June 19, 1973

US Sup Ct on June 18 refuses to rev case of T S Leonhard, who sought Govt assistance in finding his children and divorced wife; his wife married ex-convict P Calabrese, star witness in '67 organized crime prosecution in Buffalo, who is being protected with new identity, home and occupation for his role as informer in trial; Govt held that lives of wife and children would be in danger if identity was revealed

NYS Atty Gen L J Lefkowitz announces on June 18 that his investigation of suspected Repub-aided scheme to siphon votes from Dem candidates for Assembly has been turned over to Manhattan Dist Atty Hogan for possible criminal prosecution; issues brief statement saying only that evidence, including testimony and exhibits, has been sent to Hogan; adds that Albany County Dist Atty A W Proskin has recd information relating to state law that candidates must file campaign statements with State Sec in Albany; inquiry has focused in part on office of Assembly Speaker P B Duryea; announcement makes no reference to individuals or to Repub figures whose campaign statements have been scrutinized; refers to complaint about purported Liberal literature used in '72 Assembly campaign; Nassau County Repub Com acknowledges providing to Liberal party postage mailing labels used to send out some of anti-Dem campaign literature under investigation by Lefkowitz; both Repub and Liberal officials in Nassau disclaim any knowledge of how labels apparently came to be used by H J Relkin, former Queens Liberal who sent out literature and who holds patronage job on Assembly Repub staff; basic question in inquiry is whether Repub Assembly campaign funds were improperly channeled to help Liberal party in certain marginal dists in '72 to cut Dem vote and preserve Repub majority in Assembly; Duryea spokesman denies rept that Assembly Repubs' communication dir J C Threatte delivered copies of suspect literature to Queens printer, who has contended to state investigators that he had printed 'Liberal' literature and was paid with check from Repub campaign fund; literature, printed over Relkin's signature, has been denounced by Liberal party officials as unauthorized; Relkin insists that it is legitimate; Duryea meets on June 18 with Assemblyman J E Kingston, Repub majority leader who was chmn of Repub Assembly campaign in '72; Kingston has said that he had very little to do with campaign com's activities and knows nothing about Lefkowitz inquiry; in related development, officials of NY Com to Re-elect the Pres cast doubt on Repub Assemblyman A A DelliBovi's suggestion that Pres Nixon campaign was responsible for Repub literature on Long Island linked to material under investigation by Lefkowitz; DelliBovi has said that he believes campaign leaflets that mentioned DelliBovi's name as local candidate had come from natl com; F G Perrotta, former head of NYC com to re-elect Nixon, says that he cannot recall such literature and that as rule no such Pres campaign material incorporated names of local candidates; 4th verified instance of campaign mailing sent out by Relkin is disclosed on June 18 by Assemblyman V F Nicolosi, freshman Queens Dem who declares that his '72 campaign was evidently 'ripe' for mailing; lr, signed by Relkin, urged voters to support Nicolosi's Liberal party opponent K A Newman

Gen E Geisel chosen next Pres of Brazil by country's mil leaders on June 18; his illus; when he takes office on March 15, '74, he will be 4th mil chief of state since '64 revolution that toppled J Goulart, last elected civilian Pres; formal election of Geisel, now head of state oil monopoly, will be held Jan 15 by Electoral Coll comprised of Cong members and delegates from state legis, in which Govt party has overwhelming majority; Geisel is expected to concentrate on continuing Brazil's econ progress under mil-backed Govt, in which gross natl product has jumped over 10% annually for last 4 yrs and inflation has been brought down considerably; some also feel Geisel will loosen Govt's controls on Cong and pol parties

Rocky Hill, Conn, Mayor Moser charges that voter approval of proposed $2.25-million indus park was bought for $1 per vote by plan proponents, who bribed voters, including some 1,000 elderly veterans who live in local hosp; map; Conn State Sec Schaffer repts election law does not specifically bar vote-buying in referendums, as opposed to regular elections

Nixon, in speech welcoming L I Brezhnev to White House on June 18, and in toast at a state dinner, pledges jointly with Brezhnev to strive for world peace