The Michigan Daily
Vol. LXXXV, No. 40-S Ann Arbor, Michigan-Saturday, July 12, 1975 Ten Cents Twelve Pages
Nixon aide named as CIA contact
Butterfield acted as link to White House
WASHINGTON4P)- -The controversy over pos-
sible CIA infiltration of the White House spread
yesterday after a retired Air Force colonel said
former presidential aide Alexander Butterfield
was a CIA contact officer.
What was meant by a contact officer remained
unclear, but the CIA and the White House said
neither Butterfield nor anyone else was spying
on administration officials for the Central Intel-
ligence Agency.
BUTTERFIELD, best known for disclosing
existence of Richard Nixon's taping system, could
not be reached for comment.
Retired Air Force Col. L. Fletcher Prouty, a
former liaison officer between the Air Force and
CIA, said in a televised interview with CBS that
Butterfield was a contact officer "as I was at the
Defense Department." The job was to "open the
doors for CIA operations," he said.
He made similar statements in an interview
with NBC.
THEN, UNDER repeated questioning by re-
porters, Prouty ruled out the possibility that But-
terfield might have spied on the White House for
the CIA and said Butterfield was the person the
agency would contact if it needed White House
assistance on a sensitive project.
Prouty said he first learned of a CIA-Butterfield
connection in 1971 from two Air Force officers
who had worked for the CIA for long periods of
time. The officers suggested P r o u t y contact
See NIXON, Page 5
'For many years the
CIA has detailed em-
ployes to the immedi-
ate office of the White
House and to compo-
nents intimately asso-
ciated with the office
of the President.'
-1973 CIA
memorandum
Ford begins
campaign in
Michigan
Special to The Daily
Compiled from staff reports
TRAVERSE CITY-President Ford mixed with about
200,000 well wishers in the nation's cherry capital yes-
terday to start off his 1976 Presidential campaign in
his typical "just folks" style.
The occasion was this resort own's high-stepping
cherry festival parade. The University's most famous
alumnus was greeted with a rousing rendition of the
Wolverines' fight song. But, the crowd's warmth was
restrained and similar in mood to the same low key
Ford style that has shaped White House policy for the
past 11 months.
THE GREETING from the President's home state
was informal--"hi, Jerry," they called along the way.
And Ford responded in kind when he joked with re-
porters about the Michigan weather and assured them
it was "wonderful to be back."
Ford showed them just how happy he was to be
back when he abruptly stepped out of his 22-foot limou-
sine to trade smiles and handshakes with the crowd.
Ilis security men were surprised and at least cn was
visibly upset by the President's boldness. One Secret
Service agent snapped, "le ought to know better,"
than to leave himself unprotected.
The crowd leaned over the rope, waving miniature
Arnerican flags as Ford walked along the curb squeez-
ing their outstretched hands.
HE SHED his red plaid jacket and walked anssong
the people in his shirtsleeves resembling a local mem-
ber of the Chamber of Commerce rather than the
President of the United States.
His decision to mingle in the crowd both surprised
and pleased onlookers.
"You really have to have your shit together some-
what to do that," asserted one observer.
THE PRESIDENT and Mrs. Ford, Governor Milliken
and his wife Irene, and Senator and Mrs. Robert Grif-
fin led the sprawling two-and-a-half hour parade fea-
turing floats and high-stepping marching bands from
throughout the Midwest.
Ford's visit to the solidly-Republican city of 15,000
boosted interest in an annual event described by one
18-year-old Boy Scout as "kind of rinky-dink.
"THEY'LL .BE talking about this for the next five
See FORD, Page 10
Daily Photo by KEN FINK
PRESIDENT FORD and Michigan Senator Robert Griffin (left) on the campaign trail in Traverse City
yesterday. Ford served as general marshal in the Cherry Festival parade and was well received by the
officially-estimated crowd of 300,000,
By DAVID WHITING the morale of the college."
University President R o b b e n Fleming yesterday The University's decision not to hire Connecticut Col-
named eight of ten members to a con'roversial new lege Dean Cobb followed the zoology department's
search committee for the literary c-Ilege (LSA) deas- refusal to grant her tenure last .January.
ship. FLEMING'S announcement yesterday came two
With this move, the deanship selection process is months after the Regents voted to appoint a new
back to where it was a year ago when a search group committee "without prejudice to any previous can-
was first appointed to fill the position vacated by Frank, didates."
Rhodes, who was then named vice-president for aca- However, Chairwoman of the Committee for Women
demic affairs. Eunice Burns emphasized yesterday that, "People are
THE SECOND search committee became necessary going to have a hard time doing this (deanship selec-
after the University failed last January to hire the tion process) objectively" after the Cobb affair.
black woman educator, Jewel Cobb, who was unani- Chairing the group is the Director of the Institute for
mously selected by the Board of Regents for the dean- Social Research, Psychology Prof. Angus Cambell. The
ship. other members are: Psychology Prof. Judith Bardwick,
The new committee has come under fire from a Classical Studies Prof. Theodore Buttrey, Geology Prof.
former search group member, Computer Science Prof. John Dorr, Botony Prof. Rogers McVaugh, Romance
Bernard Galler. It is unnecessary to have another Languages Prof. Raleigh Morgan, Department of
search committee, he said. "It would be terrible for See FLEMING, Page 5