February 6, 1971

HDA Admr Walsh, noting Lindsay's announcement that city is seeking to create housing finance agency, says that part of agency's funds will help construct 15,000 apts under city's Mitchell-Lama program

excerpts from conversations between flight controllers and Shepard and Mitchell during 1st moon walk

law enforcement sources disclose that Bklyn grand jury is probing repts of corrupt links among more than 30 policemen and former policemen, judge and gambling empire allegedly operated by T Marino; investigation is based on evidence collected by Bklyn Dist Atty Gold's office and Police Dept's Internal Affairs Div; more than 50 known gamblers, policemen and former policemen already have been subpoened; probe detailed

BLS repts unemployment rate declined 0.2%, Jan, 1st decrease in 7 mos; Jan figures viewed somewhat confusing because routine revision of some '70 statistics changed basis for comparison; Dec unemployment rate, originally put at 6%, was revised to 6.2% and Jan rate was put at 6%; on unrevised basis, Jan rate would be 5.8%; annual revision adjusts raw figures to eliminate purely seasonal influences; Hodgson attributes 'great significance' to downturn but Goldstein describes change as only marginally significant, news confs; BLS puts total unemployment at 5.4-million, highest level in 10 yrs; notes avg duration of unemployment was 10.4 wks, longest since Apr '66; graph shows fluctuation in unemployment rate, Jan '70-Jan '71

NASA officials rept abort signals were caused by faulty cockpit switch that was producing intermittent snort circuits; say 'very serious' problem was solved by engineers at Manned Spacecraft Center, C S Draper Lab, Cape Kennedy Space Center and Grumman Aerospace Corp; rept D E Eyles devised ingenious rewriting of computer program; say procedures required astronauts to hit 60 keys on module's keyboard in rapid succession; flight dir Griffin hails engineers' work, news conf; other tech problems that occurred during descent, including delay in proper functioning of landing radar, discussed

Justice Saypol rules that PBA had valid contract with city requiring $100-a-mo retroactive pay rise, pay parity case; makes clear that possible consequences of ruling are beyond consideration of ct

Strong indications emerge in Washington that Nixon Adm has decided to go ahead with strike by S Vietnamese troops against enemy supply lines in Laos; Adm spokesmen refuse any pub comment on possibility of strike, but officials not directly concerned with planning say they believe White House decided within last 2 days to go ahead; officials say timing of strike will depend on how quickly allied soldiers massed along Laotian border can complete 1st stage of Dewey Canyon II Operation; Army engineers attempt to rehabilitate Khesanh airstrip and strengthen bunkers; little enemy resistance has been encountered in operation; White House sources say operation was conceived as 2-stage project, with final decision to go into Laos hinging, among other considerations, on amount of fighting encountered in 1st stage; 2d concern of Adm is said to be pol ramifications of strike; reliable source says this question was discussed at length at White House meetings during wk, and that consensus gradually emerged that so long as US troops were not committed on the ground, Amer pub would accept strike as permissible within context of Vietnamization program; State Dept spokesman describes operation in briefing for newsmen; says operation has to do with 'guaranteeing of the freedom of the Pres to continue his program of withdrawing US soldiers from S Vietnam; Bunker meets with Nixon; they are joined by Kissinger; 7 Congressmen introduce bill designed to prevent Amer air support for S Vietnamese incursion into Laos; Repr Harrington, a co-sponsor, comments; illus of US soldiers posting sign at Laotian border forbidding US forces to cross border

Brig Gen Nouphet Deoheueng, comdr of Laotian forces in center of Laotian panhandle, says mil situation is critical, that he doubts if he can hold out under mounting Vietnamese pressure; says his poorly equipped soldiers, half of whom are in their early teens, have recd no reinforcements from Laotian Govt or tactical support from US Air Force; believes that war is lost, as far as Laos is concerned, because Communist troops now control about 2/3 of country

Shepard and Mitchell spend more than 4 1/2 hrs on lunar surface during 1 st moon walk; set up scientific observatory about 300 ft from lunar module; describe Fra Mauro region as 'stark place'; collect soil and rock samples; rept surface near module is 'extremely soft'; say module is tilted slightly on side of bowl-like depression; set up color TV camera and special antenna; plant US flag; illus; they receive congratulatory message from Nixon, who invites them to dinner at White House after they return to earth; module is only 65 ft from target point; Shepard says he is surprised by lack of large rocks in area; Mitchell sets up 3 geophones near observatory; astronauts fire 21 small explosives to 'thump' surface at 15-ft intervals; scientists rept receiving 13 usable signals from seismometer; astronauts also deploy 3 grenade-launchers, which are primed to respond to remote-control command wks after they leave moon; explosives should set off vibrations penetrating deep into lunar interior; astronauts use modular equipment transporter, 2-wheel pushcart, to help carry instruments and lunar samples; fall behind schedule; forced to cancel planned excursion to Doublet Crater; walk is delayed 50 mins because of communications problem; illus of Shepard descending to lunar surface; maps show highlights of 1st walk and scheduled itinerary for 2d one; drawing of astronaut on moon using pushcart

US repts 3 USSR vessels consisting of guided-missile cruiser, tanker and submarine tender are on way to Cuba; seen confirming Tass rept that Soviet naval squadron will make 'business call' in present month although Tass also lists submarine; US spokesman asserts US policy has been spelled out by Pres Nixon in Jan, citing understanding that USSR will neither build mil naval base nor service nuclear submarines in or from Cuba

W Ger truck drivers reacted calmly to long traffic delays imposed by E Gers; recount experiences; feel E Ger acted foolishly; delays cost Western transport cos estimated $250,000; illus

Coast Guard says it has sighted no other USSR trawlers reptd fishing off Cape May