT
the "Fleming Follow" was,
right?
Maybe not. Since college den-
erations change so quickly, and
Ann Arbor is the kind of town
where the only permanent fact
of life is that most of us leave,
few people remember the "Ad
Hoc Committee Concerned that
President Fleming Doees Not
Meet With Women". In 1972, its
members kept vigil outside his
office, tabulating the president's
visitors by sex. The results: out
of 124 visitors, only 21 were fe-
male.
Similar and more serious ex-
amples of sex discrimination led
to a formal complaint against
the University. The U. S. De-
partment of Health, Education
and Welfare ultimately ruled
that the U of M must take af-
firmative action to end discrim-
ination against women, or face
loss of $3.5 million in federal
funds.
T H R E E YEARS later,
the "Fleming Follow" has tak-
en on new significance. Now,
the Commission for Women, a
vital part of the original affirm-
ative action olan, reports direct-
ly to President Fleming.
"In the beginning, many peo-
ple thought the Commission was
iust a son to HEW," notes as-
sistant chairwoman Barbara
Murnhv. "Thev were auite sur-
prised at the nnmber of women
who stood n and said, 'Wait a
mn'h"te. You've got to listen to
"There's never been a headline
in the paper saying the Com-
mission did this or that, but the
cumulative effect has made a
powerful impact on the status of
women at the University."
Ms. Murphy explains that the
Commission, as an advocacy or-
ganization, "looks at everything
in fairly specific terms - how
does this particular University
policy affect women?" In par-
ticular, the Commission has
been active in the areas of job
postings, grievance procedures,
and individual file reviews to
equalize salaries.
"Prior to 1972, when the Uni-
versity began to post all job
vacancies, you might never
know about an opening," Ms.
Murphy notes. "Even though
you were qualified, you never
got a crack at it. Now, women
at least know what kinds of jobs
are being filled at the Univer-
sity. This should help open up
the system."
AND WHAT IF a woman feels
she has been wrongfully passed
over for a posted job? "Origin-
ally, the University's grievance
procedure did not apply to any
cases of racial or sex discrimi-
nation," observes Ms. Murphy.
"It was merely a management
review of management proce-
dures. As long as they followed
their own rules, that was good
enough." Now, an independent
panel makes recommendations
on the merits of each case.
The Commission also review-
ed the files of all non-academic
employes to make sure that
wnmpn ~nP~ivrd ,l nav for.
THE COMMISSION'S major
failure, according to Ms. Mur-
phy, is that the University has
failed to increase its hiring of
women at upper levels.
"Where are all the women
PhD's the University has grad-
uated?" she asks. "Aren't these
women qualified to hold admin-
istrative positions? The only
thing we can do is keep beating
the University over the head
with its own published figures
that show no progress to date."
Ms. Murphy is also concerned
about the future. "I'm very
worried about the 'last-hired-
first-fired' syndrome, especially
in view of the current job mar-
ket. I'm afraid that the employ-
ment gains women have made
and they're not large, will be
wiped out."
TYPICALLY, THE Commis-
sion translates concern into ac-
tion. Ms. Murphy notes, "We
are very interested in finding
out what the University feels
are its commitments in that
area. We want to develop a pro-
cedure whereby those gains will
not be lost if there are budget
cuts."
"I think most people are not
aware that a great many of the
policy changes that have oc-
curred in the past few years
were at the suggestion or initia-
tion of the Commission, or un-
der its prodding. But they do
know that there have been
changes, and they understand
the reasons for those changes
and they know that there's
something going on out there.
Contact your reps--
Sen. Phillip Hart (Dem), 253 Russell Bldg., Capitol Hill,
Washington, D.C. 20515.
Sen. Robert Griffin (Rep), 353 Russell Bldg., Capitol Hill,
Washington, D.C. 20515.