December 16, 1972

Fed Reserve Bd repts on Dec 15 that Nov indus production index, on preliminary basis, was at 118.5, up 1.1% above Oct level, revised upward; figure is 1.3% above Nov 71, a boom-like pace of expansion after about 2 1/2 yrs of sluggishness; Sept index has also been revised upward, bringing index rise up 3% in 3 mos, unusually rapid rate of advance; other indications of strong econ in last several mos, including rise in payroll employment and decline in unemployment to 5.2%, noted; Commerce Dept, in separate rept on Dec 15, says mfrs expect to add $1.4-billion to inventories in both current 4th qr and '73 1st qr, compared with actual addition of $1.9-billion in '72 3d qr; mfrs expect sales to rise 1.4% in 4th qr but anticipate a tapering off to rise of only 0.2% in '73 1st qr

A J Ricord convicted in Fed Dist Ct, NYC, on Dec 15 of conspiring to smuggle narcotics, culminating 2-yr effort by US Govt to sever so-called 'Latin-Amer connection' in internatl heroin trafficking; he faces mandatory 5-yr jail term and could get as much as 20 yrs; Judge J M Cannella sets Jan 29 for sentencing; appeal planned; background of case and involvement of others in smuggling ring led by Ricord revd

Nixon Adm officials on Dec 15 announce that US and Chile will begin high-level talks in Washington, DC, on Dec 20 to find solutions to mounting bilateral problems; foremost questions will be Chilean nationalization of US property, Chile's debt to US and blockage of internatl credits to Chile; US delegation will be headed by Asst Sec Meyer and will include Asst Sec Hennessy and Deputy Asst Sec S Weintraub; Chile will be represented by Amb Letelier; dispute over US 'aggression' toward Chile revd

growing demand for land and bldg sites in New England is leading toward confrontation between traditional concept of private property and need for controlled development; 1973 Vt Legis will be asked to consider major new program of land control that includes land-use plan that would designate areas for specific kinds of development; in eastern Mass there has been growing trend by local govts to slow down growth that is tending to destroy rural flavor of communities; planners in NH, 1 of few New England states that has little control over mobile homes, face growing pressure to limit use of house trailers; in 1960 there were 1,200 mobile units, compared to 15,000 units today; Maine is contending with indus development and organized citizens groups have blocked several recent attempts to develop oil refinery operations along Maine seacoast; Vt's growing pains are most acute because interstate hwy through Vt was major artery carrying people to Expo in Montreal in 1967 and thousands of people began buying Vt land; land that sold for $100 an acre in 1967 is now $800 an acre; an acre of land in ski areas sells for about $25,000; only 25 out of 246 communities in Vt have zoning and subdivision controls; emergency regulations went into effect last mo to halt further land auctions and landowners and real estate interests organized into Northeast Kingdom Landowners Steering Com to protect their interests; illus of empty housing development in Wilmington, Vt, that had sewage difficulties

NJ Legis Gambling Study Comm Chmn Dumont announces on Dec 15 that comm had voted to recommend that gambling prohibition in State Const be eliminated and that Gov and Legis be empowered to legalize any form of gambling; Gov Cahill has repeatedly expressed his opposition to introduction of wide-open gambling in state and major legis battle over comm's recommendations in upcoming legis session seems assured; legis leaders comment

Special Wyoming County (NY) grand jury investigating '71 inmate rebellion at Attica State Correctional Facility returns 1st indictments on Dec 15; details will not be available until Dec 18 because all 37 indictments are sealed; J Roth, member of Attica Defense Com, scores sealed indictments, saying that 'we have no reason to believe these indictments will be against the real criminals, the state officials'; indictments are also condemned by D Rothenberg of Fortune Society and J Berman, lawyer for Attica Defense Com; history of investigations conducted by McKay Comm and Deputy Atty Gen R E Fischer noted; Fischer refuses to comment on indictments

Dec 16: Dr H A Kissinger, Dec 15, meets with Pres Nixon for the 4th time in 2 days and confers individually with other high Adm officials for the outlook for a negotiated settlement of the Vietnam war; White House press sec Ziegler continues to withhold information and comment about Kissinger-Le Duc Tho secret truce talks just concluded in Paris; says Kissinger briefed Sec Rogers Dec 14 and met with Sec Laird, Vice Pres Agnew, CIA Dir R Helms and Joint Cs/S chmn Adm T H Moorer; says this schedule is normal procedure after a round of talks in Paris; White House silence does nothing to counter growing impression in Washington that latest talks reached impasse over presence of N Vietnamese troops in South; Nixon seen having to decide whether to continue pressing Thieu's demand for withdrawal of these troops, or to press Thieu to join in original accord made pub on Oct 26

NYC Police Dept repts on Dec 15 that 24 more pounds of heroin, impounded during 'French Connection' case in '62 and worth estimated $5-million, is missing from dept; former detective E R Egan scores dept's 'slipshod procedures'

Twenty‐one men were killed and at least 20 were injured yesterday in an explosion and fire at a new coke plant on an island in the Ohio River off Weirton, W. Va. Page 62.

Pres Nixon is planning to name aide J A Scali US repr to UN; illus

UMW insurgent pres candidate A Miller and rest of Miners for Democracy (MFD) slate on Dec 15 claim decisive victory on basis of nearly complete returns, which are being counted by Labor Dept; Miller says final margin will exceed 20,000 votes; mood at union hq is described as 1 of 'gloom and shock'; incumbent pres W A Boyle agrees to change door locks at all union hqs and field offices to preserve security of documents; Miller calls vote 'historic event' in US labor movement; with 85% of vote tallied, Miller has 58,722 (56%) to Boyle's 46,350 (44%); Miller's running mates, M Trbovich (vp) and H Patrick (sec-treas), also hold substantial leads over L J Pnakovich and W Killion; Miller tells newsmen that Boyle will be stripped of his salary and possibly his pension, both of which are $50,000 per yr; says he plans gen equalization of all pension plans so that union officials and miners receive same stipend; says he will make top-to-bottom reduction of 20% in union officials' salaries; has said he will cut own $50,000 salary as pres in half; acknowledges that union's 24-member exec bd, still filled with majority of Boyle loyalists, presents problem for his reform drive but says he will attempt to fulfill pledge for an all-elected exec bd; says he will call union convention to select new site, closer to coalfields, for union hq; Miller illus

Truman threatened by kidney failure and inability to absorb nourishment; drs and nurses say Truman has not responded to questions in several days; Truman's daughter Mrs C Daniel postpones trip back to her home in NY to stay with father; wife is also present; Truman's med problems detailed