Indians Ask Nixon to Solve Impasse
Indians Ask Nixon to Solve Impasse
Indians occupying the Bureau of Indian Affairs building urged President Nixon tonight to help find a solution in the impasse between the demonstrators and Federal officials, who have given the Indians an ultimatum to evacuate by tomorrow morning.
Dennis Banks, field director for the American Indian Movement, said the Indians were rejecting the latest overture from the Government, an offer of an interdepartmental auditorium--the same facility proffered repeatedly in the last four days--with showers added.
Mr. Banks said that if the Indians had agreed to move into the auditorium, Federal officials would have arranged an appointment for them with Rogers C. B. Morton, Secretary of the Interior.
About 200 Indians took over the Bureau of Indian Affairs building last Thursday as part of a protest against alleged grievances over the Government's treatment of Indians. The number inside the building yesterday was put at about 350.
No New Talks
Mr. Banks said no new negotiations were planned, and that appointments the Indians said had been arranged by John D. Ehrlichman, the President's assistant for domestic affairs, have been canceled. He said the Indians did not know the reason, but an Interior Department spokesman said the appointments were never arranged.
"Both this Administration and our caravan are backed up against the election," Mr. Banks said. "Zero hour is too close to provide meaningful discussion." He added:
"The Government wants this building, they don't care about us.
The Indians policy council met for 45 minutes tonight to consider the latest offer from the Federal negotiators.
During that time, they refined the wording of the telegram they were sending to Mr. Nixon. It asks him to appoint a special 12-member committee to oversee the situation, including five Government representatives and seven Indians.
It also asks that a meeting of the commission be convened by Mr. Nixon by no later than 8 A.M. tomorrow, the newest deadline for evacuation of the building. The President is at the Western White House in San Clemerte, Calif.
A Government spokesman said after offering the latest proposal that, if the Indians rejected it, a Federal judge would be asked to sign a contempt order giving marshals authority to eject the demonstrators from the building.
Vernon Bellecourt, national coordinator of the American Indian Movement, told newsmen earlier tonight that Mr. Ehrlichman and Mr. Garment had agreed to meet with the Indians. The Government said no such meeting had been arranged.
The Indians have demanded speedy revision of their treaties with the Government, reforms in their ownership and control of land and natural resources and the dismissal of three top Federal officials who deal with Indian problems.
On another issue, the United States Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia reversed a lower court's ruling that would have prohibited the Indians from holding religious services in Arlington National Cemetery to honor Indian war dead there. The appeals court stayed the effect of its ruling until tomorrow to allow the Government time to appeal the case to the Supreme Court if it wished.