May 2, 1972

May 2: South Vietnamese abandon Quangtri city on May 1, giving advancing N Vietnamese troops biggest prize to date in 1-mo-long invasion; city, 1st prov capital to be lost since N Vietnamese offensive began on Mar 30, fell after 3 days of shelling during which N Vietnamese moved troops and tanks to its edge; city's fall gives N Vietnamese control of all of Quangtri Prov; some 80 US advisers, comdr of S Vietnamese forces and his staff are evacuated from city; illus of US advisers waiting to be evacuated; US B-52's reptdly bombed as close as 1-mi from city in attempt to repulse enemy and cover retreat of S Vietnamese forces; S Vietnamese forces, accompanied by 10 US advisers, retreat south towards Hue, strategic city swollen by some 300,000 refugees; Quangtri reptdly was abandoned without much fight by Govt troops; sr US adviser in northern region, Brig Gen T W Bowen, comments; infiltrators from North reptdly are trying to organize in Hue and 1 key leader, Le Van Hao, reptdly has been picked up at checkpoints estab by mil police

DO YOU KNOW ANY IMPORTANT MAN IN BUSINESS WHO DOES NOT READ FORBES MAGAZINE?—ADVT.

Informed Repub sources rept on May 1 that US Repr Halpern will not seek re-election to 8th term in '72; cite personal reasons; also rept Halpern was reluctant to oppose Dem Repr Wolff in newly reapportioned dist, which encompasses parts of Queens and Nassau County; Wolff-Halpern contest had been rated as toss-up; Assemblyman Gallagher seen as leading contender for Repub nomination for HR seat; businessman H Viscardi Jr is another possible choice

US Cost of Living Council on May 1 tightens controls on construction indus by reclassifying many cos upward so that they will be required to notify stabilization agencies before making wage or price increases

illus of US Apollo 16 astronaut Lt Col Duke carrying scooper to gather lunar samples during moon walk

72 Pulitzer Prizes to B W Tuchman for Stilwell and the American Experience in China (nonfiction); J P Lash for Eleanor and Franklin (biog); W Stegner for Angle of Repose (fiction); C N Degler for Neither Black nor White (history); J Wright for Collected Poems (poetry)

Washington, DC, US Dist Ct judge decision upsetting '69 election of W A Boyle as UMW pres cites violations of Fed law by union leaders who were fighting insurgent slate headed by J A Yablonski; decision said to be victory for Yablonski supporters

NYS Sen passes bill that would require MTA to inform local govt of its plans and provide for a 60-day stay for locality to seek adjustments

NYC Controller Beame holds NYC will need only $40-million, not $227-million, in new NYS aid, fiscal 73, to balance proposed expense budget, May 1 news conf with Dem Legis leaders; sees no need for imposition of $141-million in nuisance taxes or proposed 2-wk payless furloughs for city employes; says $368-million could be raised by imposition of $90-million in new real estate taxes, budget cuts, raising anticipated revenue figures and $40-million in new state aid; refuses to disclose further details until he consults with Estimate Bd and City Council leaders; Council Finance Com and Estimate Bd will begin budget hearings this wk; Beame says studies by his staff reveal that meaningful budget cuts can be made without reduction in level of services

Fed grand jury charges Ford and GM with violating antitrust laws by conspiring to refuse to cut prices to fleet mkt, which includes rental and leasing cos, govt units and other cos that buy many vehicles; case stems from price war between big 3 US auto mfrs dating back to '62 when Chrysler cut prices to its fleet customers; GM and Ford followed, but in '69 stopped discounts; state and local govts began suing 2 cos on antitrust grounds; Chrysler is being sued by dealers who charge that 2-price system, lower prices for fleet customers and higher prices for consumers, violates antitrust laws; grand jury indictment is criminal case but maximum penalties are small, $50,000 fines for each of 2 counts for each co in indictment; GM and Ford could be liable to pay damages to any fleet customers who sued and won if Govt wins case

White House repts on May 1 that private exchs between Nixon and Brezhnev have advanced prospect for significant broadening of scope of on agreement limiting strategic arms; press sec Ziegler, in making announcement, hints possible resolution of issue of US demand for inclusion of submarine-launched missiles in any 1st-stage accord; says Nixon has instructed Smith to return to Helsinki SALT talks with 'new instructions'; speaks to newsmen after Nixon confs with Smith, Kissinger, Rogers, Joint Cs/S Chmn Adm Moorer and CIA Dir Helms; US and USSR have already agreed in principle on outline of 1st-stage accord including a treaty to limit ABMs and some kind of accord, short of treaty, for limiting offensive missiles

fall of 3 dists of coastal Binhdinh Prov within 2-wk period also signals loss of several yrs work on pacification programs as well as crucial failure for Vietnamization policy; some 20% of prov's people are not under Communist control and local Vietcong agents reptdly are barring all able-bodied young men from fleeing south; fall of Binhdinh also clearly demonstrates that without effective ground troops, air power is impotent; illus of S Vietnamese troops awaiting evacuation by helicopter from Kontum and mother and child in Hue