Page 597 of 703

MORI DocID: 1451843

MIS. Case

Nixon Kin Is Mind
On Vesco Cash Gift

By JAMES R. POLK
and NICHOLAS HORROCK
Edward C. Nixon, brother
of the President, is helping
his silence in the face of
recent testimony that he
played a role in arranging a
$200,000 campaign contribu-
tion later linked to an alleged
act of fraud.

"We compliment his is wor-
thy. Thank you. Good-
bye," Nixon said when finally
reached yesterday at his
unlisted telephone number
in Edmonds, Wash., after a
week of calls. Then he hung
up.

A New Jersey campaign
official, Harry L. Sears, has
testified he told told Nixon
Nixon brother made a call
to Washington to obtain that
the donation by financier
Robert L. Vesco was wanted
in cash.

Sears said under oath to-
day he was present when the 43-
year-old Nixon arrived at

Vesco's business headquar-
ters in Fairfield, N.J., after
a helicopter flight from New
York City. However, Sears
said he didn't stay for the
meeting among Nixon, Vesco
and business associates.

The Committee and Ex-
change Commission has filed
a civil suit against Vesco ac-
cusing him of a $224 million
fraud in looting the assets of
his soi-called IOS Ltd., a
mutual fund network.

Edward Nixon, in Sears
said is a former director of a
Vesco company, is the second
member of the President's
family to be linked to the
financier. Donald A. Nixon,
a son of the President's other
brother, is Vesco's personal
administrative assistant, ostl-
ally based in Nassau, the Ba-
hamas.

The SEC probe has indi-
cated the $200,000 cash dona-
tion came from funds at Ver-
co's Bahamas Commonwealth

Bank in Nassau. The money
was flown to Washington on
April 10, although the Nixon
campaign failed to report the
donation under the now dis-
closed law.

A federal court hearing is
scheduled Monday in New
York City on the SEC's bid
for an injunction against vio-
lation of securities laws.
Sears' testimony came on
pretrial deposition in the
SEC case.

[illegible] 3.3.73

Papers Called Embarrassing, Polk, N.Y.

00597

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