February 8, 1972

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Irving appears before Fed grand jury but refuses to give sample of his handwriting on grounds that Govt's request for it was improper; Fed Judge M E Lasker rules later in closed session that request was proper, which means Irving may again be asked to provide handwriting sample; IRS says it has filed tax liens against Irving for $246,993, against Mrs Irving for $243,118 and against Suskind for $22,446; says liens are based on $650,000 that Irving recd from McGraw-Hill in '71 for payment to Hughes for biog material; lien is way to get taxes due on money before it is spent; word from Swiss officials reveals Mrs Irving is well known in community where she deposited $30,000 in Union Bank of Switzerland branch; McGraw-Hill files notice of possible forgery claim with its ins firm, Seabord Surety Co, in connection with Hughes book; McGraw-Hill has $1-million policy with Seaboard to cover losses due to forgery

Large numbers of Puerto Ricans leave NYC and return to PR because of high unemployment in city; return despite 12.4% unemployment rate in homeland to enjoy safer living conditions which do not prevail in NYC; NYC soc and econ conditions compared with conditions in PR; A Tellado, A M Roman and P Durant, who returned to PR, comment

Feb 8: Nixon aide H R Haldeman charges critics of Nixon's latest peace plan are 'consciously aiding and abetting the enemy of the US', TV int on NBC Today show; int was arranged prior to Nixon's Jan 25 TV s according to NBC aide B Walters; Walters denies this is case of White House seeking TV time to attack its critics; Sec Mansfield says Haldeman's remarks will be counterproductive; Sen Humphrey, who did not score Nixon's plan, calls Haldeman's remarks 'irresponsible'; Sen Scott says if some Dem Pres aspirants use strong language they can expect such language in reply; White House press sec Ziegler, indicating apparent embarrassment of White House, says Haldeman's comments are 'his own personal point of view and not necessarily those of Mr Nixon'; says Nixon has always felt there is room for honest criticism and everyone has right to express their own views; Sen A Cranston, NYC Mayor Lindsay and T C Sorensen take issue with Haldeman remark; C Kerr, head of Com for a Pol Settlement in Vietnam, says his group is 'duty bound' to back Nixon's peace plan; lauds plan's inclusion of a broadly based electoral comm, to include Vietcong members, which would supervise elections for a new Saigon govt that would be created as part of a settlement

Article on decaying downtown areas in small Amer cities notes that in '58, yr before 1st shopping center opened in Portland, Me, inner city's sidewalks were so crowded on Saturday afternoons that there was barely room to pass; gross sales of downtown retailers that yr were $140-million but have now fallen to about $40-million a yr since opening of 10 shopping centers in met area; similar shift in retail business in downtown Selma, Rochester and other cities discussed; illus