April 26, 1972

2 villages, rebuilt in '71 by survivors of '68 Mylai massacre, and 21 neighboring villages laid waste last wk, reptdly by Vietcong; 30,000 people reptd homeless, 23 civilians reptd killed, so far, as result of Vietcong's largely unopposed sweep through Batangan Peninsula; US official says 'it's a 2-to 3-yr effort at pacification, at trying to convince the people that the Govt can protect them, down the drain'

Black and Puerto Rican spokesmen announce on Apr 25 settlement of dispute over control of Morrisania Community Corp (Bronx) and of $1-million a yr in Fed grants that it spends on antipoverty activities; blacks have feared that Puerto Ricans would gain control of corp, formed in '66; Puerto Ricans have complained that they have been excluded from participation in corp activities although they constitute about 50% of community's population; black faction leader H Irons says dispute culminated in violence at meetings last Nov and Dec; early in '72, Inst for Mediation and Conflict Resolution named 3-man panel to help resolve differences; major stumbling block was removed when D Gardner, black, resigned as corp exec dir; Gardner had been accused by Puerto Ricans of favoring blacks in hiring personnel; bd of dirs com will select successor; Puerto Rican faction leader C Saez says agreement provides for change of adm leadership; repts watchdog panel has been created to see that all factions function properly; says future hiring will be done through personnel com apptd by bd

N Vietnamese forces attacking on several fronts in Central Highlands, Apr 25, trap 2,000 to 3,000 S Vietnamese troops in border outpost NW of Kontum, press 5,000 others into retreat and appear on way to dividing S Vietnam in two; retreating forces reptdly try to form new defense line 11 mi from Kontum; allied helicopters airlift troops out of Benhet to new defensive lines at Vodinh; US B-52s fly 11 missions NW of Kontum to protect regrouping S Vietnamese forces; allied tactical air strikes destroy 4 N Vietnamese tanks and 29 trucks trying to move south of Tancanh toward Kontum; N Vietnamese continue attack at Anloc; enemy mil activity continues to mount throughout 4 provs NW of Saigon; renewed enemy push expected in Quangtri Prov; US planes and warships continue bombing southern panhandle of N Vietnam; battle scenes illus; map

White House discloses on Apr 25 that Kissinger conferred secretly in Moscow with Brezhnev and Gromyko between Apr 20 and Apr 24; says discussions dealt with internatl problems and bilateral matters preparatory to Nixon's visit to Moscow; announcement released simultaneously in Moscow; Kissinger, in news briefing, Washington, describes talks as useful, frank and satisfactory; denies there was possibility before his trip that Nixon's visit might be canceled; commenting on renewed US bombing of N Vietnam, acknowledges US relations with USSR have reached 'very delicate phase'

Manned Spacecraft Center scientists rept on Apr 25 that scientific instruments at Apollo 16 lunar landing site are functioning properly and returning data to earth; lunar rover camera is still operating