Journal Gazette from Mattoon, Illinois • Page 3

yrrr lUttooo Journal Guette-S Co in) "it Ilk AAifchell granted parole 1 1 0 '-f TF. 1 i WASHINGTON (UPI) Unless the U.S. Parole Commission changes its mind, former Attorney General John Mitchell will spend Christmas in a federal prison in Alabama the last Watergate figure to be freed. The commission Thursday granted parole for Mitchell effective Jan. 19, 1979, which would mean a 19-month term.

The nation's former chief law enforcement officer was convicted of conspiracy and obstruction of justice for attempting to cover up the 1972 break-in at the Democratic National Committee's headquarters in the Watergate complex. The commission, in a rare statement explaining its decision, said Mitchell must -stay in prison until January because he spent five months on furlough for an operation to correct a ballooned artery and replace a disintegrated hip. "In reaching this decision, the commissioners considered that his offense was rated as high severity and that his guideline range was 16 to 20 months," the commission said. "This decision was based on his relative culpability and that of his co-defendants and the extent of time spent on furlough status." The commission has used an 18-months-in-jail guideline in past Watergate cases involving Nixon's most trusted aides. William Hundley, Mitchell's Washington attorney, said he was "terribly disappointed" with the decision and said that if Mitchell approves, he will appeal to the full Parole Commission asking for an earlier date.

"I certainly don't think he should Mitchell during Watergate hearings WASHINGTON (UPI) President Carter says Peter Bourne is still his friend, but he doesn't want to talk about the "unfortunate occurrence" involving a phony name for a patient on a sedative prescription that drove his drug adviser from office. Carter, looking solemn, opened -his Thursday night news conference by telling reporters the Bourne affair was off-limits to their questions. The 38-year-old psychiatrist had resigned a few hours earlier, insisting he would be vindicated. "Dr. Bourne is a close friend of mine and my family," the president said.

"He is an able and dedicated public servant. Because of this unfortunate occurrence, he has left government." Carter said he would not discuss the matter because he did not want to influence pending investigations. Bourne is being investigated by police in nearby Prince William County, following the arrest last week of a Washington, D.C. woman who was charged with trying to have an illegal prescription filled. Carter's long-time friend and associate acknowledged writing a prescription for the sedative Quaalude for his top aide, Ellen Metsky.

He made it out to a "Sarah Brown," he said, in order to protect Ms. Metsky 's privacy. The police in Virginia arrested Ms. Metsky's former roommate, Toby Long, who went to a druggist to have it filled as a favor to her friend. Federal laws require accurate names and addresses on prescription forms for the drug, and provide stiff penalties for violators.

If indicted and convicted, Bourne could face up to five years in jail and a $15,000 fine. Bourne, who on Wednesday took an indefinite leave of absence from the job, said he used the fictitious name purely to protect Ms. Metsky and "never Intended to do anyone harm." "Even though I make mistakes," Bourne told Carter in the letter, "they are of the heart and not of the mind. "I presume that somehow the traditional system of justice will work toward my vindication." County attorney Paul Ebert said it probably would take about a week to complete the investigation, and that he will decide at that time whether to take any action against Bourne. "I think within a week's time we would probably know and I'll make a determination then," Ebert said.

Quaalude, a potent sedative and hypnotic drug, has become popular in the drug culture largely because of rumors that it also is an aphrodisiac. In -his resignation-letter, told, Carter there are "constant and unrelenting attacks upon me by those who seek to hurt you through my disparagement. "I fear for the future of the nation far more than I do for the future of your friend," the letter said. Powell told reporters Bourne has written about 10 prescriptions for members of the White House staff, including diet pills for the president's top adviser, Hamilton Jordan. Carter shied away from discussing the loss of his drug abuse adviser, Dr.

Peter have been penalized for the time v. Strikes grip nation United Press International Summer strike fever has moved into the nation's capital where a wildcat walkout by half the city's transit force stranded 100,000 commuters and caused new auto pollution problems. It was the fifth labor crisis to hit a major city in the last week. New Orleans garbage collectors agreed late Thursday to end a bitter three-day Wfl rapped 'fi -2m 1 reporter's question in many many months. I just wish he'd take Andy Young with him." Doman said Quaaludes are the "No.

twtvi pin Wll V1K. IUII oviiuvi iiu ill grammar school campuses in California" because kids think they enhance sex, "so to see at the White House the nation's No. 1 uuiiui paaamg uui uaaiuucs 13 dll unparalleled outrage from this ad-; ministration." Rep. Lester Wolff, chairman of a House select committee on narcotics and dangerous drugs, said he did not have all the facts and therefore could not "pass! judgment" on Bourne, but called him "an able individual in the job he has held. Hongisto, recently named to head the New York State prison system, charged he was pressured by top Kucinich aides to back oft on an investigation into bribe-taking bi some city officials.

-i Organizers of the recall drive a coalition of old-line political group! spanning both the Democratic ani Republican parties gathered some 39,000 signatures on petitions to force the -recall balloting. Since then, Kucinich has had to deal with a chaotic, 19 hour police strike last week that left the city of 800,000 unprotected, and an announcement by the two major New York City municipal credit-rating agencies declaring Cleveland's bonds unmarketable. 1 President answers Bourne, but several congressmen were not so reticent. They described the resignation everything from a "wise move" tq a "deep loss to the administration." "I do not know the details of the situation, but I think his actions in resigning certainly show respect for the office of the president and his responsibility as drug abuse adviser to the, president," said Rep. Paul Rogers, chairman of House Commerce Subcommittee on Health.

Rep. Robert Doman, called Bourne's resignation "about the healthiest thing that's happened in the White House "No one here gets any personal satisfaction out of this," Cuyahoga County Democratic Party Chairman Timothy F. Hagan said after the vote. "But we now urge the voters of this once-great city to vote to recall Dennis Kucinich." A Democrat by registration, Kucinich has long been considered a maverick reformer by party leaders. In fact, he has accused "party bosses" of being among those pushing for his removal from office.

Hagan had invited the mayor to address the convention, but In typical Kucinich fashion, the mayor announced he'd instead be spending the evening bowling. The drive to oust Kucinich from office was sparked last March, when he fired popular Police Chief Richard Hongisto. I mmm spent on furlough undergoing two major operations that could not have been performed within the prison system," Hundley said in a telephone interview. Hundley said the operations "endangered his life and he's still suffering from the effects." Asked how Mitchell reacted to the news at the minimum security prison at Maxwell Air Force Base in Alabama, Hundley said: "He's taking it better than I am." Richard Nixon's attorney general became eligible for parole June 20, wildcat strike triggered by a dispute over equipment breakdowns. Strikers' representatives called on workers to return today.

In Philadelphia, 20,000 striking non-uniformed city workers voted today on a new contract to end a week-long walkout that paralzyed most city operations. Union officials said picketing would continue comparison. "It was noted during the conversation (between Brezhnev and Husak) that attempts by certain imperialist circles to pose as champions of human rights and freedoms are hypocritical from beginning to end," Tass said. "In reality, their statements on this matter are motivated by desire to interfere in the internal affairs of other states and peoples." The Soviet press has included almost daily commentaries on the Western reaction to the sentences of Ginzburg and Shcharansky since their trials ended last week. Stories have accused the West of violating the Helsinki accords by trying to meddle in the internal affairs of the Soviet Union.

The official Communist Party daily Pravda Thursday accused Carter of trying to "blackmail" the Soviet Union on human rights by cancelling the sale of a U.S. computer system. Pravda said the move was "an old rusty instrument was pressure and blackmail" and "another manifestation of the course of deliberate worsening of relations with theU.S.S.R." Ugandan President Idi Amin, also attacking the U.S., says he is "not against America," but complains "Zionists" have taken control of the American people. smaller Jetstar aircraft, in April. The promotors planned to fly the Lisa Marie to 50 states and charge couples $300 each for a look inside the posh interior of the airplane and a gift pack of "Add a-Tune," an oil additive marketed by Superior Lubricant.

The church hoped to raise $1 million for its building fund. The planned nationwide tour opened May 1 at Texas Stadium but the Texas attorney general charged the method of promoting the oil additive violated the state's deceptive practices law. Last week, Philpott filed for personal bankruptcy, listing assets of $2,800 and debts of $7.4 million. The suit" said a check for $24,035.66, representing partial payment on the one-year airplane insurance premium, was Issued by Superior Lubricant May 1 but that when the plaintiff presented it for payment May 5 to a Dallas bank, the bank said payment on the check had It said Philpott on June 6 signed a note promising to pay $7,672.75 as iniai payment, dui inai payment had not been made. the but his medical furlough delayed a required preliminary interview by parole examiners until July 5.

He was sentenced on Feb. 21, 1975, to serve 30 months to eight years. The sentence was reduced to one-to-four years along with those of former Nixon aides John Ehrlichman and H.R. Haldeman on Oct. 7, 1977.

Ehrlichman, who entered prison before the others, was granted parole earlier this year after serving 18 months. Haldeman will be paroled in December, also after 18 months in prison. during the vote. The Washington strike Thursday shut down the city's subway for the first time in its 2Vi-year existence and grounded all but a few of the 1,600 buses. Some 100,000 commuters used cars, bicycles, their legs and thumbs to get about.

The strike caused traffic jams for miles in the Washington area mess," said one ommuter and -created new smog i problems for the capital, already under its first air pollution alert of the year. U.S. District Judge Louis Oberdorfer Thursday issued an eight-day restraining order aaginst the wildcat walkout by 2,000 transit employee. A hearing on a preliminary injunction was set for July 28. But there was no immediate move by striking bus drivers, subway motormen and mechanics to go back.

Early today the subway remained closed and no buses were on the rood. Oberdorfer also required "expedited arbitration" of a cost-of-living dispute and directed transit officials to post a surety bond to finance the 20-cents-an-hour hike in question. The walkout was called by mechanics angry at the absence of the raise in their Wednesday paychecks and grew when bus and rail operators refused to cross the mechanics' picket lines. Ronald G. Kuba, a mechanic from Alexandria, said he would follow the majority sentiment but praised the judge's move.

"Nobody wants to disobey a court order. The judge seemed very fair in that he put the money up front," he said. Garbage collectors in New Orleans agreed to go back on the job after a meeting Thursday night between their representatives and city attorneys. The city had earlier taken action to repair many sanitation trucks. "We feel the walkout has accomplished its main priority to help solve the longstanding problem of the maintenance problem associated with the sanitation department," said workers' representative Steven Frederick.

But the strikers were stymied in their effort to expand the dispute to wages, which weren't due to come up for discussion until the fall. Even before the meeting, a third of the 612 employees had gone back to work. The walkout, which was in violation of a "no-strike" contract clause, grew bitter at times with reports of equipment vandalism and accusations by Mayor Ernest Morial the strikers were trying "intimidate" their colleagues into staying out. Sanitation officials said there were no large accummulations of trash in most areas, but the problem may have grown acute over the weekend. Heaps of hospital garbage were piled on open-bed trailers at some medical complexes.

Philadelphia's workers walked out in a dispute over wages and the city's intention to Institute layoffs to pay for a 9-percent raise for firemen and policemen. They won a 7-percent wage hike in the first year of the new pact and a cost-of-living raise in the second. But Mayor Frank Rizzo said there was no way to avoid dismissals. "There will be layoffs," the mayor said. "There has to be to make up the costs of these settlements.

I'll keep the number as low as I can." Lottery winners CHICAGO (UPI) Winning numbers drawn Thursday In the Illinois State Lottery's 50-cent Big Pay Day game were 079, 46, 8, 7338. Winning numbers in the $1 Gold Strike game were 07, 10, 20, 02. MOSCOW (UPI) President Leonid Brezhnev, in his first known public statement on the controversy over the trials of Soviet dissidents, called the West "hypocritical" for defending Anatoly Sh-charansky and Alexander Ginzburg. Brezhnev's remarks were included Thursday in an official Tass news agency summary of a meeting he had with Czechoslovakian President Gustav Husak in the Crimea, where the Soviet leader is vacationing. It was the first time an official Soviet publication has referred to Brezhnev in reaction to the Western outcry over the trials of Shcharansky and Ginzburg.

Shcharansky, a 30-year-old computer scientist, was convicted of treason last week in connection with his dissident activities and contacts with Western reporters. He was sentenced to 13 years In prison the first three in close confinement, followed by 10 years at a hard labor camp. Ginzburg, 41, a radio repairman and human rights activist, was convicted of anti-Soviet agitation and propaganda and sentenced to eight years in a labor camp. The Western reaction, from President Carter on down, was harsh and clear. The Soviet Union was accused of ignoring the rights of the two dissidents.

Brezhnev's response was mild in L. I II III -7 A HI i I 1 $416,278 suit k. gLy-. Cleveland Democrats back recall of Mayor Dennis Kucinich Kucinich must face party MURPHYSBORO, 111. (UPI) -Participants in a grounded promotion involving two airplanes once owned by Elvis Presley have been named in a $416,278.55 lawsuit filed by an airplane insurance company.

The suit for breach of contract on defaulted insurance premium payments was filed this week in Jackson County Circuit Court by the Aviation Insurance Center of Car-bondale. The company said it had never received any part of the $72,109 annual premium on the two former Presley planes. Named as defendants in the suit for actual and punitive damages are: The Rev. J. Lloyd Tomer, pastor of the First Church of God in Benton, and the church; Robert Philpott, president of the Superior" Lubricant Co.

of Dallas, and the lubricant; the oil company; and the owner of the two former Presley planes, International Alrmotive of Washington, D.C. The First Church of God and Superior Lubricant leased the former Presley planes, a Convair 800 jet named the "Lisa Marie," and a CLEVELAND (UPI) Mayor Dennis Kucinich already battling a belligerent City Council, an embittered police force and unhappy municipal worker unions now will have to fight his own party to stay in office as the nation's youngest big-city mayor. The Cuyahoga County Democratic Party Committee voted overwhelmingly Thursday night to support the recall of Kucinich, 31, who took office nine months ago. On Aug. 13, Kucinich will face the first recall election in Cleveland's history.

A precise tally was not taken, but of approximately 600 party committee1 members attending, only about 20 voted to support Kucinich. About 150 abstained from voting, 1.1..