September 28, 1968

R M Nixon lauds auth; visits Chickamauga Dam

Sen Foreign Relations Com urges Johnson delay ratification until assured that majority of potential nuclear states intends to accept pact; at same time, urges immediate Sen approval, with formal ratification decision left to Pres; fears that US will find itself party to treaty subscribed to only by group of nations with no nuclear potential; minority rept opposes approval now because of Czech invasion and 'uncertainties' over terms and implementation of pact

Caetano sworn in; assures nation he will maintain main policies of Salazar regime, TV-radio s; notes need for communication between Govt and people

France in effect vetoes for 3d time Brit entry into EEC by rejecting Ger proposal for interim arrangement calling for 30% cuts in indus tariffs between EEC and GB for 3 yrs; Min Debre turns down plan offered by Min Brandt as step that could 'either lead to or facilitate membership,' EEC mins council meeting; plan backed by 4 other EEC members; Min Luns (Netherlands) calls French statement 'great disappointment,' sees repeated discussions of Brit application becoming 'waste of time'; bids by GB, Ireland, Norway and Denmark on council agenda for 8th time; Brandt reptdly holds mkt is in period of stagnation

Dirksen drops his strong advocacy of Fortas nomination, weakening prospects for confirmation; says he will not vote to end filibuster, leaves open question of whether he will vote for confirmation; Fortas opponents call upon Pres Johnson to withdraw nomination; Sen Hansen says Fortas should resign from ct; opponents of nomination led by Griffin say privately that they will win by a majority vote if closure vote is held; Mansfield files closure petition; says plans for a 2d closure vote, which he had indicated earlier, have not yet been finalized; Dirksen policy shift linked to pressure from Illinois over ct's 6-3 ruling, June, on capital punishment in which Fortas voted with majority; W T Gossett, Amer Bar Assn pres, denies repts that he will ask assn to rev its endorsement of Fortas; Hansen criticizes Fortas participation in White House talks on Vietnam and for participation in Katzenbach v Morgan voting rights case; says his loyalty to Johnson has led him to exercise 'monumentally poor judgment'

Wallace aide Ala Sen Pelham sues NYC to force it to permit use of stadium; accuses Lindsay adm of pol; ACLU joins in suit; charges breech of 1st Amendment; Heckscher says he made decision not to permit stadium's use after talks with Lindsay aides

Shanker announces talks have broken down over issue of neutral observers in schools; cites other still unresolved issues; UFT asks Controller Procaccino to halt funds to city Community Development Agency for allegedly directing its employes to attend 'anti-union' rally

G W Ball says Thant's assertion that end to US bombing will lead to peace is naive assumption that bemuses and befuddles pub, news conf; says bombing issue is only 1 of many elements that must be considered; speculates Nixon may try to escalate war

Int by NY Times eds and reporters on Pres campaign issues

Xerox Corp, after apparently secret talks between chmn Lundell and Xerox pres McColough, offers to buy co for some $1.5-billion in stock, 1 of largest merger moves ever; CIT to be autonomous subsidiary under present mgt; move is subject to approval of dirs and shareholders of both cos and to favorable tax ruling; Justice Dept official expects probe; Wall St analysts surprised; illus

HR-Sen conferees agree on $18-billion measure to finance HEW and Labor Depts; agree on rider sponsored by Repr Whitten to sharpley limit use of Fed funds for school desegregation efforts

group of 200 chanting 'Stop the war' walks out of Humphrey s, Portland, Ore