"The negotiation with Thieu will continue, and obviously it can do no harm... if Kissinger's powers of persuasion are combined with the pressure of American opinion. The pressure is not directed against President Nixon, but against Thieu."

Independent *Die Presse* wrote that Mr. Kissinger's "reaction" to the Hanoi disclosure "was no less sensational than Hanoi's breach of secret diplomacy." The paper judged that Mr. Kissinger's mention of "minor difficulties" in the way of agreement was in fact a reference to President Thieu's position. The paper concluded that Mr. Kissinger's mission was still to find the "honorable peace" pledged by President Nixon, and asserted that if Mr. Kissinger "did not foresee such a solution, the whole agreement would not have progressed to the point it has reached."

## Helsinki: "Thieu Needs U.S. Support"

Social Democratic *Suomen Socialidemokraatti* of Helsinki declared today:

"The U.S. holds Indochina's peace in its hands. Thieu cannot manage without American support, and if he is the only obstacle, there can be no doubt that the Americans have a way to remove him. This is based on the assumption that they have conducted the peace talks in earnest, not merely as a device to quicken the final stretch of the election campaign."

## Quito: "Saigon Should Not Impede Peace"

A columnist said today in conservative *El Tiempo* of Quito:

"We are pleased with the determination to put an end to a war that has been criticized everywhere in the world. Mr. Nixon is acting in the interests of world peace.

"The presence of the capricious and dishonest Saigon Government should not be an insurmountable obstacle to peace. The existence of this Government does not justify so much blood and suffering. Without U.S. backing it would disappear in a day..."

No. 128

10

10/27/72

Tokyo TV: "U.S. Confident of SVN Acceptance"

Top coverage was given to Mr. Kissinger's news conference in Japanese
media.

Publicly financed NHK-TV said this morning the "significant point of Kissinger's news conference was his promise to North Vietnam that a final agreement on the peace plan will be reached at the next meeting. This indicates the U.S. is confident of South Vietnamese acceptance of the peace agreement."

A commentator for the network suggested that "President Nixon is using a cautious approach because the U.S. --out of consideration for its allies and the future of Asia--cannot take just any available step to end the war." He maintained that "there will be no reversion to renewed fighting" and that "Hanoi had decided to seek peace because it believes that Nixon will be re-elected and it can get a better deal now than after the election."

Moderately conservative *Sankei* said today in a front-page commentary that "President Thieu is expected to resist desperately until the very end because he believes that acceptance of the three-faction coalition is tantamount to suicide."

In inside-page coverage the paper asserted that "there is a possibility of hostilities breaking out again" and "there will be no major fighting for one or two years after the cease-fire, but this does not mean that there will be peace."

Conservative *Nihon Keizai* reported that "Foreign Ministry sources" said "North Vietnam's unilateral announcement... will intensify the emotional confrontation between the Nixon Administration and the Saigon Government," necessitating the use of "stronger persuasion on the Saigon Government in the future."

The same Ministry sources also believed that "when, upon realization of the peace, a new inspection organization is established... there is very little possibility that our country will join the new organization."

No. 128

11

10/27/72

"Agreement Should Not Be Changed for Thieu"

Moderate Tokyo Shimbun observed today:

"A sense of weakness can be felt in the unusual step taken by North Vietnam, but President Nixon should fashion the peace through wise and decisive action... At the present stage the peace plan announced by North Vietnam appears to be the limit of compromise between both sides... We cannot approve the view of changing the contents of the agreement in response to a plea from President Thieu."

## Seoul Emphases

South Korean papers gave prominent space to Mr. Kissinger's press conference and to Hanoi's statement that signing had been agreed for October 31. The press also noted that the Department of State and Secretary Laird had "declined comment on Hanoi's claim."

## Hong Kong: "Selling Out an Ally"

Independent Sing Pao of Hong Kong accused the U.S. of "selling out an ally." It said Hanoi's disclosure of the nine points was "obviously aimed at forcing the U.S. to abandon Thieu...

"What is the problem that faces the U.S. today? It is that Kissinger is unable to persuade Thieu. In the nine-point agreement the U.S. has undoubtedly made considerable concessions, such as promising to have all allied forces withdrawn from South Vietnam while not requiring the withdrawal of North Vietnamese troops."

"There is another point where Kissinger went too far in following his own advice. It is that he agreed to the establishment of a coalition government without prior consultation with Thieu.... Thieu has his reasons for opposing it firmly. Kissinger may think he can persuade Thieu; actually, this is selling out an ally."

No. 128

12

10/27/72

The British-owned *South China Morning Post* said Mr. Nixon faced "an agonizing choice." It observed, "If President Nixon was expecting Hanoi to abide by the Queensbury rules in the secret diplomacy that Dr. Henry Kissinger has been engaged in over a Vietnamese cease-fire, he deserved a strong clobbering from Mr. George McGovern for his naivete...."

"Very shrewdly, Hanoi has now decided to address its appeal to the American people in the hope that directly or indirectly they may be able to influence their President in this crucial cliff-hanging period before the election...."

"The temptation to end the war on almost any terms must now be driving Mr. Nixon very close to mental anguish. Yet what would a cease-fire achieve if Saigon decided to soldier on?.... He cannot escape the fact that he has been tactically outmaneuvered by his adversaries--and that he has not only lost the war but in signing a cease-fire will have gone a long way to losing the peace he desired in Vietnam."

## Bangkok: "Dangerous to Bypass Thieu"

The cease-fire negotiations received front-page play in most Bangkok papers, but the Kissinger press conference has only been carried in the English and Chinese-language press.

The pro-U.S. *Bangkok World* remarked today that there were a number of points in the Washington-Hanoi agreement that were unacceptable to Mr. Thieu. It said:

"Dr. Kissinger is playing a dangerous game in bypassing Thieu in such a pointed way. It is quite evident that the agreement is no charade designed to win votes in the American election...."

"The Washington-Saigon split is not yet official and may yet be headed off by adroit diplomacy..."

No. 128

13

10/27/72

Tel Aviv: "U.S. Does Not Force Arrangement"

Israeli media led with Mr. Kissinger's press conference. Influential
Haaretz of Tel Aviv declared that ending the war would be "a great
achievement for President Nixon...."

The paper's Washington correspondent noted that Washington had not "forced"
an arrangement on Saigon and concluded that the "Kissinger-Nixon diplomacy...
implies that the parties involved in regional disputes must conclude arrange-
ments among themselves."

Hanoi: "U.S. Must Bear Responsibility"

North Vietnamese media prominently publicized the DRV Government statement on peace negotiations, following up with substantial commentary and selected news in support of Hanoi's position. The main thrust of the North Vietnamese argument was expressed in an editorial in today's daily Nhan Dan which said:

"The Vietnamese people resolutely reject all justifications by the Nixon Administration and energetically denounce its about-face and stubborn position. The U.S. Government must bear full responsibility for the fact that the already completed peace agreement has not been signed and that the war is dragging on in Vietnam."

Mr. Kissinger's press conference has not been mentioned.

Moscow: No Direct Criticism of U.S.

Soviet media, which had been indirectly preparing audiences for some kind
of break in the secret Vietnam negotiations, gave relatively heavy coverage
to the North Vietnamese statement (full text in today's *Pravda*) and to statements
by DRV and PRG representatives in Paris. They have so far refrained from
originating comment directly critical of the U.S.

Moscow TASS reported today that Premier Kosygin had received the diplomatic representatives of the DRV and PRG, who "emphasized that the U.S. line at the peace talks is an attempt to avoid agreement and to drag out military operations." The dispatch said that Kosygin "expressed the hope that the talks on Vietnam would be continued and lead soon to the signature of an agreement ending the war."

No. 128

14

10/27/72

A subsequent TASS dispatch gave a brief account of Mr. Kissinger's press conference. It quoted him as saying that "the North Vietnamese negotiators behaved with good will and great seriousness" and that "we believe that peace is at hand." The dispatch said that Mr. Kissinger "contended that there were still questions to be discussed and that the U.S. could not sign on October 31 an agreement in which details remained to be worked out.
Kissinger tried to justify such an approach by references to the need for concerting the American position with the Saigon regime of Thieu."

## Peking Treatment

Peking NCNA yesterday reported that Premier Chou En-lai had received the diplomatic representatives of the DRV and PRG, who presented him with the North Vietnamese Government statement concerning peace negotiations. The report said that Chou, "on behalf of the Chinese Government and people, supported the stern and just stand" on peace talks set forth in the statement.

Today's *People's Daily* carried the full text of the DRV statement without comment.

No. 128

15

10/27/72

THURSDAY AFTERNOON 26 OCTOBER 1972

LOS ANGELES TIMES 26 OCTOBER 1972 Page-1

NEAR SARDINIA

Uptight Little
Island: A-Subs
Ride the Storm

BY WILLIAM TUOHY
Times Staff Writer

LA MADDALENA, Sardinia — "Visit the beautiful island of Maddalena," needled the pacifist placard in Rome, "submarines and nuclear missiles await you."

And here on the beautiful island of Maddalena, a Communist Party poster proclaimed: "Citizens, basing nuclear submarines here, besides endangering the Sardinian coastline, will impede touristic development, and any chance of keeping our country free of the military."

This jewel of an island, the cornerstone of a strikingly beautiful arcipelago set between Sardinia and Corsica, has become the center of a political storm in Sardinia and Italy.

The argument concerns the Italian government's decision to allow the U.S. 6th Fleet to base a submarine tender here as part of the NATO commitment, with home port facilities for 300 families, to serve nuclear subs.

Clouded With Misinformation

The controversy is clouded over with misinformation. Left-wing opponents warn of U.S. missile submarines. Others talk of a top secret NATO base. Maddalens refer to nearby Santo Stefano isle, where the tender will be moored, as "the atomic island."

"The townspeople are confused as to what the potential dangers of nuclear submarines are," said Dr. Agostino Ciboddo, a local lawyer. "The press has been sensationalizing the issue and people don't know what to believe."

Actually, a conventional American sub tender is already here: The USS Fulton arrived in early August, and the large, gray ship is moored at Santo Stefano, across the roadstead from La Maddalena. Nestled alongside a few days ago was the sleek, deadly black form of the USS Jack, a nuclear-powered attack submarine. Conventional diesel subs also are serviced by the Fulton.

Contrary to widespread press reports, the U.S. Navy insists that nuclear-powered submarines which fire Polaris and Poseidon atomic warhead missiles—the vessels sailors call “the boomers”—will not be based here. They operate out of Holy Loch in Scotland and Rota on Spain’s Atlantic cost.

Non-nuclear Torpedoes

The nuclear-powered subs that put in here are attack submarines armed with non-nuclear torpedoes to use

against surface ships and other undersea craft.

After the first of the year, the tender USS Gilmore is scheduled to arrive and the 850 dependents of the 300 married crewmen—of an overall complement of some 900—will set up housekeeping on Maddalena.

The decision to home port a tender here was made by the Navy to enable crews to remain on Mediterranean station for longer periods of time, thus increasing efficiency and decreasing costs.

The Navy decided on La Maddalena harbor for its tender because of its commanding strategic position in the western Mediterranean, now that Malta is no longer tenable.

The great British admiral, Lord Nelson, made La Maddalena headquarters when fighting the French fleets in the Mediterranean. And the Italian navy maintains a naval base here today.

Though the number of U.S. submarines operating in the Mediterranean is secret, the force varies according to the flotilla of Soviet subs, which range between a dozen and two dozen.

Officials in La Maddalena, Island, are upset because the first word of the prospective home porting of the USS Gilmore came from Washington, and then Rome, without the local authorities being notified.

Pollution Feared

Some townspeople are worried about possible nuclear pollution from the submarines. However, the U.S. Navy is trying to calm fears by explaining that in 18 years of nuclear sub operations there has been no radiation leakage.

Still other residents fear that the influx of Americans may cause a sharp rise in food and rent prices, or that the presence of nuclear submarines may inhibit the increasing tourism business.

"Most of the workers here are employed at the Italian naval base," said Dr. Ciboddo. "They are on fixed salaries—an average of $200 a month—and do not stand to gain anything by the incoming Americans or even the tourists. They want assurances they won't get caught in a price squeeze."

City officials mainly are concerned with getting the national government to underwrite the costs of services that would be ne-

cessary to service the additional Americans on this island of 13,000 people.

"We need new roads, new sewers, new fresh water supplies and filtration, recreation facilities and more ferry service to the mainland," said Mayor Giuseppe Deligia.

"Our services are overloaded now and if the Americans come in we will need more development. This must be financed by the central government because we don't have the funds."

This, indirectly, is a way to get the government to fund the island's development projects, observers say.

If the government does not assist with development funds, Mayor Deligia and the city council threaten to rally support from all the cities in Sardinia against the basing of American naval depots here.

If and when the USS Gilmore does home port here, the city officials want the dependent families to be absorbed into the community, and not set up an American enclave separate from La Maddalena.

Acceptance Voted

A few days ago, the 30-member city council, including Communists and Socialists, voted unanimously to accept the American sub tender—but on the condition that the government contribute to new public works projects.

Thus both Christian Democrats and Communists seem to be willing to put up with a NATO facility here as long as the local economy will prosper.

As for the American sailors, they are not finding Maddalena the paradise that it might seem to tourists who admire the uncluttered sandy beaches, the emerald waters and spectacular scenery. The island is connected by a causeway to Capreola Island, the burial place of Italy's 19th century hero of unification, Giuseppe Garibaldi.

"I took all my snapshots the first week," complained a young gunner's mate. "But what do you do now in this town?"

La Maddalena is extremely quiet for a sailor's town: Most of the bars are shut down by 10 p.m. Even during the summer tourist season there is no cinema; residents must cross the ferry to Palau on the Sardinian mainland to see a movie. The enter-

tainment highlight of the week is the brass band that plays on Sunday morning.

Because much of the Italian naval installations are service schools for young petty officers, the government has barred prostitutes on the island, and the local girls rarely mix with American sailors.

The single "discoteca" has only two Australian hostesses to dance with a score or so young American sailors on Saturday night. "It's not like Majorca at all," said the young gunner's mate. "There we had plenty of bars and plenty of girls."

"I'd rather go back and drip 15-cent beer on the base," added another sailor. "I really feel sorry for the guys on the Gilmore when they get here."

The American sailors are not particularly disturbed by the political controversy surrounding the home porting of the Gilmore.

"It's mostly Communist propaganda," said a petty officer. "But we are surprised how good their intelligence in the papers was. They said we were carrying late model torpedoes that we were all told was a classified secret."

In addition to the pier, the Navy has built a recreation hall and an outdoor movie on the tiny isle of Santo Stefano. One reason it was chosen was its isolation for security: The base is off limits to pleasure craft.

That's Italy

Curiously enough, the only other construction on the Island is a Club Mediterranean resort village. Asked how this could be built on a restricted military island, one Maddalena hotelkeeper said cynically: "That's Italy."

Despite the vocal opposition of the political left and pacifist groups opposed to basing a sub tender here, and the possibility that the city council might protest the move if development funds are not forthcoming, most observers here believe the Gilmore will indeed be a permanent fixture in the harbor.

"We'd be happy if the Americans and the Russians both left the Mediterranean," said one city official. "But as long as the Soviets have their submarines around, then we need the Americans and will have to put up with them."

5

RADIO - TV
DEFENSE DIALOG

RADIO TV REPORTS INC. WASH., D.C., SUMMARIES NOT TO BE QUOTED.

FRIDAY, OCTOBER 27, 1972 (BROADCASTS OF OCTOBER 26)

SUMMARY OF NETWORK NEWS IN THIS ISSUE

JOHN CHANCELLOR, NBC-TV, Walter CRONKITE, CBS-TV, and Harry REASONER, ABC-TV, all report on the announcement made by Hanoi Radio this morning that a peace agreement had been reached between NVN and the US over the past few months and years of negotiations. It calls for a cease fire within a few days and the signing of the agreement by October 31. This seemed to catch Washington officials off guard because the NVNese had agreed that the contents of the peace agreement would not be made public until it was officially signed. However, there is speculation why the communists made the contents public - some feel they are trying to pressure the US into signing the agreement before the election - that they have President NIXON in a better negotiating position now. However, Dr. Henry KISSINGER went into a news briefing this afternoon to tell the US position and to outline some of the problems that remain in the peace agreement.

JOHN CHANCELLOR, NBC-TV, and Dan RATHER, CBS-TV, both enumerate the nine points of the peace agreement. They are: 1. The US is to recognize VN's independence sovereignty and its right to be unified in any system its people elect; 2. A cease fire is to include ending all bombing and withdrawing US troops. NVNese troops, already in the south, could stay but no new Hanoi troops or weapons would be allowed in the south; 3. All prisoners returned; 4. A three party national council for SVN. President THIEU, NBCese and VC would work out a way to have free elections in the south; 5. Reunification of VN would be step by step with peaceful means; 6. A complicated system of military commissions and conferences to check on all sides to prevent cheating on the cease fire agreement; 7. Laos and Cambodia would be included in the cease fire; 8. The US promises to aid and help rebuild all of Indo-China; and 9. The communists proposed October 18 and got October 22 as the date for a bombing halt which so far is partial.

LLOYD DOBYNS, NBC-TV, and Peter KALISCHER, CBS-TV, both report the regular session of the Paris peace talks went on as usual today and is again scheduled for next week. The communists took the opportunity to blast at the US for not signing the peace agreement already.

JOHN CHANCELLOR, NBC-TV, and Walter CRONKITE, CBS-TV, both report the war is still being fought on the ground in SVN however. The SVNese command said the enemy launched over one hundred rocket and mortar attacks in the south during the past twenty-four hours. However, the US command said none of the attacks was major and significant.

JOHN CHANCELLOR, NBC-TV, and Walter CRONKITE, CBS-TV, both report the US lost no men in combat last week as the weekly casualty figures were announced. Fourteen GI's were wounded and four reported missing or captured.

JOHN CHANCELLOR, NBC-TV, reports on some of the reactions from POW families and wives. Most are skeptical about the peace announcement and hope that they will not be let down again as they have been in the past.

PHIL JONES, CBS-TV, reports that there are many preparations going on in SVN for the cease fire. Flags of SVN are going up all over the place and anyone caught with the makings of a VC flag are arrested.

NBC NIGHTLY NEWS NBC-TV 6:30 PM

Cease Fire In The Making For VN

JOHN CHANCELLOR: The US and
NVN are closer to peace tonight
then at any time in the history of
the war and it looks very much as
though there will be a cease fire
before long.

Henry KISSINGER, the President's
negotiator says the settlement can
be signed within a matter of weeks
or less.

Although there are still some
obstacles to be overcome.

For about the past two and a
half weeks the US has been nego-
tiating the details of a new pro-
posal offered by NVN. Under the
rules of these private talks,
neither side was suppose to com-
ment but early this morning, Hanoi
radio began broadcasting the de-
tails of the plan in various lan-
guages, including English, and
here is what that broadcast sounded
like.

The nine main points, including
the cease fire (unintelligible)
...of the SVN people. (Unintelli-
gible).

The US side has (?) proposed new timetables (?)...the signing of the summary agreement in Hanoi and the formal signing of the agreement in Paris.

With this good will, the Demo-
cratic Republic of VN sides agree,
but the US, that the agreement will
be formally signed in Paris on
October 31.

CHANCELLOR: The broadcast went
on to say that the US last Monday
raised some difficulties about
signing an agreement on the 31st of
October and that this has created a
very serious situation.

Henry KISSINGER said today the
US did not agree to a particular
deadline and so has not broken a
promise to sign on the 31st.

KISSINGER also insisted that
these negotiations were not tied to
the timetable of the American pre-
sidential election.

In any case, both Washington
and Hanoi now agree on a wide range
of points which call for a cease
fire throughout Indo-China, a pri-
soner exchange and the beginning of
a political settlement.

It is by far the most compre-
hensive and specific plan for a set-
tlement to have emerged from four
years of negotiations.

Nine Points Of New VN Peace Plan

CHANCELLOR: Here now at the nine
points of the new VN peace plan as
outlined by Hanoi Radio and by Henry
KISSINGER today in the White House.

A cease fire in which the NVNese
would hold what SVNese territory
they have at the time of a cease
fire.

A halt to the American bombing
of the north and the blockade of
NVN.

American troops and military
advisors out of SVN within sixty
days.

No new troops introduced into SVN
but American air bases in Thailand
and naval forces off the coast would
not be affected.

A prisoner exchange within sixty
days.

The present government of THIEU
and the VC to organize elections
and a third neutral element would
be part of that.

Along with controls set up by
other countries, not yet named, to
supervise a cease fire and the elec-
tions.

There is to be an international
peace conference as well.

Under the agreement, all foreign
troops, American and NVNese, out of
Laos and Cambodia.

And continued American economic
aid and advisers to SVN and the rest
of Indo-China including economic
assistance to NVN.

Washington calls that assistance,
Hanoi calls it repraparation.

That's the plan. The White
House thinks it will work.

Here is part of what Henry KIS-
SINGER had to say about it today.

HENRY KISSINGER: We believe
that peace is at hand. We believe
that an agreement is within sight
as Radio Hanoi correctly stated to-
day.

October 8, the NVNese for the
first time made a proposal which
enabled us to accelerate the nego-
tiations.

They dropped their demand for a
coalition government which would
absorb all existing authorities.

2

Friday, October 27, 1972

veto over the personalities and
the structure of the existing
(word unintelligible) government.

They agreed for the first time
to a formula which permitted a
simultaneous discussion of Laos
and Cambodia.

However, there existed, there
grew up the seeds of one particular
misunderstanding.

The NVNese negotiators made
their proposal conditional on the
solution of the problems by October
31.

And they constantly insisted
that we give some commitment that
we would settle the war and comp-
lete the negotiations by October
31.

It was, however, always clear,
at least to us, and we thought we
made it clear in the records of the
meeting that obviously we could not
sign an agreement in which details
remain to be worked out simply be-
cause in good faith we had said we
would make an effort to conclude it
by a certain date.

We believe, incidentally what
remains to be done can be settled
in one more negotiating session
with the NVNese negotiators last-
ing, I would think no more than
three or four days so we are not
talking of a delay of a very long
period of time.

CHANCELLOR: The date for that
final negotiation has not been set
but some officials in Washington
think the NVNese want to nail down
this agreement before the American
elections.

Which is why some of these
officials reason, Hanoi dropped its
demands for a coalition government,
its demand for veto power in SVNese
politics and agreed to talk about
Laos and Cambodia as well.

There are, however, still some
obstacles.

## Still Some Obstacles To VN Peace

CHANCELLOR: There has been lit-
tle official reaction in Saigon to
the new peace plan. Saigon radio
said tonight that President THIEU's
government has no objection if
Hanoi and Washington want to sign
a cease fire but the broadcast left
uncertain whether THIEU would feel
bound by a cease fire.

The Americans are telling THIEU

the following things.

You have not been asked to join
a coalition government. You con-
trol ninety percent of the people.
You can have economic aid and advi-
sors and the VC won't get more than
fifteen percent of the vote.

It is expected that THIEU will
go along.

## Regular Thursday Session At Paris
Peace Talks

CHANCELLOR: In Paris today there
was a regular Thursday session of
the peace talks.

LLOYD DOBYNS: At the Paris peace
talks both the NVNese and the VC
acted as though there were nothing
left to negotiate.

Madame BINH arrived and told the
reporters that an agreement had been
reached but that the US was backing
off.

She said the NIXON Administra-
tion should prove its good faith and
sign what it had agreed to.

But she left it to NVN's THUY
who attended the private talks with
KISSINGER, to explain what the agree-
ment was.

At the meeting, THUY laid out the
entire peace plan point by point
and the time table for its signing.

Had it gone on schedule, it would
have been signed next Tuesday.

But THUY said the Americans were
delaying, putting up one pretext
after another to avoid signing.

Neither the SVNese nor the Ameri-
cans replied directly to those
statements.

The SVNese criticized the com-
munist insistence on a three part
government in Saigon.

After the meeting, the US Ambas-
sador William PORTER would not talk
about what THUY had said. He would
only talk about the fact he had
said it.

AMBASSADOR PORTER: In present
circumstances, it is an unfortunate
violation of an understanding which
they sought and to which we agreed
that there would be no revelations
on the private talks.

As they were continuing.

DOBYNS: While the US position
is that the negotiations are con-
tinuing and that an agreement can be
reached quickly, at a news conference
after today's peace talks, THUY said
the agreement already had been reach-

3

Friday, October 27, 1972

ed. Asked if the NVNese would take part in any more public or private negotiations, he said only, wait and you will see.

But despite that statement, despite the charges of bad faith and broken promises, both sides did agree today to meet in public session next week and try again.

Attempts late tonight to find out whether THUY would take part in private talks met with the statement, your question has been noted.

There was no answer.

## Kissinger Says Some Questions Still Under Consideration

CHANCELLOR: If there are questions unanswered in Paris about the peace plan, there are some basic issues still unsettled.

Will the government of SVN be permitted, or asked, to sign the agreement.

What countries will be on the international control commission.

Secretary of State ROGERS is doing some recruiting on that today but we don't know whom he is talking with.

How and when to get the commission working.

It takes time to set these things up.

Even the approved wording in the text of the agreement can be a problem. The wording must be exact.

At the White House today KISSINGER talked about some of these unsettled matters.

HENRY KISSINGER: We're talking here about six or seven very concrete issues.

That, with anything like the good will that has already been shown, can easily be settled.

For example, it has become apparent to us that there will be a great temptation for the cease fire to be paralleled by a last effort to sieze as much territory as possible and perhaps to extend operations for long enough to establish political control over a given area.

We would like to avoid the dangers of the loss of life and perhaps in some areas, even of the massacres that may be inherent in this.

And we therefore, want to discuss methods by which the international supervisory body can be

put in place at the same time that the cease fire is - is promulgated.

There are linguistic problems in which the - for example, we call the national council of reconciliation an administrative structure in order to make clear that we do not see it as anything comparable to a coalition government.

We want to make sure that the VNese text conveys the same meaning.

As far as Saigon is concerned, it is of course, entitled to participate in the settlement of the war fought on its territory.

Its people have suffered much and they will remain there after we leave.

Their views deserve great respect - in order to accelerate negotiations, we had presented them with conclusions which obviously could not be fully settled in a matter of four days that I spent in Saigon.

But we are confident that our consultations with Saigon will produce agreement within the same time frame that I have indicated is required to complete the agreement with Hanoi.

We will not be stampeded into an agreement until its provisions are right. We will not be deflected from an agreement when its provisions are right.

And with this attitude, and with some cooperation from the other side, we believe that we can restore both peace and unity to America very soon.

## Radio Hanoi Forced White House To Go Public On Peace Negotiations

RICHARD VALERIANI: The Radio Hanoi broadcast forced the White House to go public with the peace agreement.

It caught the US off guard just as the suddenness of the negotiating breakthrough itself had caught American officials by surprise.

So that they were not prepared for all the details of a final settlement by October 31.

One important problem is President THIEU's resistance to the arrangement whereby more than one hundred thousand NVNese regular troops will be allowed to remain in SVN.

Another problem is intelligence information indicating the VC may

4

Friday, October 27, 1972

try to continue fighting for a
while after the cease fire and
the Administration wants to avoid
that.

But these obstacles are not con-
sidered serious enough to hold up
a final settlement for very long.

War In VN Is Still Being Fought

CHANCELLOR: Despite the dramatic revaleations coming out of Hanoi Washington and Paris today, the Indo-China war still is being fought.

In the last twenty-four hours,
the enemy made one hundred and
thirteen attacks all over the
south according to SVNese military
spokesmen.

But American military sources
say these attacks were of no mili-
tary significance.

And most consisted only of one
or two rockets, mortar shells or
artillery rounds fired.

And following diplomatic orders
from Washington, air action over
NVN was greatly reduced and no
strikes were made north of the
twentieth parallel.

None anywhere near Hanoi or
Haiphong.

No Americans Died In War Last Week

CHANCELLOR: Last week's casual-
ty figures were released in Saigon.
No American died in combat last
week for the second week in more
than a month.

Fourteen were wounded.

But almost six hundred SVNese
died in battle and more than two
thousand were wounded.

Wives And Families Joyful Over

Peace News

CHANCELLOR: In this country,
no group of people was more deeply
affected by today's news than the
wives, children and families of
men missing in action or prisoners
of war.

There was rejoicing among them
and at the same time, caution.

Their hopes had been raised and
dashed before.

This is the way some expressed
what was on their minds.

MRS. DARRYL PYLE (?): This is
it. We believe this is it.

I think for the first time in
well, nearly seven years for me,
that my hopes this time are the
highest they have ever been and I
believe that this is going to be the
final answer.

ANOTHER WOMAN: I have mixed
feelings because now I know I have
been able to hope that my husband
is alive and I know that soon I
will have to be faced with the real-
ity of, maybe (unintelligible).

REPORTER: Have you brought
yourself to feel that this is really
it - that your son is going to come
home?

WOMAN: No. No. I'm - I just
can't believe it is true yet. I -
I'm hoping, praying, but I don't
know.

WOMAN: I want him home more
than anything in the world, but
after spending all those years in
prison, I don't want it to be a
waste.

Just a complete waste. It has
got to be an honorable peace and I
believe that.

CBS EVENING NEWS CBS-TV 7:00 PM

Peace In VN In Jeopardy?

WALTER CRONKITE: Early today,
Hanoi unleashed a shock felt around
the world. It was this: A peace
agreement. One that would end the
war in VN.

Has been worked out between the
US and NVN.

Although the recording is of
poor quality, here is how Hanoi's
Radio announcement began at 1:30 am
New York time.

***

(Same as that included on the NBC
Nightly News)

But Hanoi went on to say the
agreement is in jeopardy. That the
US having first said it would sign
the agreement next Tuesday now is
balking.

Hanoi's revalation seemed to
catch the White House by surprise.
It wasn't until almost ten hours
later that Henry KISSINGER, the man
who negotiated the agreement for
America, was sent forth with the
first Administration comment.

5

Friday, October 27, 1972

peace is at hand. We believe that
a - an agreement is within sight.
We cannot fail and we will not fail
over what still remains to be ac-
complished.

DAN RATHER: Henry KISSINGER
confirming Radio Hanoi's claim that
October 31 had been tentatively
agreed upon as the date for signing
a VN cease fire.

But, KISSINGER went on to say,
Saigon's President THIEU declined
to go along until more guarantees
are given.

So, said KISSINGER, he needs
more negotiations, which if the
communists agree, could result in
a cease fire in two weeks or less.

KISSINGER: What remains to be
done can be settled in one more
negotiating session with the NVNese
negotiators lasting, I would think,
no more than three or four days.

So we are not talking of a de-
lay of a very long period of time.

RATHER: These are the nine
points of the basic agreement al-
ready reached.

Number one: The US to recognize
VN's independence, sovereignty and
its right to be unified in any
system its people elect.

Number two: A cease fire is to
include ending all bombing and
withdrawing US troops. NVNese
troops, already in the south,
could stay but no new Hanoi troops
or weapons would be allowed in the
south.

Number three: All prisoners
returned.

Four: A three party national
council. President THIEU, NVNese
and VC would work out a way to have
free democratic elections in the
south.

Number five: Reunification of
VN would be step by step with
peaceful means.

Six: A complicated system of
military commissions and confere-
nces to check on all sides to pre-
vent cheating on the cease fire
agreement.

Five nations, unnamed but be-
lieved to include the French and
the Soviets, have been approached
to be part of the international
and main supervising group.

Number seven: Laos and Cam-
bodia would be included in the
cease fire.

Number eight: The US promises

to aid and help rebuild all of
Indo-China. The amount unspecified
expected to be at least seven or
eight billion dollars.

And number nine: The communists
proposed October 18 and got October
22 as the date for a bombing halt
which so far is partial.

They wanted October 26 and got
put off until October 30 as the
last day before signing cease fire
agreements.

Now with the complications out-
lined by KISSINGER, a new date for
signing the agreement must be set.

KISSINGER objected to what he
said was pressure from north and
SVN.

KISSINGER: We will not be stam-
peded into an agreement until its
provisions are right.

And with this attitude, and with
some cooperation from the other
side, we believe that we can re-
store both peace and unity to
America very soon.

RATHER: He denied there was
anything political in the timing.

KISSINGER: We have conducted
these negotiations for four years.

And we have brought to this
with considerable difficulty and
with considerable anguish. It is -
we cannot control if people believe
or if people chose to assert that
this is simply some trick.

We have negotiated seriously and
in good faith. We stand by what
we have agreed to.

And we give the assurance that
we will stick by what we have nego-
tiated and what we have achieved
so laboriously.

And as for the point that this
is by a so-called coincidence, I
can only repeat that the deadline
what established by Hanoi and not
by us and that we were prepared to
keep this whole agreement secret
until it was consumated and we
would not have revealed it if it
had not been consumated before the
election.

RATHER: Whatever the motive for
the timing, the effect has been to
knock everything else in the Ameri-
can election campaign off the front
pages.

And in the judgment of many ob-
servers, however Hanoi intended it,

6

Friday, October 27, 1972

it may help President NIXON plenty
in his drive for reelection land-
slide.

Thinking - Much Went In And Much
Has Come Out Of Agreements

MARVIN KALB: According to KISSINGER, the communists made the major concession suddenly switching positions on October 8.

Dropping their old demands for
a quick coalition government to
replace President THIEU and accep-
ting a cease fire before a poli-
tical deal is struck in SVN.

Furthermore, the NVNese insisted
that KISSINGER draft an agreement
and sign it by the end of this
month.

This preelection deadline, their
idea, KISSINGER insists, not the
Administrations.

Clearly, the communists think
it will be easier to get a better
deal from the President now than
after the election.

They may be miscalculating but
they seem to believe the President
is more vulnerable at this time,
more apt to lean on President
THIEU and undercut him or perhaps
to respond to political pressures
from the Democrats.

Moreover, informed sources here
feel the communists are under
severe military pressures in SVN,
their army weak and bloody, their
cadres too tired to fight on,
their allies, Russia and China
urging them to make peace now.

Finally, the bombing and the
blockading of NVN is felt - has
hurt the communists much more than
they are prepared to admit.

In other words, the communists
have to make peace or so it is felt
here - that might explain why the
Administration is not rushing into
a deal at this time.

It feels apparently that it
holds the trump cards politically
and militarily.

Paris Peace Talks Continue

CRONKITE: Despite the report
that a VN settlement has been
reached in secret and need only be
signed, the regular weekly session
of the peace talks in Paris went
on.

PETER KALISCHER: There was

never a day like it in the one
hundred and sixty-four sessions of
the peace talks at the Hotel Majes-
tic.

Picking up a Hanoi Radio broad-
cast just a few hours earlier, the
VC's Madame BINH charged the US with
defaulting on its word to sign an
agreed peace plan on October 31 by
claiming difficulties with the Sai-
gon government.

It is now up to the Americans
she said to remove the obstacles to
peace they themselves put in their
path.

US Ambassador William PORTER by-
passed newsmen without a word.

Minister THUY promised to put the
details of the peace plan on the
conference table which he did to
the last comma.

Later, THUY repeated the Hanoi
declaration that President NIXON
himself had approved the agreement
hammered out in secret between Henry
KISSINGER and the Hanoi delegates.

But, he refused to say exactly
how.

THUY did not mention President
THIEU by name. His removal has been
a key communist demand indicating
a major concession.

THUY also ducked a question
whether there would be further meet-
ings with Henry KISSINGER.

However bitter Hanoi's accusa-
tion that the US reneged on an
agreement to end the war next Tues-
day by scheduling the next regular
session of the peace talks here on
Thursday, it carefully left the door
open for a change in time if not in
terms.

Preparations Now Underway In SVN
For Cease Fire

CRONKITE: From SVN, we have a
film report tonight on preparations
already underway for a cease fire.

PHIL JONES: The US Navy air-
craft carrier, SS America and other
ships and planes that have been in-
volved in bombing deep into NVN are
still in combat position.

But their missions have been
significantly reduced and one senior
US military officer in Saigon said
the order to reduce and in some
instances halt bombing came directly
from the White House.

But the ground fighting inside
SVN has intensified with both Saigon

7

Friday, October 27, 1972

and Hanoi forces obviously under
orders to fight even harder as a
cease fire and peace settlement ap-
peared closer.

The SVNese command claims that
there have been more than one hun-
dred communist initiated incidents
in the past twenty-four hours.

This means the largest number of
VC and NVNese attacks during one
day since the bloody Tet offensive
of 1968.

A captured VC document has in-
dicated that the stepped up at-
tacks will continue for the next
two days in preparation for a cease
fire.

And the battle of flags contin-
ues with both sides preparing for
a cease fire.

President THIEU's regime has
ordered its flags raised, painted
or displayed everywhere.

And, people with enemy flags or
fabrics that can be used to make
VC flags, are being arrested.

The Saigon government controlled
radio said any separate agreement
between NVN and the US will not
concern SVN in any way.

But the present actions by the
THIEU government indicates more
than usual concern.

Casualty Figures Released For Last
Week

CRONKITE: Casualty figures for
the week ending last Saturday were
out.

And no Americans were reported
killed in the war.

It is just the second week in
more than seven years that no war
deaths have been reported. The
other was five weeks ago.

However, four more Americans are
listed as missing or captured,
fourteen were wounded.

SVNese dead during the week
were put at five hundred and
eighty and the allies claim to have
killed more than twenty-seven enemy.

ABC EVENING NEWS ABC-TV 6:30 PM

Peace Agreement For VN Claimed

HARRY REASONER: Henry KIS-
SINGER says peace is at hand in VN

but NVN charges that the US has
backed away from a peace agreement
and demands that the US sign the
agreement by next Tuesday.

Saigon Radio says SVN has the
right of self determination and is
not concerned with any separate
agreement by the US and NVN.

And Senator MCGOVERN says he
hopes there is no holding back by
President THIEU or anyone else that
will delay the end of the war.

VNV claims that it has reached
an agreement with the US leading to
a settlement of the VN war.

But that Washington is now back-
ing down.

The man most responsible for
negotiating a settlement for the
NIXON Administration, Presidential
Advisor Henry KISSINGER, held a
briefing on the war and peace issue
today.

TOM JERRIEL: The surprise de-
cision by Hanoi to release terms of
a tentative peace settlement was
countered by a White House move to
explain its position.

Claiming it hasn't backed off
the agreement but needs more time to
finalize it.

The President sent out his chief
negotiator, Dr. Henry KISSINGER, to
explain to news men progress made
and the problems remaining.

HENRY KISSINGER: We believe
that peace is at hand. We believe
that a - an agreement is within
sight. It is inevitable that in a
war of such complexity that there
should be occasional difficulties
in reaching a final solution.

But we believe that by far, the
longest part of the road has been
traversed.

And what stands in the way of an
agreement now are issues that are
relatively less important then those
that have already been tested.

We believe incidentally what
remains to be done can be settled in
one more negotiating session with
the NVNese negotiators lasting I
would think, no more than three or
four days, so we are not talking
of a delay of a very long period of
time.

JERRIEL: The NVNese made terms
of the settlement conditional upon
a signed agreement being completed
between Hanoi and Washington by
October 31.

A condition the White House
still is not certain it can meet...

8 Friday, October 27, 1972

Newsday/
THE LONG ISLAND NEWSPAPER

10 CENTS
WEDNESDAY

OCT. 25, 1972

Bombing Eased;
Thieu Adamant

Newsday Map

Progress reported by Henry Kissinger in the Vietnam talks has prompted President Nixon to limit bombing to south of the 20th parallel and shift three aircraft carriers southward. But President Thieu reiterated an uncompromising stance. Page 3.

AP Photo

COPYRIGHT 1972, NEWSDAY, INC., LONG ISLAND, NEW YORK, VOL. 33, NO. 52

Today in Newsday

NEWS

Pages 1 to 31

The World

BOMBING CUTBACK—President Nixon has reportedly cut air strikes against North Vietnam by at least a third because of progress in peace negotiations. In Saigon, President Thieu said there may be a cease-fire soon, but stood firm on demands for an internationally guaranteed cease-fire for all Indochina. Page 3.

The Nation

SECRET NIXON FUND—H. R. Haldeman, the White House chief of staff, was one of five presidential associates in charge of a secret fund for political sabotage, according to federal investigators and accounts of grand-jury testimony. The fund allegedly financed a campaign to spy on Democratic presidential aspirants and to discredit their campaigns. Page 5.

GOOD DAY FOR NIXON—President Nixon's day of campaigning on Long Island and in Westchester on Monday was a rare experience for Nixon—and one to savor. The huge crowds offered Nixon a chance to step out of his isolation booth and meet a large segment of American voters. Page 4.

TV BLITZ—As Election Day nears, the McGovern campaign is turning heavily to television to reach the public. McGovern's fifth half-hour campaign special will be televised tonight at 7:30. Page 4.

HEXACHLOROPHENE—Last month the Food and Drug Administration came out with stringent new rules to control the germ-killer hexachlorophene. But at least one product that is supposed to be sold by prescription only is still on the shelves and nobody at the FDA seems quite sure who is supposed to be selling what. Page 7.

New York

COPS ARRESTED—Two Brooklyn detectives have been arrested on charges based on information obtained from the bugging of an alleged organized-crime headquarters. The two

UPI Photo

1919-1972

Tributes and remembrances are flooding in to the Jackie Robinson home in Stamford, Conn. Everybody remembered the Hall of Fame baseball player who died at 53. His old Dodger teammates remembered the fiery player he was, national leaders remembered the inspiration he was, and black America remembered him as a battler against racial barriers. Stories, other photos, on Pages 93-94-95.

were accused of accepting a bribe to help quash a robbery charge. Page 6.

MORE SCHOOL TIES—Seventeen more colleges and school districts on Long Island, in addition to Nassau and Suffolk Community Colleges, employ faculty members who have doctors from or have taught at unaccredited University in Florida, Assemblyman Milton Jonas said. Page 9.

BEAUTIFUL SUBWAYS—New York City's subway system has become unusually clean—thanks to a job action being carried out by Transit Authority patroemen. The patrolmen reportedly tripled the number of summonses issued for minor infractions in an effort to bring their contract dispute to the public's attention. Page 11.

Long Island

JAIL TRIALS BEGIN—Jury selection was to begin today in the first of 26 trials of correction officers and organized-crime figures indicted after an investigation of the Nassau County Jail. Page 6.

17 YEA, 94 NAY—Only 17 out of 111 Suffolk County college students who had attempted to register to vote using their dormitory residences were granted that right. A spokesman for the students said that the decisions against 94 of the students will be appealed. Page 9.

GREATER GLEN COVE—Although It probably will not get the name, Glen Cove may deserve a lot of the credit in making Nassau-Suffolk a Standard Metropolitan Statistical Area. The city met the requirements to become the needed central city in the area, helping to clear the way for the designation. Page 17.

VISIT'S AFTERMATH—Both Republicans and Democrats saw President Nixon's Monday visit to Long Island as a boost for their own cause: The Republicans said it would counter apathy and the Democrats said it would stimulate them to greater efforts. Page 19.

TURNING THE TIDE—A group of scientists is making a natural "laboratory" in the North Sea Harbor in Southampton to study of ways to restore nature's "self-cleaning" process as a method of combating pollution. Page 17.

16th, 17th ASSEMBLY DISTRICTS—There is a great deal of handshaking in the 16th district, where the main issue seems to be whether the Republican challenger can ride in on Nixon's coattails. In the 17th, the Republican incumbent, who is also the party's county chairman, seems to have more than enough power. Page 21.

OTHER FEATURES

Sports

CANADIENS 4, ISLANDERS 3—The fledgling Islanders even led the mighty Canadiens going into the third period, but they couldn't hold on.

KNICKS 123, CAVALIERS 90—Willis Reed banged his knee and scared the crowd. But he came out of it all right, and the Knicks breezed past poor Cleveland.

Polling Candidates: 3rd CD

Newsday interviewed candidates for Congress on key election issues like the Vietnam war, defense spending, public housing and racotics. In the series today candidates from the Third Congressional District—Angelo Roncalo, Carter Bales, Lawrence P. Russo and Leo E. James—are interviewed. The district straddles the Nassau-Suffolk line from Glen Cove and Northport to Massachusetts. Pages 52-53.

Special Report

'BELONGING' STRESSED—The Reconstructionist branch of Judaism, founded roughly

half a century ago, emphasizes "belonging" rather than "believing." Its founder, Rabbi Mordecai Kaplan, 91-year-old teacher, author and philosopher, is preoccupied with the same consuming theme—Judaism as an evolving culture. Religion writer Ken Briggs reports. Page 4A.

Point of View

JIMMY BRESLIN—"On Election Day, only a very small percentage of the six and a half million or so who will vote will know Bernard Meyer's name ... Sol Wachtler ... has spent $225,000 on television alone so far ... Wachtler apparently has the ethics of a billygoat. But he most certainly will be the only name on the ballot for the Court of Appeals that the public will know." Page 5.

Weather

Partly sunny today, high near 60. Clear to night, low near 40. Sunny tomorrow, high 55 to 60. Sun sets 6:02, rises 7:19. (Tide Tables in Sports Section.)

Here's an index to all the features.

<table><tbody><tr><td>Altshul</td><td>50</td><td>Kitman</td><td>89A</td></tr><tr><td>Art</td><td>11A</td><td>Lamb</td><td>46A</td></tr><tr><td>Bombeck</td><td>50</td><td>Landers</td><td>47A</td></tr><tr><td>Bridge</td><td>48A</td><td>Letters</td><td>51</td></tr><tr><td>Circus Ticket</td><td>26</td><td>LI Diary</td><td>16</td></tr><tr><td>Classified</td><td>62-80</td><td>Marching Bands</td><td>17A</td></tr><tr><td>Comics</td><td>47A-49A</td><td>Money</td><td>92A-96A</td></tr><tr><td>Crossword</td><td>49A</td><td>Movie Timetable</td><td>86A</td></tr><tr><td>Cryptoquote</td><td>49A</td><td>News Calendar</td><td>78A</td></tr><tr><td>Darry</td><td>48</td><td>Obituaries</td><td>31</td></tr><tr><td>Editorials</td><td>48</td><td>People</td><td>9</td></tr><tr><td>Engagements</td><td>37A</td><td>Prize Plates</td><td>45</td></tr><tr><td>Environment</td><td>13A</td><td>Radio Listings</td><td>89A</td></tr><tr><td>Food</td><td>14A, 15A</td><td>Sports</td><td>81-96</td></tr><tr><td>Horoscope</td><td>46A</td><td>TV Listings</td><td>88A</td></tr><tr><td>In Review</td><td>7A, 9A</td><td>Viewpoints</td><td>48-53</td></tr></tbody></table>

Total Pages Today—192

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2

Wednesday, October 25, 1972

CHICAGO SUN-TIMES, Wed., Oct. 25, 1972

Thieu sets stiff cease-fire terms

SAIGON (UPI) — President Nguyen Van Thieu said Tuesday night that five days of talks with Henry A. Kissinger had

failed to achieve agreement on a
cease-fire in Vietnam. But he said
there could be one "very quickly" if
Hanoi agreed to certain stiff terms.

He restated his unyielding opposition to a coalition government that would include the Communists — but in his sometimes rambing two-hour address he refrained from rejecting an eventual cease-fire.

In a national radio and television address, Thieu said he would accept a cease-fire at any time if the North Vietnamese withdrew from South Vietnam, Laos and Cambodia and if the truce were guaranteed by the Soviet Union and China. He indicated no such guarantees had been received.

"There will be no coalition," Thieu vowed. "If the Americans get out, it will only be allowing the Soviet Communists and the

NGUYEN VAN THIEU

Hard to rap Thieu if he stalls, Charles Bartlett column, Page
48.

Chinese Communists to have their own way here.”

He said the Communists agree to a cease-fire and “even beg for it, because they are weak militarily.”

Thieu said he had made these points in his talks with the U.S. presidential adviser:

(1) There must be international supervision of any cease-fire. The Soviet Union and China must guarantee the North Vietnamese withdrawal.

(2) Thieu will not accept any type of coalition government with the Communists: "They just want to have their outlaws raised to the level of our legitimate government."

(3) American bombing of North Vietnam and the mining and blockade of the coast must continue until a final solution to the war is agreed upon. He said the effects of these actions on the Communists were so severe that in a few months "they will be suing for peace."

Thieu said that "between now and an eventual election, if there's a call for a cease-fire I'll go along with it because I'm

sure we're in a very strong position." He did not clarify
whether he meant the U.S. election on Nov. 7 or a South
Vietnamese election.

Hints of cease-fire soon

Thieu warned South Vietnam's people to be prepared for a
possible cease-fire declaration.

"When the cease-fire comes we must be in a position of strength to fight off Communist efforts to shoot down the law and kill innocent people," he said.

"There could be cease-fire very quickly, But the Communists have to guarantee that they will restrict their fighting forces to North Vietnam." At one point he told the nation: "I have issued orders that we should be in the very strongest possible position for a cease-fire. Don't worry, don't get excited. But be prepared for unity."

Vows to continue fighting

He said he had issued orders to his military forces to hold all territory now in government hands and work to push Communist troops from land they control — an indication he would still seek a military victory.

"At this point there is still war," he said. "We have to continue fighting to wipe out the Communists."

White House
sees gains in
Kissinger trip

By Thomas B. Ross

Sun-Times Bureau

WASHINGTON — Despite a tough speech by South Vietnamese President Nguyen Van Thieu, the White House insisted again Tuesday that Henry A. Kissinger made "some progress" in talks with the North Vietnamese and with Thieu.

Press secretary Ronald L. Ziegler offered the assessment shortly after Thieu's address to his nation and after Kissinger met for an hour here with President Nixon and Sec. of State William P. Rogers.

Ziegler indicated Kissinger may meet with the press later in the week, a development that suggested Mr. Nixon believes he will have good news to tell the American people just 10 days before the election.

Politics? 'Preposterous'

But Ziegler cautioned against "excessive speculation" and said it was "preposterous" to suppose that Kissinger's heavy round of negotiations in the last few weeks is in any way related to the election.

He refused to comment on Thieu's speech, which said a cease-fire could come "in the near future" but only if it carried guarantees by China and the Soviet Union, which both have been reluctant to provide. He rejected any political settlement imposed from the outside, including a coalition government that would share power with the Communists.

In the absence of official guidance, there was no way of telling whether Thieu was speaking in defiance of Mr. Nixon or with his secret blessing, so as to give Kissinger added leverage in extracting new concessions from the North Vietnamese.

Ziegler declined to talk about Kissinger's travel plans but it seemed likely that he will return to negotiations with the North Vietnamese in Paris next week.

Replay of 1968?

On the surface, at least, Thieu's hard-line speech seemed to point to a possible replay of 1968, when he frustrated President Johnson's hopes for a pre-election start to the Paris peace talks by balking at the shape of the table.

Mr. Nixon, then the political beneficiary of
Thieu's maneuverings, could become the vic-

tim this year. If so, it would be something of
a self-inflicted wound, since the President has
greatly enhanced Thieu's power by giving
him wholehearted support at the expense of
other non-Communist factions in South Viet-
nam.

The North Vietnamese reportedly have agreed to a cease-fire and the release of the U.S. prisoners of war in return for a halt in the U.S. bombing, a total U.S. withdrawal and an interim coalition that would set up new

elections in South Vietnam.

The North Vietnamese are now said to be willing to accept Thieu in the coalition but not as president of the ultimate government. However, they show no sign of relenting on the PWs until Thieu relents on the political settlement in South Vietnam.

Thus, in addition to self-created problems with Thieu, Mr. Nixon finds himself confronted by a possible impasse on the prisoners, which he also raised to the level of a

major public issue.

Reports from Saigon indicate that the President has cut back on the bombing of North Vietnam, possibly to maintain the momentum in the peace talks. But Ziegler declined to comment, saying it was an "operational" question that would have to be handled by the Pentagon.

He did say there were no plans for Mr. Nixon to make a speech on Vietnam or to hold a press conference.

Sun-Times Photo by Howard D. Simmons

Latin flavor of 'Chicago Beautiful'

The Casa Aztlan Mural on a building at 1831 S. Racine was among 15 award winners in a contest sponsored by the

Chicago Beautiful Committee, it was announced Tuesday.
Story and list of other winners on Page 67.

Nixon orders

Associated Press

The United States quietly has curtailed its bombing of North Vietnam at this crucial stage of the peace talks, informed sources said Tuesday.

Informants confirmed that American jets have been flying half their usual number of strikes over North Vietnam and avoiding targets around Hanoi and Haiphong on orders from President Nixon.

The U.S. Navy acknowledged that three of
its four carriers have steamed south from the

Vietnam bombing curtailed

Gulf of Tonkin and now are stationed off South Vietnam. It marked the first time since April that only one 7th Fleet carrier has been off North Vietnam.

Normally three carriers operate off North Vietnam and one in South Vietnamese waters. For the last two days, American tactical fighter-bombers have averaged 130 strikes a day over the North compared to a previous daily average of 250-300.

Most of the latest missions are flown below
the 20th Parallel in North Vietnam 80 miles
south of Hanoi, similar to President Lyndon

B. Johnson's partial bombing halt of 1968.

In Washington, the Pentagon declined to comment on the report that raids on North Vietnam had been curtailed.

There has been no bombing cutback in South Vietnam. Military sources said B-52 Stratofortresses are flying saturation strikes to break the Communist command's hold on certain areas before a possible cease-fire.

More than 100 of the eight-jet bombers flew 36 missions over enemy-held terrain in the South on Tuesday, the largest number of raids in South Vietnam for any one day.