August 2, 1971

Torrential rains flood city sts; water is 4-5-ft deep in some secs of Bklyn; causes st to collapse at 49th St and 3d Av (Bklyn)

Communist Chinese Army mounts campaign for total withdrawal of US troops (J Reston rept); makes demand despite Nixon's effort to establish normal US ties with China; Army Chief of Gen Staff Huang Yung-sheng says China backs Indochinese people and the 7-pt Vietcong peace proposal, s, Peking

“The Tortured Americans.” People just like you. See today's book page.

Western officials hold USSR acknowledgment of responsibility for 'unimpeded' civilian access to W Berlin, a major allied objective, in exch for W Ger pledge to reduce pol ties with W Berlin has sharply improved prospects for 4-power Berlin settlement; Brandt predicts talks will enter 'decisive phase' next wk; Soviet acknowledgment is included in new agreement adopted by US, USSR, Brit and French Ambs; negotiators are now meeting once a wk in effort to resolve few major and many minor points of disagreement; texts of Brit-French-Amer plan advanced Feb 5 and USSR plan proposed Mar 26 reveal that 2 sides are close to agreement on accord format and on many practical details but divided on fundamental juridical point, with Western draft assuming 4 powers are responsible for all of Berlin and its access routes from West, and Soviet draft implying that authority of allies is limited to W Berlin and that access arrangements must be negotiated with E Ger; difference blocked progress until May, when French Min Schumann told USSR leaders during Moscow visit that W Ger-USSR friendship treaty would not be ratified without Berlin agreement and that no settlement was possible if USSR continued to insist that E Ger has full responsibility for access routes; Schumann warned that trouble on access routes could lead to serious crisis unless USSR guaranteed implementation of new accords expected to be negotiated by E and W Ger; Gromyko gave assurance that USSR would intervene if crisis was threatened; under agreement consultation clause, USSR would be obligated to meet with Western reprs if serious problem arose; Soviet wording of assurance contains ambiguities that are still being debated; detailed E Ger-W Ger and E Ger-W Berlin agreements will be incorporated into quadripartite accords; these negotiations will begin after 4 powers reach final agreement; USSR seeks to open consulate in W Berlin to emphasize its contention that city is 'separate pol entity'; allies reptdly are reluctant to allow increased USSR role in W Berlin while they are still barred from E Berlin; Brandt Govt feels it cannot offer more concessions without arousing massive opposition in Bundestag; US officials, who have adopted cautious approach, stress many points of disagreement must still be resolved while GB and France assert many of remaining issues involve problems of drafting rather than substance; USSR and Western negotiators have agreed that divergent juridical positions need not bar practical improvements in Berlin's status; USSR and Western official positions on access, travel by W Berliners to E Berlin and other key issues detailed; illus

Two of the four Beatles, the rock group that came out of Liverpool to make musical history in the nine teen‐sixties, were reunited on stage for the first time in more than four years yester day. Over 40,000 people acclaimed them at two sold out concerts at Madison Square Garden for the bene fit of East Pakistani refugees.