Police Call Bomb Scare SANE 'Publicity Stunt'

Cambridge Police Chief Daniel J. Brennan charged yesterday that the bomb scare before last Sunday's "Sing Out for SANE" was "a publicity stunt." He denied that the scare was staged by the Police Department.

According to Brennan, members of the Police and Fire Departments searched M.I.T.'s Kresge Auditorium, scene of the SANE officials program at 6 p.m. Sunday solely because SANE officials had reported a bomb threat that morning.

"They're the ones that reported it," Brennan said. "They were in the station, and left a statement. That's why we went to Kresge."

Saturday night, Gabriel M. Kolko, tutor in history and a member of the Greater Boston SANE executive committee, told the CRIMSON that he had received a phone call predicting a "bomb care" that afternoon from a man who claimed to be a member of the Police Department.

Brennan said yesterday that such an occurrence was impossible. "If SANE was told by someone in the police department, we would have known about it," he claimed.

Kolko and other SANE officials told the Police Department about the Warning Saturday night and Sunday morning, and left a statement Sunday. Kolko said Sunday that he was notified at 6 p.m. that the police had received a bomb call.

At 8:30 p.m. Sunday, Mrs. Kolko reported receiving a call from a police sergeant, who asked if the show had been allowed to go on. He "sounded quite displeased, and hung up" when he was told that it had proceeded, she said.

"Why would a sergeant call?" Brennan replied yesterday. "Anybody can go on the phone and say he's the president, if he wants to."

The chief said he saw no reason why there could not be future "Sing Outa." "We don't care if they have one every night of the week, if they follow the law," he stated. "they had a permit Sunday. Other times they haven't."

He pointed out that "we have them in court on two complaints." (The complaints were actually entered against Club Mount Auburn 47, for operating without entertainment or victualer's licenses.)

Kolko also told Sunday night of people who relay enemy plans to SANE. "Look for an orange suede jacketed egg thrower. If he has an orange jacket, you can say our information is good; if he just throws eggs, it's fair," Kolko said. No eggs were thrown.