Officers Wary of Bomb Story

Officers Wary Of Bomb Story

Local law enforcement officials are not taking seriously an “underground newspaper” account of how the Ann Arbor office of the Central Intelligence Agency was dynamited last month.

But Chief Walter E. Krasny says his department "as a matter of routine” has passed on to local Federal Bureau of Investigation agents information on the “bombing account.” FBI men here and in Detroit are attempting to locate the editor of “The Fifth Estate” and a “Josiah Newton,” whose name appears above the story of the bombing.

The “underground" paper, presumably published in Detroit, carries an account of how “Newton” and a companion obtained five sticks of dynamite from a garbage can in a Detroit alley, attached a three-foot-long fuse to the explosive, drove to Ann Arbor and ignited the bomb. Peter Werbe, listed as the editor of the “Fifth Estate,” writes that “Newton is not the bomber’s real name but Werbe says the account given is true.

“Newton” says the dynamite was placed in a paper bag and he and his companion at first planned to tape the bomb to a window of the CIA office at 450 S. Main St. but decided to put it outside the door when an approaching car was spotted.

Assistant Prosecuting Attorney Thomas F. Shea said the account appears to have “little substance.”

“There’s not a thing in that account which could not have been obtained out of any newspaper story,” Shea said. “They must be hard up for material in the underground.”

Chief Krasny and Senior Capt. Harold E. Olson were in touch with federal agents yesterday afternoon shortly after word of the “bomb story” was received.

“Of course, you don’t ignore something like this,” Krasny said. “Our department and the FBI are both looking into it but frankly I can’t say I expect anything but the uncovering of another crank. We’ve got a lot around.”

The chief said if the story in the underground paper proves to be true, a criminal warrant will be sought by his department at once. He said he expects no development on the probe of the story until Monday.