January 1, 1973

US has temporarily halted all bombing in N and S Vietnam in observance of a 24-hr New Yr's cease-fire proclaimed by both Communists and Saigon Govt; US refuses to confirm cease-fire; 12-day US bombing campaign against Hanoi-Haiphong region was stopped Dec 31 by Pres Nixon; S Vietnamese command says there were 19 enemy violations overnight of New Yr's truce; most serious violation occurs 3 mi SW of Quang Tri city; New Yr's cease-fire ends at 6 PM Jan 1 for Saigon and at 7 PM for Communists; earlier, Dec 31, before cease-fire began, US planes flew 211 tactical strikes over S Vietnam and also bombed targets below 20th parallel in the North; US command silent on B-52 missions in both North and South; no significant ground fighting reptd; 40 incidents reptd initiated by enemy; Saigon Govt has no apparent reaction to halt in bombing above 20th Parallel; S Vietnamese Pres Nguyen Van Thieu reptdly was informed of bombing halt Dec 31 in meeting with Amb E Bunker, who as a result postpones scheduled visit to his wife C Laise, US Amb to Nepal; Bunker leaves for 4-day vacation; US command, for 2 days, does not announce any further losses of US planes over N Vietnam, after earlier announcing a total of 15 B-52s and 10 smaller planes shot down in North; unofficial toll of Amers missing in bombing campaign from Dec 18 to Dec 30 is 82, with 31 reptd captured and paraded for newsmen in Hanoi; Hanoi radio repts one more B-52 downed in raid over Hanoi a few hrs before bombing halt began; Hanoi claims total of 81 US planes downed, 34 of them B-52s

indications are, Dec 31, that Pres Nixon's halt in bombing above 20th Parallel in N Vietnam brings him little, if any, respite from criticism of his Vietnam policies; HR Dems to caucus Jan 2 and vote on sense-of-party resolution calling for cut-off in mil spending in SE Asia; later in wk HR Foreign Affairs subcom will hold hearings on effect of bombing policy on US diplomacy in Eur, with stress on strained US-Swedish relations; sponsors of 2 moves, Reprs L N Nedzi and B S Rosenthal, say that neither bombing halt nor resumption of private peace talks in Paris on Jan 8 will affect sentiment for strong action; Nedzi accuses Nixon of 'doing everything secretly'; Common Cause orgn sends wires to all HR Dems urging support of proposed Dem caucus resolution; says, in message to HR Speaker Albert, that pending measure signals that war will not continue endlessly and does not hurt Nixon's negotiations; State Dept spokesman says Sec Rogers will not appear before HR subcom because of renewal of peace talks and will not appear before Sen Foreign Relations Com to discuss Adm's Vietnam policy; spokesman for Sen Kennedy says Sen will pursue his inquiry on rules of engagement for bombing of N Vietnam and Defense Dept's assessment of civilian war damage; H A Kissinger, Nixon's natl security adviser, who is scheduled to resume Paris peace talks next wk, returns to Washington Jan 2 from vacation in Calif

Article on Hanoi scene following halt in US bombing of city; attacks, resumed on a large scale on Dec 18 with, for the first time, use of B-52s, devastated heavily populated areas and paralyzed activities in the city; bombing halt allows populace to get full night's sleep for first time in 2 wks; although press and radio have not reptd halt, people are aware of rept but are skeptical about Nixon; some say Nixon has halted bombings in the past to resume them a few days later

Article on blood shortages in US notes that some cities, where blood supplies are low but still adequate to permit elective surgery, are being forced to rely on blood from paid donors, increasing risk of patients' developing hepatitis