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RAINBOW NATION NEWS

Image caption: Nixon and His Pal Spiro - Who's Stopping the War?

White Houe Invaded

WASHINGTON (UPI) - President Nixon's guests, mostly old friends and wealthy Republicans erupted in boos and shouts of "Throw the bum out" when a raven-haired singer interrupted an after-dinner show at the White House Friday night to lecture the President on the Vietnam war.

"I think she ought to be torn limb from limb," fumed a redfaced Martha Mitchell as she left on the arm of her husband, the attorney general. "Shameful," said comedian Bob Hope. Evangelist Billy Graham was described ay another guest as "purple."

The President and his 165 guests at a white-tie Medal of Freedom awards dinner had just settled down in the East Room after the meal to listen to a program of old-time songs by Ray Conniff and his singers.

Suddenly one of the singers, Carol Feraci, 30, a registered alien from Toronto, Canada, pulled a hand-written cloth sign reading "Stop the Killing" from the bosom of her floor-length gown and stepped calmly to the state microphone.

"President Nixon," she said, looking down at the front row in the darkened hall, "stop bombing human beings, animals and vegetation.

"You go to church on Sunday and pray to Jesus Christ. If Jesus Christ was in this room tonight, you would not dare to drop another bomb.

"Bless the Berrigans and Daniel Ellsberg."

"The President," she said later, "looked a little shocked, like he didn't believe what was happening, but he tried to keep his smile."

The guests burst into applause, then boos. "Throw the bum out," shouted one man. "No, no, don't throw her out," some other guest yelled.

At Conniff's quiet suggestion. Miss Feraci left the room, trailed by photographers, reporters and Herbert G. Klein, the President's Communications director, as the singers struck up with "It's the Talk of the Town."

Miss Feraci, a professional singer who has been living in Los Angeles for 10 years, said she was hired by Conniff only last week and "decided at that moment that I would make this speech. I made the sign myself and stuffed it down the bosom of my dress. I wrote the speech myself and memorized it.

She added: "I thought I would get national publicity because- I think it's time someone had the courage to say these things."

Meanwhile upstairs, when the program ended with the singing of "God Bless America," the President stepped onto the platform and was reported to have reassured Conniff, saying: "Oh forget it, those things will happen."

ELVIS the NARC

The following column by Jack Anderson appeared in last Sunday's Free Press:

WASHINGTON - By presidential dictum, swivler Elvis Presley has been issued a federal narcotics badge. Presley was so overwhelmed at getting his own gold-plated badge that tears sprang from his eyes, and he grabbed President Nixon in a bear hug.

The rock 'n' roll star is a police buff who collects law enforcement badges and donates thousands of dollars to police charities. Hearing of this, Deputy Narcotics Director John Finlator a few months ago sought to enlist Presley in the anti-drug fight.

Finlator Invited the singer to the Narcotics Bureau for a quiet visit and arranged for the guards to admit him under the psuedonym of "John Burroughs." 

Presley pulled up in front of the Narcotics Bureau in a gaudy Cadillac. Resplendent in purple suit and cloak, with a gold belt buckle and amber sunglasses, he had half the secretaries in the building oohing and aahing.

Presley agreed to cooperate with the anti-drug campaign and offered to donate $5,000 to the Narcotics Bureau. Finlator explained that the Bureau isn't permitted to accept donations.

Then Presley showed Finlator some police badges and asked whether he could have one from the Narcotics Bureau. "I can't," said Finlator apologetically. "I absolutely can't let you have one." 

Presley said he had an appointment at the White House. "Would you mind," he asked, "if I asked President Nixon for a Narcotics badge?"

"That's the only way you'll ever get it, Elvis," replied Finlator good humoredly.

At the White House, Presley chatted with the President briefly, then raised the question of the badge.

"See that he gets it," the President directed his top enforcement advisor, Egil (Bud) Krogh. Unable to suppress his excitement, Elvis hugged the startled Nixon. 

Krogh called Finlator and asked him to bring a badge to the White House.

When Finlator finally handed Presley the badge and promised to issue him "consultant" credentials, the singer was overcome with emotion, and his eyes became misty.

Daniel Berrigan Paroled

WASHINGTON (LNS) Daniel Berrigan, the Catholic priest imprisoned for burning draft board records in Catonsville, Md., was granted parole on January 26, He will be released on February 24, remaining on parole until the end of his three year sentence in August, 1973.

It seemed that the United States Parole Board granted Father Berrigan parole after his second hearing due to his poor health (he has a hernia, ulcers, and heart trouble) and the fear that he might become sicker or die in prison.

Eluding the police for four months, and making many "hit and run" public appearance, Berrigan was finally captured on August 11, 1970.

On January 26, Philip Berrigan released this statement:

The news of my brother's parole was totally unexpected yet received with the utmost joy by myself, the defendants, our lawyers - all who know and love Dan. Very simply, we thank God and thank our friends who worked so steadfastly for his release.

We hope that the same measure of sanity will apply to the registers, to those who have risked life and freedom for peace in the world, for what Dan teaches and stands for and lives.

Berrigan will be teaching at Woodstock College, a seminary in New York state, when gets out of jail