March 13, 1971

NYC City Council rept asserts council will scrutinize and possibly reorganize city's manpower training programs

NY Port Auth agrees in principle to build rail link to airport from Newark

Cong informants say number of refugees in S Vietnam has risen dramatically, perhaps by as many as 150,000, since new allied operations were begun late last yr; Adm makes this estimate available to several Sens this wk in reply to inquiries, but it is not made pub; estimate is based on repts from US Mission in Saigon; cumulative totals since '65 are about 5‐million refugees; secret surveys by allied teams in refugee camps before latest mil movements indicate 'only a minority’ of refugees support Saigon Govt, most are 'politically neutral', and large number are Vietcong sympathizers; Cong sources say latest developments appear to be raising again question of effectiveness of pacification program; Cong sources say that in preparation for current operations in Cambodia and Laos, some 40,00 Montagnards were evacuated from border provs; some 38,000 new refugees were forced out of U Minh Forest area as result of recent mil actions; other details

NYC and MTA weigh plan to increase existing tolls on 5 bridges and 1 tunnel operated by TB&TA and to authorize tolls on 4 city‐owned E River crossings in effort to avoid increasing NYC transit fare; significant opposition to plan from Estimate Bd and City Council noted

antiwar protester T Davidson says Kissinger, in meeting with him and 2 other protesters named as conspirators in alleged plot to kidnap Kissinger, defended Nixon policy of gradual disengagement and left clear impression that US will have transferred ground combat responsiblities to Saigon by mid‐'72; says protesters replied that US could continue to make heavy 'technological’ contribution to war; says they argued US should announce deadline for withdrawal; says Kissinger replied that deadline would reduce enemy's incentive to negotiate and would 'prevent the US from getting out sooner than it might'; says Kissinger and protesters disagreed over shape of possible pol settlement with N Vietnam