‘Mistake’ Mailing : Dornan Goofs in Aid Appeal to Democrats

In what he described later as “a mistake,” Rep. Robert K. Dornan (R-Garden Grove) sent an unusual five-page letter earlier this month to every member of the U.S. House of Representatives asking Democrats as well as Republicans to contribute to his reelection campaign.

Members of Congress from both parties said they were startled to receive the rambling letter, which spends 3 1/2 pages describing Dornan’s dramatic brush with death when he ditched a jet off the California coast as an Air Force pilot 26 years ago. Another half page berates “leftist liberals,” and a final page asks colleagues to contribute $10, $15, $25 or more to his campaign.

Dornan said this week that the letter had been sent to the entire House because a secretary assigned to send out a general fund-raising letter slipped the wrong address disc into a computer. He had intended to send the letter to people on a list of regular contributors and “to only the 19 millionaires in the House,” Dornan told The Times.

But several Democrats who received the letter were not sympa thetic.

Said Rep. Douglas H. Bosco (D-Occidental): “That’s a good explanation. ‘Hit the wrong disc.’ That’s the story of Bob Dornan’s career: The wrong disc has just been inserted and it happens again and again.

“I suppose when he called someone a dirty little Jew on the House floor, the wrong disc got put in. And when he punched Tom Downey, the wrong disc got inserted,” Bosco continued. (During a speech in the House last spring, Dornan called Soviet TV commentator Vladimir Posner “a betraying little Jew.” After an outcry from Jewish leaders in Washington and Orange County, he apologized, saying he had rushed through a prepared speech and jumbled his phrases. In 1985, Dornan scuffled with Rep. Downey (D-N.Y.) on the House floor and pulled Downey’s tie after he called Downey “a draft-dodging war wimp.”)

Added Rep. Howard Berman (D-Studio City): “It’s just funny that a computer would send to a bunch of Democratic congressman a fund-raising letter for one of the most right-wing and partisan Republicans. I saved it. I thought it was a real classic, this elaborate and bizarre desire to regale in his heroism.”

Personalized Letter

Dated Oct. 10, the personalized letter opens dramatically. “Dear Congressman X, It was mid-morning, Feb. 23, 1960. I knew I was going to die. My arms and legs ached from struggling to tread water in the rough, winter-chilled waves of the Pacific Ocean, six miles at sea off the Ventura County coastline.”

For the next 3 1/2 pages, the letter--written by Dornan and Robin Dornan Griffin, his daughter and principal fund-raiser, as one of a series of fund-raising letters on key events in Dornan’s life--describes the second time an Air Force aircraft piloted by Dornan crashed. Dornan, who spent six years as an Air Force pilot and 18 years in the reserves, also bailed out of a jet in 1956 because of mechanical problems.

The fund-raising letter described Dornan choking in the saltwater and praying, “Here I come, Jesus, whether I’m ready or not.” It discussed the 22 stitches and “compression fracture of two spinal vertebrae” he received from the 1956 crash and how “I fought hard to get back on flying status within three months.”

Military Service

“I am writing to you about this part of my personal history because, as incredible as it may seem, a major strategy being used against me by the chairman of the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee in this election is to smear me as a coward who tried to avoid danger when I served in the military,” the letter said. The subject of Dornan’s military career last arose when Dornan gave an emotional speech on the floor of the House Oct. 8. Then, gesturing wildly and his voice quavering, Dornan spoke of his scrapes with death as a pilot and defended his record against “scummy” lies spread by Rep. Tony Coelho (D-Merced), who is chairman of the Democratic campaign committee.

Coelho triggered the dispute when, stumping in Santa Ana for Dornan’s opponent, Assemblyman Richard Robinson (D-Garden Grove), in September, he claimed that Dornan had a chance to serve in the Korean and Vietnam wars “but decided not to and ran away.”

Coelho could not be reached for comment Wednesday on Dornan’s fund-raising letter, which refers to “Tony Rabbit Coelho” and “the leftist liberals who disdain military service.” A Coelho aide confirmed Wednesday that he had received a copy of the personally addressed letter but said Coelho did not wish to comment on it. Robinson also declined comment.

Congressmen Amazed

But other congressmen and their aides, some of them Republican, said they were amazed by the letter. Said Rep. Ron Packard (R-Carlsbad): “It’s an extensive letter and for that reason there’s a natural question: Why is it necessary to go into the detail that that letter did? Bob was so intense on the floor (Oct. 8) that I assume Tony Coelho got to him.”

Packard said he and his staff read the letter and decided that “this is better than some of the novels I’ve read.” Still confused about the purpose of the letter, Packard said he and other Republican members of Congress spoke to Dornan and were assured that “he did not intend for us to make contributions out of our campaign funds.”

Rep. Don Edwards (D-San Jose) called the letter “weird.” “Methinks he doth protest to much” about his war record, Edwards said. He added that the letter at least “kind of brightens up the campaign.”

Rep. William E. Dannemeyer (R-Fullerton) said: “It says a lot of things some people would like to say but never have the courage to say. It epitomizes life, honor, any number of things that will make us all proud.”

‘Smelled a Firestorm’

Dornan said he sent out the letter “because I could smell Coelho coming back to do this districtwide mailer. So I set out to defend my honor. We smelled a firestorm starting.”

Dornan said that at first he was embarrassed that the letter had gone to his fellow congressmen. “For a few days, I was miserable,” he said. Then some contributions began rolling in--$1,800 from the House, including some money from Democrats, Dornan said--and he began to think “it was a mistake and so what. . . . Guys have been kidding me around the House--’Why am I limping?’ But they read the letter and now they know.”