November 20, 1972

NY Times survey on surgical sex change in US notes preliminary findings indicate that such operations have been successful in achieving their goals-relative contentment and peace of mind for persons whose lives before surgery were marked by depression, isolation, despair and often attempted suicide; describes transsexuals as persons with seemingly normal physical makeup of 1 sex who have psyche of the other; calls condition crossgender identity; patients, in addition to surgery, must take sex hormones that stimulate such secondary sex characteristics as beard growth, distribution of body hair and body fat and breast development; total cost of surgery may exceed $10,000; Several med centers are trying to identify children who may be 'pre-transsexuals' and treat them with goal of reversing their gender misidentification before it is too late; drugs and severe stress during pregnancy may have affect on sexuality of unborn child; illus of transsexual

NYS Controller A Levitt releases rept on Nov 19 of widespread 'personnel nonproductivity' in NYC welfare agencies; attributes situation to a lack of supervision, lack of meaningful productivity standards and possible over-staffing; NYC HRA Admr Sugarman says state rept supports findings of study conducted by own agency and provides additional justification for a series of discipline controls recently instituted; rept details observations between Apr '71 and July '72 at 11 NYC Soc Services Dept locations; Sugarman asserts agency is developing a highly specific set of work-performance standards and productivity rewards and penalties; says Levitt proposal to eliminate excess personnel supports major long-term objective of NYC's welfare overhaul; predicts computerization, improved processing of clients and new controls over employes will have substantial impact on staffing levels; unusual office practices at particular welfare centers cited; illus

Life (pub) publishes excerpt from Mrs C Daniel's biog of her father, H Truman, that says Truman wrote his family in '44 that he would 'rather not' become Vice Pres or Pres; says he accepted Vice-Pres nomination after Pres Roosevelt said that to refuse it would be to 'break up the Dem party in the middle of war'; illus of Truman and Roosevelt

Nov 19 Fed election victory by W Ger coalition Govt provides approval of its policy of dealing with E Ger directly and of authorizing worldwide acceptance of 2 Gers

N M Ohrbach, founder of Ohrbach's store chain, dies on Nov 19 at age of 87; his por