Death penalty plea causes controversy

Press, Volume CXIII, Issue 33121, 11 January 1973, Page 9

Death penalty plea causes controversy

ty Z PA. Sta ff Correspondent i

WASHINGTON. Jan. 10.

The advocacy of a mandatory death penalty for aircraft hijackers by’ the United States Attorney-General (Mr Richard Kleindienst) has given rise to controversy within the Administration.

Mr Kleindienst included hijacking in a list of crimes, including kidnapping, the assassination of a public official, the killing of a prison guard, and the bombing of a public building, for which he believed the death penalty;

should be retained. These were, he declared, “cold-blooded, premeditated Federal crimes.”

But his views appear not 'to coincide with those his department is preparing to place today before the aviation sub-committee of the Senate Commerce Committee. The concensus among leading American legal experts is that a mandatory death i penalty’ for hijacking would I tend to aggravate, rather than 'assist, moves to combat air | piracy. The experts believe that, i faced with arrest, a hijacker I would be more inclined to blow up the aircraft and pas-i sengers if he faced execution.! A number of officials have! also pointed out that many; nations refuse to permit the' extradition of criminals if! they know the criminals will] be executed if found guilty.! A mandatory death penalty! for hijackers could thus' hamper the American effort! to win international agree- 1

ment on a code of procedure to deal with air piracy.

A bill to make the murder of law-enforcement officials and firemen punishable by death was introduced in the Senate today by Senator James Eastland, chairman of the Senate Judiciary Committee. It would also authorise rewards of up to SUSSO.OOO for information about the killing of policemen.