NYTimes 29 Dec. 1965 EGYPTIAN DENIES SPYING FOR C.I.A. But Editor Pleads Guilty to Smuggling Funds Abroad By HEDRICK SMITH Special to The New York Times CAIRO, Dec. 28—Mustafa Amin, a dominant figure in the Cairo press until his arrest five months ago, pleaded not guilty in a military court today to charges of having spied for the United States Central Intelli- gence Agency. But the 51-year-old news- paper editor and publisher, known for his pro-Western and anti-Communist sentiments, AmociMed Press pleaded guilty to two lesser AT COURT IN CAIRO: charges of having illegally Mustafa Amin as smuggled 20,000 Egyptian he denied pounds ($46,000) abroad spying for United States. through foreign contacts. The state has demanded the having been arrested while death penalty on the espionage lunching in Alexandria with Mr. charge. The smuggling charges Odell, looked healthy and com- carry a maximum penalty of posed. He appeared to have lost five years each. some weight and to have given Mr. Amin's long - awaited up chain smoking. trial began with a brief public Mr. Amin spoke firmly and session this morning and, after confidently in court. Asked the opening proceedings, went whether he had any objection quickly into closed session, to the composition of the court where the prosecution began its of three senior army officers case. named to• try him, he replied: "Because I am innocent, I wel- Defense Agree); to Shift come any court." A few mo- The state prosecutor said that ments later he entered his for- a closed hearing was necessary mal pleas. because national defense secrets The state prosecutor, Salah were involved, and the defense Nassar, said that Mr. Amin had• attorneys agreed to the move. "communicated to 'a foreign Neither the United States, the state military, political, eco- C.I.A. nor Bruce T. Odell, for- nomic and diplomatic secrets mer American Embassy attaché that he was able to obtain sr 41' TH 111-t'C' named by authorities of the through his personal contacts United Arab Republic as and as editor of Al Akhbar," a i3 S EI 7i Mr. Amin's C.I.A. contact, was Cairo newspaper. mentioned during the 15 min- He also accused Mr. Amin of utes of the public session. having falsely told a foreign The trial comes at an awk- agent that he regularly saw ward moment, for Washington. President Gamal Abdel Nasser The embassy here is winding and that the President gave him up negotiations for a $55-ini1- briefings on state secrets and lion aid agreement with Cairo. political and economic trends. The agreement is expected to be signed presently barring un- expected complications. The embassy has formally taken a hands-off approach to- ward the trial and spokesmen have denied reports that the embassy has intervened in any way. Reliable informants re- ported, however, that United States officials conveyed to the Egyptians the view that Wash- ington would be happy if the trial were played down. Mr. Amin, jailed in July after .