March 20, 1972

Fed Govt tech com rept prepared for Science and Tech Office urges that serious consideration be given to easing laws to curb auto pollution and changing some auto safety rules due to take effect by ‘76; estimates that rules would add $755 to retail price of avg car; questions need for expensive air bags; suggests that better safety could be provided at much cheaper cost by improved safety harnesses; Sen Muskie and R Nader score rept; Muskie says rept serves big business, statement; Nader calls rept ‘sellout to auto interests; rept represents 9 mos work by 16‐member com drawn from several Govt depts and private insts; chmn is Dr L A Goldmuntz

Vice Pres Agnew expresses Nixon's gratitude for efficient police protection he has received on visits to NYC, NYC Police Dept's annual Holy Name Society communion breakfast

March 20‐21: article on increased difficulties for US planes bombing Ho Chi Minh Trail because of improved N Vietnamese defenses notes step‐up of US pre‐emptive and retaliatory attacks in N Vietnam; US planes have so far made 97 raids in N Vietnam in ‘72, almost as many as in all ‘71, when there were 101; increased number of missions and stronger N Vietnamese defenses have cost US 31 planes between Nov and mid‐Mar; US planes fly few missions inside S Vietnam currently, and most of these are B‐52 strikes of 1 to 3 planes per mission, each plane dropping 30 tons of bombs; most missions inside S Vietnam are flown by the Vietnamese Air Force

Premier Chou En‐lai charges that ‘certain powers’ are creating a ‘3d force’ to seek a compromise solution in Cambodia in an attempt to split the ranks of Prince Norodom Sihanouk's govt in exile, s, Peking banquet hon 2d anniv of Norodom Sihanouk's arrival in China; says ‘these splitting activities will certainly meet with the firm opposition of the Cambodian people'; reiterates Communist China's support for her Indochinese allies; Chou does not identify powers of whom he speaks but it believed to be alluding to USSR; Norodom Sihanouk scores what he calls an attempt to create a 3d force, s; ridicules Lon Nol's action in making himself Chief of State; discloses that he and N Vietnamese Premier were briefed by Chou on his talks with Pres Nixon

BOX OFFICE OPENS TODAY for the new musical comedy “SUGAR’ at the MaJestic Theatre, W. 44 St. (advt.)