October 24, 1972

NYC School Chancellor Scribner agrees on Oct 23 to white parents' demands and reassigns 31 black pupils from low-income Tilden housing project in Brownsville who were scheduled to attend John Wilson JHS in Canarsie; children will now attend Bildersee JHS, also in Canarsie; leader of black parents Rev W T Miller says his group will not accept transfer; charges Scribner with bowing to pressure from white parents; dist 18 local bd has said it will accept agreement, although reluctantly

7 prisoners, all charged with serious felonies, make daring and well-planned escape from Manhattan House of Detention (Tombs) on Oct 23 in 1st jailbreak from building since it opened in '41; illus; escape plan detailed; NYC Comr of Corrections B J Malcolm and Bd of Corrections Chmn W J vanden Heuvel describe operation as highly sophisticated and meticulously planned; Malcolm says escape could have been facilitated by new 'liberal' policies that dept has adopted during last 2 yrs to increase number of programs available to inmates; says under new programs, community volunteers, mental health aides, narcotics workers and others have free' access to prisoners and are never searched for weapons or contraband; escape has caused considerable consternation among prison officials and their critics, who view success of break as evidence that prisons in NYC are no longer safe and secure; vandel Heuvel says escape raises possibility that Corrections Dept and guards have been negligent and not performing their proper custodial function; says he plans full investigation; 7 prisoners who escaped are identified as: J Lecaheen, A White, F Giamptruzzi, J Ross, R Johnson, T Cruz and B Rodriguez; pors

S Vietnamese Pres Nguyen Van Thieu, under pressure by H A Kissinger to compromise on cease-fire proposals, emphasizes his position, which is also US position, that any cease-fire should extend to all Indochina

Transit Patrolmen's Benevolent Assn says on Oct 23 that its men will cover city's subways 'with blanket of summonses' as part of their rule-book work slowdown against NYCTA; union pres Maye says he told men to say summons is being given courtesy of Mayor Lindsay and MTA Chmn Ronan; Deputy Mayor Hamilton refuses comment on implied criticism of Lindsay

12 art works valued at over $500,000 are stolen on Oct 19 from Caramoor Center of Music and the Arts, Katonah, NY; theft, which included works by Cranach, Cellini and Chinese masters, is not disclosed until Oct 23 at request of local and Fed authorities investigating case; works were not insured