Rockefeller’s gifts

Press, Volume CXIV, Issue 33664, 14 October 1974, Page 17

Rockefeller’s gifts

(N Z.P.A.-Reuter—Copyright) WASHINGTON, Oct 12. Congressional investigators are expected to focus their attention on whether there was any impropriety in loans and gifts totalling about SUS2m which the Vice-President-designate, Mr Nelson Rockefeller, gave to friends and former aides over the last 17 years. Anxious to quash speculation about his generosity — his gifts included SUSSO,OOO to Dr Henry Kissinger, now Secretary of State — Mr Rockefeller has released a list of names, of people to whom he has given money since 1957. Many were people who worked with him while he was seeking the Republican Presidential nomination. The Senate Rules Committee has already held hearings into Mr Rockefeller’s nomination as Vice-President, and is now awaiting a full, official audit of his finances over the last 10 years. The House of Representatives Judiciary Committee will hold its hearings after the Congressional elections next month. Political observers believe that unless some damaging information is disclosed, Congress is unlikely to block Mr

Rockefeller’s nomination, but the disclosure of his largesse • — “forgiven” loans and gifts . in the hundreds of thousands of dollars — has whetted the curiosity of Congressmen 1 who will be voting on Presi- ’ dent Ford’s choice of his dei puty. t . Mr Rockefeller said in a letter to the Senate Rules ' Committee chairman (Senator " Howard Cannon, Democrat, > Nevada), that he was releas- . ing the list because confiden- ■ tial information he had given to Congress and the Government was being “leaked piecemeal to the press, com- • promising the privacy of in- ■ dividuals and giving rise to I misleading interpretation.” ’ All the gifts had been re- ■ ported to the tax authorities, i and he had paid SUSBO4,OOO i in taxes on the gifts, Mr ' Rockefeller said. : In item after item, Mr i Rockefeller cited close friendship and personal esteem as his only motives, plus helping ■ loyal aides out of personal ; difficulties. “I have been especially forl tunate in being able to share I in the meeting of these ■ needs,” Mr Rockefeller ’ wrote. “That sharing has al- ' ways been a part of my up- ■ bringing, and we have always I lived our lives that way.” Congressional sources say • that reports of the gifts had ; prompted the House Judici- ■ arv Sub-Committee to re- • quest a renewal of an F.B.L

investigation into Mr Rockefeller’s activities. Senator James Allen (Democrat, Alabama), a senior member of the Rules Committee, said that there was a good chance that the panel (would reopen its hearings. “He has been called on to explain the gifts, and we ■shall have to see what he says,” Senator Allen said.