Vern Miller Defends Issuing of Special Agent Cards
ny MARIAN HORVAT Kansan Staff Reporter
Politicians Decry 'Police State' Effect, 'Miller Gestapo'
Although area politicians are criticizing the special agent cards issued by Atty. Gen. Vern Miller, he stands firmly behind his actions. In a Kansan interview yesterday, Miller said he viewed the cards as a great help and said that Kansas can be a better state if he had issued even more cards.
it's really getting the citizen involved," he said. THIS INVOLMENY may have been carried too far, according to several politicians, who based their opinions largely on an article in the Sunday issue of *The New York Times* of the special agent cards had been issued in the three and a half years Miller has been in office.
The cards have been used by some, the Star said, to carry concealed weapons, assist in arrest, participate in drug raids, avoid traffic tickets and gain free admittance to movies, music shows and sports events. In many cases, the cards are held by people untrained in law enforcement.
"I if I someone assume a risk, I'll assume the risk with him," Miller said. "By issuing a card to a person, it makes me—in a way—responsible for his actions. If they abuse it, it is immediately canceled. I would have never issued a card if I knew that the Star wanted to use it to go to the movies."
STATE REP. MIKE GLOVER, D-LAWERSON, said he talked to Miller Monday in the State Capitol building.
"I had the article from the Kansas City Star right in my hands and I just asked him. 'Is this true?'
"Well, he wouldn't even talk to me about it," Glover said. "He just walked away."
Glover said he was investigating the extent of the attorney general's authority.
"It is a shame," Glover said. "It looks me like a misuse of power, and if it is, that is an amenable breach."
Glover said he was very irritated at what he called "Vern Miller and his private Gestapo."
State Rep. John Vogel said he thought 1,760 was "an awful叶" of cards issued
"Of course it's one way to get the people interested in law and order, and Miller stands for law."
"I just don't like the thought of so many, though," he said. "It reminds me of a foreign country where there's people in each community spying on each other, almost like a police state. I think American people like their freedom too much to stand for that."
MILLER, HOWEVER, emphasized that although 1,700 cards had been printed, the card expired every two years. Because many had been reissued, that many cards aren't out, he said.
Furthermore, Miller said, many of the cards were held by police officers, judges, parole officers, KBI officers, officers of state boards, federal officials and county and district attorney offices.
"The majority of the people are connected with the government," he said.
Miller said he thought too much fuss was being made of the whole subject.
"IT'S NO BIG DEAL," he said. "The cards don't give more many rights than the ordinary citizen has. Anyone can carry weapons. A citizen has the right to carry a gun, and the holder is subject to the law just like everyone else."
"No card issued makes a citizen an officer or a policeman. People don't know what they're talking about."
MORIS KAY, the 1972 Republican nominee for governor, said he thought that issuing secret agent cards was very wrong when issued to untrained citizens.
"If they are issued to trained law personnel, then it's a very legitimate thing," he said. "But when they are issued to citizens who apparently made a mistake on the campaign, then I would call that a misuse of power."
Kay said that in 1971, when he was in the Kansas
Legislature, there was some discussion on the special agent cards.
"At that time, we were told only a few were sent out." Kay said. "We wouldn't have known about it anyway. The legislature had no way of knowing," he said.
"There is a lot involved in these matters" he said, "and each case is carefully weighed."
In response to accusations that cards have been issued in return for campaign contributions, Miller said that the company has no liability.
According to the Kansas City Star, "the few" cards issued were 200 in January 1971, the month he took office. The Star also reported that 500 cards were printed in February 1971, 250 in November 1972, 250 in February 1973 and 500 in September 1973.
Tom Van Stickle, Republican candidate for attorney general, said he thought the cards could be used in a vote.
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The University of Kansas—Lawrence, Kansas
84th Year, No. 170
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Strange Harvest Under Way in Kansas Fields
Firm Charged with Illegally Funneling Funds
A Minnesota public relations firm was charged yesterday with adding in illegally funneling $82,000 in milk producer funds for political purposes. The special Watergate prosecutor's office charged that the 1972 campaign of Sen Hubert Humphrey, D-Minn., received $2,500 in illegal corporate milk funds; Sen James Aborekz, D-S-D., was furnished with $7,000 in campaign services; and the rest vented to unnamed Democratic candidates elsewhere.
Hughes Indicted by Grand Jury
Billionaire Howard Hughes was indicted by a federal grand jury yesterday on charges of stock manipulation, fraud and conspiracy in connection with the 1968 acquisition of Air West Airlines. Charged with Hughes was Robert Machel, the manager at Nevada operations of the Hughes Tool Co., now known as the Summa Corp.
Franco Better. Faces Political Maneuvering
Franco Butler, Faces Political Maneuvering Gen. Francisco Franco, Spain's ailing leader, ended the most serious hospitalization of his long rule yesterday amid political maneuvering aimed at the end of his regime. His political opposition announced after a secret meeting that it had formed "the democratic junta of Spain" in preparation for the end of Franco's rule.
John Dean to Receive Sentence Friday
John Dean to Receive Sentence Friday
Former White House Counsel John W. Dean III, who has pleaded guilty to a Watergate criminal charge, will be sentenced on Friday, U.S. District Court officials said today.
He could receive a maximum of five years in prison and a fine of $10,000.
Committee Finishes Inquiry
Senate Acts on Weapon and Research Bill
The Senate completed congressional action yesterday on a $22.18 billion weapons procurement and research authorization bill. The measure is $1 billion under President Nixon's budget requests.
WASHINGTON (AP)—The HOUSE Judiciary Committee formally concluded its epic impeachment inquiry last night by three urging "the name of all the people" to the M. Nixon be stripped of the presidency for high crime and other misconduct.
After adopting three articles of impeachment during its six days of nationally broadcast deliberations, the committee defeated 26 to 12 a proposed article citing improvements in Nixon's tax return and improvements to his California and Florida homes.
EARLIER IN THE DAY it had also rejected a charge tied to the unannounced bombing of Cambodia between 1969 and 1972.
It did adopt Article Three, albeit by the narrowest margin yet, which cites the President's defiance of the committee's subpoenaes for tapes and other evidence.
The third article declared that the President "has failed without lawful cause or excuse" to produce tape recordings of 147 presidential conversations and other materials subpoenaed for the impeachment inquiry.
Rep. Robert McClory of Illinois and Rep. Lawrence J. Hogan of Maryland were the only Republicans to vote for the third article. Two southern Democrats, Rep. Beverly Flowers of Alabama and James Mann of South Carolina, joined the opponents.
Opponents of the article attacked it during debate as "overkill" that would destroy the fragile bipartisan coalition that has long embraced margins of support for the first two articles.
Some members who voted against approval said they would support a move on the bill.
GENEVA (AP)—Turkey and Greece, with Britain's consent and an assist from Secretary of State Henry A. Kissinger, signed an accord yesterday in Geneva to and antecede force gradually in Cyprus. The Force is committed to withdrawal of all forces.
Cyprus Agreement Signed
WASHINGTON (AP)—House leaders said yesterday they still hoped the House would take its final impeachment votes and would conclude the procedure by Aug. 23 or June 15, a day before the Committee was taking longer than had been expected to complete work on the articles.
There had been fears that the Greek-
Turkish dispute over the island would lead
to a war between the countries, both of
which were part of the North Atlantic
Treaty Organization.
The agreement was signed after six days
The leadership had aimed at an opening date for debate of Aug. 12, with the windup Aug. 23. This was based on the expectation committee would end its sessions last Saturday.
House Leaders Hope to Finish Debate in Aug.
Majority Leader Thomas P. O'Neill, D-Mus., was Aug. 15, was a more likely likelihood.
of negotiations that were threatened several times by the prospect of Greek or Turkish walkouts. Greece, Turkey and Britain are the guarantors of Cyprus independence, and they will meet again Aug. 8 to discuss long-term provisions for the island's future.
The next step is for the Judiciary Committee to go before the Rules Committee with the report and seek ground rules for the debate. This had been scheduled for Aug. 5 but now probably will come a few days later.
The agreement appeared to solve no basic problem on the island beyond limiting the levels of forces that have been flowing in since Turkey invaded on July 20. Turkey will maintain its military grip over several territories and will help strengthen the divisions between Greek Cypriots and the minority Turkish Cypriots.
THE THREE DELEGATIONS announced agreement on the document earlier Monday after Kissinger reportedly made several telephone calls to Turkish Premier Bulent Ecevit and Greek Premier Constantine Caramanis.
The delegates said the accord recognized present military lines on Cyprus and gave Turkish troops there the right to intervene if Turkish forces threatened the safety of Cyprus Cypriots.
The pact also calls for creation of two separate governing administrations for Greek and Turkish Cyprus, a move which is expected to night lead to the island's eventual partition.
BEFORE THE TURKISH pronouncement, the Geneva negotiations appeared deadlocked because Turkey was apparently refusing to budge from its key demands, including a refusal to commit itself to any withdrawal of forces on Corvus.
Turkish Premium Ecvent and Greek Premier Carannani, urging them to modify their
But early yesterday, British Foreign Secretary James Callaghan said an overnight recess had "opened up new areas for maneuvering." It was during this time that Kissinger in Washington also reportedly made a number of telephone calls to both
A key roadblock in the negotiations has all along been the presence of the more than 20,000 Turkish troops on the island and the rest of Turkey, this country to even a gradual withdrawal.
A TURKISH OFFICIAL said that according to the agreement, Turkey would begin gradually phasing out and reducing the force "after the establishment of a new constitutional order and peace and security on the island . . ."
the allegations in either of the first two articles.
The British foreign secretary said that upon signing the accord troops on Cyprus were to freeze their positions and "desist from hostile and offensive activities."
"Any additional articles would extend the proceeding unnecessarily," said Rep. M. Caldwell Butter of Virginia, a prosecution librarian, in a reference to the House debate.
Callaghan told newsmen that the agreement "creates conditions under which Greece and Turkey can draw back from not making war on each other."
On the island yesterday, a United Nations' spokesman said the Turkish military for the second straight day prevented a U.N. convoy from taking food to some 5,500 Greek Cypriot civilians trapped in Turkish-controlled territory in and around the northern port city of Kyrenia.
"We don't need this article and it serves no useful purpose to mure it." said Rutter.
While McClory and other minority members of the committee were active in behind-the-scenes drafting of the first two impeachment articles, the dayer yesterday marked the first time a Republican had taken a recommendation for removal of Nixon.
He said Greek Cypriot and Turkish military officers were to meet on Cyprus today to determine the precise position of the line dividing the two sides.
"Would we be seriously thinking about impeaching the President of the United States for this offense alone?" asked Flowers. "I think not."
TURKISH CYPIROT LEADER Rauf Denkasht the food and water must first be handed over to Turkish Cypriot officials who he said in turn would distribute them to the Greek Cypriots, U.N. spokesman Rudolf Staiduhar said such an arrangement
The broad coalition of all 21 Democrats
See CYPRUS Page 3
Between April 11 and June 24, the committee issued eight subpoenas demanding tapes of 147 presidential conversations for evidence in its impeachment inquiry.
Calling impeachment the "ultimate
caption against presidential tyranny," Rep.
Wayne McCarthy said on Tuesday.
"This would be political overkill," said Railbacks who then turned toward Chairman Peter W. Rodmøn Jr., D-NJ, and added that what happens to your fragile coalition.
Some key Republicans who had voted for the first two articles, including Rep. Tom McCain of Illinois and Harold Froehlich of West Virginia, spoke against the McClory proposal.
and six or seven of the 17 Republians that forged the first two articles began dissolving with the start of debate on the subpoena charge.
But in doing so, a White House spokesman said, the President will claim that portions of a few of the tapes should be withheld from special prosecutor Leon Jaworski on grounds of national security or executive privilege.
★ ★ ★
President Nixon Turns over Group of Tapes to Sirica
The President's chief defense lawyer, James D. St. Clair, handed over to Sirica for judicial review 11 original reels and copies of 17 conversations, St. Clair said the president. Conversations due to be submitted yesterday already were in the court's possession.
WASHINGTON (AP)—President Nixon yesterday surrendered the first batch of subpoenaed Watergate tapes to U.S. District Judge John J. Sirica in compliance with last week's historic Supreme Court ruling.
Earlier, Deputy White House Press Secretary Gerald L. Warren said the Supreme Court's 8-0 decision ordering the President to give up 64 taped conversations to Jaworski permitted Nixon to claim that he was regarding specific portions of the tapes.
Sirica is to screen the tapes for material he deems relevant for use as evidence
ability to assert its impeachment power would be drastically weakened if the President were allowed to defy its subpoenas.
The tapes include conversations between Nixon and his former top aides, H. R. Haliden, John D. Ehrlichman and John W. Dean III, in March and April 1973.
St. Clair said various notes, documents and other memoranda related to the conversations would be submitted today.
"The committee must say to future presidents that impeachment will be automatic if the President exercises its power to impeach a president. Froehlich said the subpoena issue was "clearly a case of the alleged absolute power of the President against the alleged executive powers of the Congress. At best, we have two great powers of government involved in a stalemate."
He said that such a confrontation should not be used as a ground for immeachment.
Shortly after the debate began, the committee voted 24 to 14 to amend the bill. The House passed a new law specifically to this impeachment inquiry and to direct actions by the President.
As reflected by the debate, there had been internal splits on the issue ever since the President made it clear he would not comply with the subpoenas.
RODINO HAD BLOCKED moves to refer Nixon's noncompliance to the full house with a recommendation that the President be cited for contempt of Congress.
The chairman also blocked proposals to seek a court rulng on whether Nixon had the authority to defy an investigation into his conduct in office.
In a letter to the President on May 30, Rodino said the committee "regards your refusal to comply with its lawful subpoenas as a grave matter."
He added that the committee would be tree to consider whether the refusals might be rational.
Except for Rep. Edward Hutchinson of Michigan, the ranking Republican, every committee member voted for at least one of the subpoenas.
As the nationally broadcast deliberations moved toward a climax, the House Rules Committee postponed consideration of a resolution to airing the airing of the debate in the full house.
Harvest Time
The one crop in Kansas that doesn't seem to be affected too adversely by the recent dry weather—the weed, cannabis. Related stories on pages 4 and 5.