| Show I Report from j e e Expensive H-Fi H WASHINGTON D.C.-A D.C. hits hi hi- ts n set that cost less than could be the most expensive gift whIch President Johnson ever received IT IS now producing discordant dis dis- c political music which provides pleasant listening on on ly Iy for Cor And having seized upon It liS as what they regard a saleable campaign issue the G 0 P strategists are turning t the e volume vol vol- ume up to a decibel level they hope will shatter Democratic eardrums THEY TIlEY SEEK by playing the tune loud enough and long enough they can rate the stern ster eo set In the same bracket bracke with the deep freeze and vi cuna coat scandals that rocked the Truman and Eisenhower Administrations Actively pursuing that tactic the the- tic are arc Sell Sen John Williams the Delaware R Republican e pub 11 can whose private prodding and probing the Bobby Baker investigation and GOP members of the Senate Rules Committee which is conducting conduct conduct- G lag ing it From time to time other other oth- oth er minority party members In both the Senate and house including Presidential Asp Aspirant r ant Barry Goldwater ter have hav re e added their voice to the alti cal chorus IT WAS of course the Baker Bak er case wl which ch unearthed th the e hl-fi hl gift gitt Don Reynolds a Silver Springs insurance executive and business associate of Bakers Baker's Bak ers er's cr says ays he bought and paid for the n hl-n and arranged to have hare it ft sent to the Johnson home in 1959 at Bakers Baker's suggestion suggestion sug sug- after writing a policy polley on on Johnsons Johnson's life DOCUMENTS for forthe forthe the committee rec records support sup sup- port he purchase The President who was Senate Senate Sen Sen- ate Majority Leader at the time has has' described the the gUt gift however as a present from Baker and presented with no strings r gs attached HE VOLUNTEERED that explanation at an informal press conference and has since then characterized it as a closed on which he would have no furth further r comment Its It's now been learned even the original statement was made mad against the strong ad vice of some influential Capitol Capi tol Hill figures who said the question should not have bave been dignified by any Presidential comment ONE ASPECT of the Baker case with a White House tie Ue on which the President has bas said nothing is Reynolds Reynolds' irony mony that he also purchased more Inore than 1200 1200 worth of advertising ad ad- on the Johnson fame Uy fly television station after aner the insurance sale then turned the time over to a business associate asso- asso elate because he himself couldn't profitably use it What's ts t's currently keeping the tho issue issue alive is an expose by Columnist Drew Pearson of unsavory facts in Reynolds Reynolds' background obvIously to discredit his ty as as a witness TIlE THE INFORMATION w was a s gleaned from Defense and State Department files to which Rules Committee Counsel Coun Coun- set sel L 1 P. P McClendon says he was was' denied access on the grounds they were were classified Both Press Secretary Pierre Sali Bolinger ger and Pearson deny the Columnist got his his' mat material e r h I fro from n White House sources THAT RAN counter er t to reports several majar maJor ma- ma jar Jor newspapers attributing the leak to administration |
