May 18, 1972

White House, on May 17, releases rough outline of Nixon's visit to USSR, saying trip will emphasize official business at expense of ceremony; Nixon, with Mrs Nixon, will leave Washington May 20 and arrive in Moscow May 22 after stopover in Salzburg, Austria; will return to Washington June 1 after visits to Iran and Poland; some data on itinerary within USSR given; White House press sec Ziegler says Nixon will be accompanied by 182 reprs of news media despite USSR efforts to keep down size of press party; in addition, 54 technicians have already gone to USSR to install equipment for radio and TV transmission; Nixon's official party to include Sec Rogers, Kissinger, Amb Beam, Asst Sec Hillenbrand, Arms Control and Disarmament Agency Dir Smith; his other top aides include H R Haldeman, Ziegler, H G Klein, W Safire and R K Price Jr

Gen Acctg Office rept on status of Strategic Army Forces (STRAF) holds, May 17, many units are not combat ready; says 1/3 of essential combat and combat-support equipment was unable to perform primary mission in units revd; attributes lack of readiness to shortages of qualified personnel; Repr Aspin says rept shows mil is riddled with waste

NYC Police Lt J Kaminsky is acquitted on May 17 of perjury charges stemming from his testimony before Fed grand jury investigating NYC police corruption

May 18: US officials, Saigon, rept that S Vietnamese troops transported by helicopter moved, May 17, within 2 mi of besieged Anloc; believe month-long siege of city will be lifted in next day or two; advancing S Vietnamese troops supported by 5 B-52 strikes reptdly killed 300 enemy soldiers in area just south of Anloc; no major battles reptd from other fronts; 7 Amers killed when enemy rocket hits cargo plane unloading ammunition at Kontum city; S Vietnamese forces rept clearing Mangyang pass on Rte 19, only rd linking Pleiku with the coast; US planes fly some 250 strikes against North; US planes also fly 377 missions against enemy positions in S Vietnam; B-52s carry out 25 raids; US warships continue to shell coastlines of both N and S Vietnam; 10 Communist supply boats sunk, 20 others damaged off mouth of Cua Viet; other mil action reptd; map

HAIPHONG, North Vietnam, May 17—The North Vietnamese say they are clearing American mines from the Haiphong harbor as planes drop them, and moving ships in and out.