October 5, 1971

14 Reprs are in Italy at Italian Govt's expense to help celebrate Columbus Day

US Sec Rogers, arguing for retention of Nationalist Chinese membership while supporting seat for Peking, calls expulsion of a UN member dangerous precedent that would be open for many members

School bus service is scheduled to resume after surprise strike by 1,800 drivers and mechanics of Amalgamated Transit Union, which stranded 103,000 pub and parochial school pupils; decision to end strike was made at meeting of school officials and reprs of bus cos affected by strike, including Varsity Transit Co Inc and Pioneer Transit Corp; no information is given about strike terms but union pres Saporita says dispute involves issues of job security and payments allegedly owed to union welfare fund by both bus cos; spot check of school attendance shows 10% to 90% of bus pupils were absent depending on dist; 47 small bus cos, which also serve school system, were not affected by strike but Saporita says union's grievances concern these small operations; says Educ Bd contracts with these cos specify that they are to give hiring preferences to union drivers and mechanics who worked for now defunct concern and that this has not been done; says Varsity owes union $400,000 and Pioneer $32,000; Pioneer pres E Valone says amount owed is $22,000 and payment will be made immediately; links delay in pay to slowness of city bus service payments; holds payment issue is smokescreen to justify strike and that real grievance is with small operators; Varsity spokesman supports Valone's statement

Israel reptdly has begun to manufacture Jericho, missile capable of carrying 1,000- 1,500-lb warhead including nuclear device, 300 mi or more; missiles reptdly are believed to be produced at rate of from 3 to 6 per mo at cost of $1- to $1.5-million each; US analysts are not certain whether Israel has nuclear warheads but suggest that Jericho is too expensive to be used to deliver conventional, high-explosive warhead; believe that Israel has nuclear-weapons components that could be quickly assembled for use in crisis with Jericho or jet-fighter despite Israeli pledge not to be 1st country to introduce nuclear weapons into Mideast; Israel seen not having deployed any missiles yet but deployment is expected in several mos; some US officials are concerned that if Egypt and USSR are convinced that Israel has deployed nuclear warhead capable of striking strategic Egyptian positions, USSR may feel impelled to deploy comparable missile in Egypt; USSR seen likely to operate such missiles with its own forces; Soviet missile known as Scaleboard seen most likely choice; Jericho is viewed as attempt by Israel to deter Egypt and USSR from contemplating all-out effort to bomb Israeli cities and destroy country; Israel reptdly began developing missile some 10 yrs ago and in early '60s M Dassault (French Co) reptdly suggested that project be moved to France to speed it up; history of project in France until '67, when France embargoed sale of mil weapons to Israel, recalled; in '67 Israel managed to get blueprints out of France and continue work

Nixon signs Exec order invoking Taft-Hartley Law in E Coast and W Coast dock strikes