November 16, 1971

NYS Sup Ct Justice Postel bars press and pub from conspiracy-extortion trial of C J Persico on 5th day of trial; acts on motion by defense atty M Edelbaum who insists he seeks to insure fair trial for Persico, reputed leader in organized crime; Assty Dist Atty Yasgur objects to closed-door trial; warns on it setting precedent; Postel, in open ct but without presence of jurors, charges press with 'contumacious conduct' by its description of Persico's background after he requested it to avoid printing any prejudicial material; notes press criticism of his statements in earlier warning to reporters but says reporters use 'the same idioms' in conversations with Ct; Yasgur's earlier suggestion that jurors be sequestered during trial and Edelbaum's objections noted; NY Times managing ed A M Rosenthal and Newspaper Reporters Assn of NYC pres J Shanahan deplore Ct's action in barring press; Dist Atty Hogan comments

Newark, NJ, Fed grand jury indicts French counterespionage official Col P Fournier and his former aide R Delouette on charges of conspiring to smuggle $12-million in heroin into US in Volkswagon camper; indictment charges that Fournier had masterminded plot and recruited Delouette to carry it out; Fed authorities have no legal power to arrest Fournier and bring him to trial in US unless French Govt agrees to this; French officials, however, could bring their own charges against Fournier; US Atty for NJ Stern says that if French authorities elect to have Fournier made available for trial in US he will pledge his full cooperation; major impediment against French-Amer cooperation in case seen as Stern's condition that any admission made by Delouette before grand jury cannot be used against him later by French authorities, if they use same admissions to prosecute Fournier; case revd; US Embassy officials in Paris begin putting mild pressure on French officials to cooperate with US in case but private Embassy officials express pessimism concerning French official reaction to Fournier's indictment

Nixon Adm sources say Gen Abrams has been directed to plan on tentative US force reduction of 130,000 to 155,000 men by next June 30; reduction will leave remaining force of 30,000 to 55,000 men; Sec Laird reptdly provided official guidance on tentative reduction a wk before Nixon announced reduction of 45,000 men; Abrams also was told that decision will not be made until summer whether to level off with a residual force of about 30,00 to 55,000 men or continue modest cuts until only a small advisory group attached to US Embassy remains

Taxi Commissioner Michael J. Lazar said yesterday he would attempt to remove 4,400 “gypsy” taxicabs from the city's streets, but he made it clear he did not consider the bulk of the city's nonmedallioned drivers to be “gypsies.”

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