The Michigan Daily
Vol. LXXXV, No. 18-S Ann Arbor, Michigan-Saturday, May 31, 1975 Ten Cents Twelve Pages
Ford assures
NATO of U.S.
Commitmenits
r Sweet sweet music
Norman Blake fiddles for his supper last night at the Ark while accompanied by Nancy
Blake on the guitar and a downpour of rain outside. The folksinger will also be perform-
ing tonight and tomorrow night at 8:30 p.m.
ASSASSINATION NOT RULED OUT:
Former general claims JFK
BRUSSELS l(M -
President Ford, winding up
a two-day summit confer-
ence of the North Atlantic
Treaty Organization, said
yesterday that America's
European allies "consider
our commitment firm and
vigorous."
"T h e i r confidence is
fully justified," Ford add-
ed, saying he did not need
to offer "any special reas-
surances" because of set-
backs in Indochina.
Ford spoke at a news con-
ference in the Brussels Shera-
ton Hotel after concluding, his
first summit diplomacy since
assuming the presidency last
August.
W H I L E a NATO state-
ment said armed forces of the
Soviet bloc are increasing "be-
yond any apparent defensive
needs," Ford held that energy
and economic problems jeopar-
dize the welfare of alliance
members "as much as would a
military threat."
He touched on key issues of
the conference, including a Mid-
dle East peace, the dispute over
Cyprss, Portugal's leftist mili-
tary government, and Spain.
-America "could not toler-
ate stagnation or a stalemate
in the Mideast, Ford said. He is
to meet with Egyptian Presi-
dent Anwar Sadat on Sunday in
Austria and with Israeli Pre-
mier Yitzhak- Rabin on June 11
in Washington. "Movement"
in peace negotiations is essen-
tial, the President said.
-He expressed hopes that his
meetings with the Greek and
Turkish prime ministers over
divided Cyprus would "lead to
some progress." If there is
progress, he added, "We are
most hopeful that Greece will
return to its permanent, pre-
vious relationship within the al-
liance." Greece, angry at the
invasion of Cyprus last July by
fellow NATO member Turkey,
See FORD, Page 5
asked for
WASHINGTON (P) - Retired
Maj. Gen. Edward Lansdale
said yesterday that, acting on
orders from President John
Kennedy delivered through an
intermediary, he developed
plans for removing Cuban Pre-
mier Fidel Castro by any
means, including assassination.
"I just wanted to see if the
United States had any such cap-
abilities," said the one-time Air
Force officer and expert on
counterinsurgency tactics. In a
telephone interview, Lansdale
stressed that his planning ef-
fort included other means, such
as a coup, for removing Castro
fron power.
Castro's overthrow
Ford
Bombs go
off in Spain
on eve of
Ford visit -
MADRID () - Bombs ex-
ploded in Spain's tense Basque
region yesterday and police
rounded up extremists as Span-
ish security was clamped tighter
than ever on the eve of Presi-
dent Ford's visit.
The explosions, believed to
be the work of extreme right-
ists, were aimed at Basque busi-
nesses in northern Spain, hun-
dreds of miles from where Ford
will be on Saturday. There were
no injuries.
BUT THE blasts underscored
police concern that the left,
particularly Basquet separatist
guerrillas, might try for a spec-
tacular incident during Ford's
one-dav visit to Madrid to see
Gen. Francisco Franco and
other officials.
See BOMBS, Page 10
Asked is any attempts against
Castro's life were made as a re-
sult of his project, Lansdale
said, "Certainly nothing I ever
heard about. Nothing was ever
initiated on it as far as I know."
However, a source familiar with
the tentative findings of the
Rockefeller Commission on the
Central Intelligencse Agency
(CIA) said he had been told
some subsequent assassination
efforts were undertaken.
A L T H 0 U G H Lansdale
avoided using the word "assas-
sination," he twice replied in
the affirmative to the specific
question of whether an assas-
sination was one of the means
he considered.
"I was working for the high-
est authority in the land," Lans-
dale said of his project. Asked
to be more specific, Lansdale
- replied, "It was the President."
Lansdale said he did not deal
directly with President Ken-
nedy on the project but worked
through an intermediary. Ask-
ed if the intermediary was
McGeorge Bundy, then Presi-
dent Kennedy's assistant for na-
tional security affairs, Lansdale
replied.
replied, "No, it was more inti-
mate."
H O W E V E R, he refused
See JFK, Page 5
Proposed milage increase slashed
By JEFF RISTINE
The school board yesterday voted to roll back the
proposed 1.5 millage increase to only .918 mills for the
1975-76 period, if voters approve the five-year property
tax increase on the June 9 ballot. The reduction came
as a quick response to court action giving the school
district a $500,000 windfall from the University.
Superintendent of Schools Harry Howard told the
special afternoon session that the .582 cut "will reduce
dollar for dollar to the taxpayers the property tax for
which this new source of revenue will substitute." All
six of the trustees at the meeting voted for the tax levy
reduction, which would apparently remain in effect
for one year only.
THE TAX rollback was made possible by Michigan
Supreme Court action announced Thursday Which
settled a five-year dispute over University payments
to the school district. The high court let stand a Court
of Appeals decision upholding the University's right
to collect an additional $6 per month in rent from all
family housing units for use as payments in lieu of
taxes to the district.
The University Housing Office has collected the $6
in increased rent since August, 1970, to compensate
for the pupils who lived in tax-free University housing.
But the funds were held in escrow while local attorney
Arthur Carpenter challenged the constitutionality 'of
the payments. The additional levies now total
$508,402.20, according to Housing Director John Feld-
kamp, but will not be paid to the school district until
next month, after the 20-day period Carpenter could
apply for a rehearing expires.
BUT THE State Supreme Court ruled in September
1973, that the Board of Regents did have the authority
to levy the higher rent. Feldkamp said yesterday that
he feels the high court sidestepped one important issue
by deciding the $6 fee did not actually constitute a pay-
ment in lieu of taxes.
Following the Supreme Court decision, Carpenter
filed another suit with Washtenaw Circuit Court, this
time' challenging the University's right to turn its
money over to the school district without legislative
sanction. The University, Carpenter said Thursday,
"should be using their money for their own students,
not somebody else's."
The circuit court ruled in the University's favor,
as did the Court of Appeals in March. Carpenter then
took his case to the Michigan Supreme Court, which
last week denied leave-effectively upholding the lower
court decision.
FELDKAMP pointed out that last week's decision
will not result in a rent hike for students living in the
1,720 family housing units because the $6 is already
part of their rent.
The latest Supreme Court decision, Feldkamp said,
"was not a great surprise to us. We had anticipated it'
See SCHOOL, Page 9