June 19, 1974

The London stock market plunged yesterday to a 12‐year low and the British pound weakened amid new doubts about Britain's economic outlook. Page 61.

Manhattan, NYC, Dist Atty Richard H Kuh announces on June 18 that 'small-scale' illegal sellers of methadone will be given opportunity to plead to drastically lower misdemeanor charge rather than face mandatory life sentence stipluated by state's stringent antidrug law; says action is being taken in accordance with provisions of laws that allow discretion by prosecutors to assure 'human and rational dispositions' for reformed heroin addicts who suffer minor relapses but who 'should not be subject to Draconian measures'; plan will allow methadone sellers to plead guilty to Class A misdemeanor, which carries 1-yr maximum sentence and permits judge to suspend sentence or place defendant on probation; policy is retroactive to Sept '73 and affects 91 low-level methadone cases; conviction of Luis Otero, Sanitation Dept employe convicted of selling 1 vial of methadone, cited (L)

Leon Jaworski, responding to 1st serious public criticism in his 7 mos as Watergate prosecutor, defends plea bargaining as fair, legal and necessary way to prosecute Watergate criminals, int; defends results of bargains prosecution has negotiated; rejects argument that accused are getting off too lightly; cites law, guidelines adopted by Amer Bar Assn and public record of prosecution's work; points out that many defendants, all of those who plea-bargained with exception of ex-Atty Gen Richard G Kleindienst and defendants in cases involving illegal corp campaign contributions, had pleaded guilty to felonies that were punishable by up to 5 yrs and, in 1 case, 10 yrs, in prison; notes those who have pleaded guilty have agreed to testify for prosecution; criticism of Jaworski was touched off to great degree by disposition of potential case of perjury against Kleindienst, 1st by bargain in which Kleindienst pleaded guilty to misdemeanor of failing to testify and withholding information and then sentence of suspended 30-day jail term that he recd; Jaworski responds to charges that have been made for yrs about plea bargaining; Jaworski por

 

illus of Pres Nixon with Jordanian King Hussein in Amman