The Daily Tar Heel Friday, February 26, 19883
.Robertsoe libel suit demies evasion off ffroet-liee dnnty
By CARRIE DOVE
Staff Writer
Republican presidential candidate
Pat Robertson won't be waiting at
his campaign headquarters March 8
for the Super Tuesday primary
returns hell be in court, disputing
allegations that he used his father's
political influence to avoid fighting
in the Korean War.
His libel suit, filed in October 1986,
charged former Rep. Paul McClos
key, R-Calif., and Rep. Andrew Ja
cobs, D-lnd., with "knowingly pass
ing information they believed to be
false," after they made public a letter
written by McCloskey alleging that
Robertson's father, former Sen.
Willis Robertson, used his influence
to keep Robertson out of combat
duty.
Jacobs was dropped from the suit
last August after a judge determined
that he had not knowingly released
a libelous letter.
Robertson enlisted in the Marine
Corps Reserves in 1948 and was
commissioned as a second lieutenant
in 1950. said Georgia Hill, a spokes
woman for Americans for Robertson
in Tennessee.
McCloskey was on a troop trans
port ship with Robertson in 1950 en
route to Korea, but Robertson left
the ship in Japan and was transferred
to a noncombat unit called Casual
Company, largely made up of recu
perating wounded.
The evidence for McCloskey's
allegations is a letter from Sen.
Robertson to the commander of the
Marine forces in Korea, said George
Lehner, McCloskey's lawyer. The
letter thanked the commander for
"having his son go to such an
interesting and historical place in
Japan," Lehner said.
"There is circumstantial evidence
that would suggest that (Sen. Robert
son) let his wishes be known (because
they were good friends)," Lehner said.
Later that year, Robertson trans
ferred to the 1st Marine Division in
Korea as an assistant adjutant, where
he received the Korean Service Medal
and three bronze battle stars, Hill
said.
"The assistant adjutant is largely
an administrative function, responsi
ble to the commanding officer for
correspondence and liaison," said
Capt. Linda Western, a spokeswo
man for the Marine Corps.
McCloskey wrote that Robertson's
duties included the "booze run to
Japan," said Lehner, meaning that he
bought alcohol for the troops.
Also, the Korean Service Medal
with bronze stars is "a location-type
medal, probably just meaning that he
was there," Western said.
But Robertson's case is strong,
campaign officials say.
"He's (Robertson's) got no reason
to back off from saying he was at
the front lines," said deputy national
political director John Rawlson.
Presidential campaigns are where
most politically motivated libel suits
occur, although they are usually
settled out of court after the election,
said Daniel Pollitt, a Kenan professor
of law at UNC.
But Lehner said McCloskey would
not settle.
Robertson officials said the letter
was released to hurt the campaign.
"I think it was an attempt to
discourage him from running," said
Rawlson.
But Pollitt said he disagreed and
that McCloskey probably had a
strong case.
Campaign officials are downplay
ing the effect of the suit.
"We don't think it is going to be
an issue in the campaign," said
Barbara Gattullo, a Robertson
spokeswoman.
Fellow Republican candidate Bob
Dole won't use the information in his
campaign, said press secretary Dale
Tate.
"He would stay away from bring
ing up that issue," she said.
National public opinion hasn't
been affected by the suit, and South
ern voters don't care about the
allegations, said Charles Balan, a
member of Students for Robertson.
"The voters are not really taking
it as an issue," he said."
Out of the 234 sons of senators and
congressmen who were eligible to go
to Vietnam, 28 actually served,
according to a recent article in Vanity
Fair.
PTL to auction Bakker house
By BETH RHEA
Staff Writer
The $950,000 former home of
televangelists Jim and Tammy
Bakker is among eight residences to
be sold in an auction to raise money
for the financially strapped PTL
ministry', said M.C. "Red" Benton,
the newly-appointed interim vice
president of finance and
administration.
U.S. Bankruptcy Judge Rufus
Reynolds approved the ministry's
plan last week to hold the auction
April 16 in addition to staging a
telethon from Feb. 29 to April 1.
"We've been in the process of
restoring credibility," said Linda Ivey,
director of media services, "and
people are beginning to feel confident
that it's being restored."
The response from the ministry's
supporters has been "continually
growing," she said. PTL had its
largest audience ever Feb. 23 for the
taping of its live program, she said.
In addition, PTL took 40 percent
more phone calls from viewers than
a week ago. " We Ye had a tremendous
increase in the number of people who
have called and reported how God
has worked in their lives," Ivey said.
PTL has changed its concentration
from raising money for completing
construction projects on the minis
try's complex to ministry, Benton
said.
"We feel that if we minister, the
response will continue to grow and
our financial needs will be met," Ivey
said. "Money will follow ministry."
The ministry is preparing to imple
ment a reorganization plan under
Chapter 1 1 bankruptcy law regula-
Church
founder to
give seminar
By AMY GRUBBS
Staff Writer
Mary Cosby, founder of the
Church of the Saviour in Washing
ton, D.C., will be holding a seminar
at the University Presbyterian
Church this Saturday from 3 p.m. to
5:15 p.m.
The seminar, entitled "Inward
Journey, Outward Journey," will
explore the interaction between
spiritual growth, such as prayer, and
human relations projects, such as
missions for the needy.
Cosby said that personal spiritual
growth combined with human rela
tions projects is the main thrust of
the interracial, nondenominational
church that she and her husband
Gordon founded in 1948.
The church is responsible for
funding a hospital for the homeless,
a home for Central American refu
gees, a school for emotionally dis
turbed youths and a Montessori
school for underprivileged children,
Cosby said. The church also buys and
renovates old buildings, providing
housing for people who have "lower
than lower income," she said.
In addition to the hospital for the
homeless, the church has also opened
two separate medical clinics in
Washington, D.C.
"The Church of the Saviour's
doctrine is very middle-of-the-road,"
said University Presbyterian Church
member Catherine Dickman, who
has studied the Church of the Sav
iour. The church does not use a literal
translation of the Bible, she said.
Cosby said the Church of the
Saviour has about 200 official
members. She said she had no plans
for branching out into other cities
because she felt . like the nation's
capital was the most important place
to be located.
"There is other community work
to be done, but someone else will have
to do it," Cosby said. "We have our
hands full."
Following the Saturday seminar, a
dinner will be held in the Fellowhip
Hall at 5:30 p.m. The cost is $3.75.
Cosby will also preach during the
9 a.m. and 1 1 a.m. Sunday worship
services at University Presbyterian
Church.
tions. In order to begin implementing
it, PTL needs to have $5 million in
cash by May 2, Ivey said, which
should come from the telethon.
The auction of eight homes should
earn $1.5 million, she said. In addi
tion to this sale, the ministry received
the court's permission to sell two plots
of land not adjacent to PTL property.
PTL leaders expect the sale of both
the residences and the land to net $5.2
million, Ivey said. These funds will
go toward meeting the next goal of
the reorganization plan, which is to
obtain $5.2 million by August.
Benton said the PTL spends
$15,000 to $18,000 per day.
"We're running short of the needs,"
he said. "We need to make the
operation break even."
The PTL has an estimated debt of
$75 million and assets totaling $150
million, Benton said, but he expressed
confidence that the ministry's cred
itors would be paid.
"I think it (PTL) has a chance to
reorganize and operate on a sound
basis," Benton said.
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