January 9, 1973

Israel and Syria fight extensive air and artillery battles on Jan 8 after Israeli planes strike Syrian targets in what Israeli mil spokesman describes as reprisal for guerrilla attacks on Golan heights; spokesman says Israeli jets downed 6 Syrian MIG-21 jet fighters; repts 5 Syrian tanks knocked out during 4-hr artillery duel along Golan heights cease-fire line; says 2 Israeli soldiers were wounded during exch; says Israeli planes flew 7 air raids throughout day and all planes returned; notes planes attacked guerrilla encampments, Syrian Army bases, artillery positions and radar stations; 2 settlements on Golan heights are reptd damaged during Syrian artillery barrage; Israelis say they have destroyed 45 Syrian planes since '67, losing 3 of their own; spokesman says USSR appears to be replacing Syrian losses 'at least 1 for 1'; Damascus radio says Syria lost 3 MIG's but downed 4 Israeli planes; says Syrian forces destroyed 15 Israeli tanks, 10 artillery positions and 2 heavy machine guns; says 2 Syrian tanks and 2 radar stations were destroyed in action and 2 Syrian soldiers were killed and 8 wounded; map

Well-placed Nixon Adm officials say on Jan 8 that US and USSR failed to make any significant progress in Geneva round of Phase 2 SALT talks, which lasted from Nov 21 to Dec 21; one official says both sides took 'extreme' positions, as expected, and talks ended without any narrowing of known differences; another doubts any breakthrough will occur until Nixon meets later in yr with Brezhnev; chief areas of difference outlined; officials say main stumbling block is Soviet insistence on including among strategic weapons US tactical aircraft in Eur that can carry nuclear weapons; one official says negotiators knew that Gerard C Smith would be replaced by Johnson in negotiations and that there was tendency to put off any major recommendations until Johnson took charge; White House confirms on Jan 8 Johnson nomination for post of chief negotiator

White House announces that W J Porter will replace U A Johnson as Under Sec of State for Pol Affairs

Gov Cahill, in his 3d annual legis message, will urge NJ Legis en Jan 9 'to take bold step forward' by approving mass transit agency that would absorb NJ's major toll rds--NJ Tpk, Garden State Pkwy and Atlantic City Pkwy- and ultimately channel their profits into a unified mass transit program throughout state; plan would make 3 toll rd authorities wholly controlled subsidiaries of new superagency, which would inherit all their profits and revenue power; Cahill suggests that new agency should be empowered to determine and undertake mass transit projects throughout state, including financing, construction and operation as well as overseeing improvement, maintenance and operation of existing transit facilities, putting state directly in mass transit business, using hwy tolls as capital; says new agency should have authority to raise tolls if additional revenue is required to support bonds that would be issued by agency; hwy lobby and motorists who use toll rds regularly are expected to oppose plan

Amer Hosp Assn on Jan 8 approves 12-point Bill of Rights that includes individual's right to choose death by rejecting med therapy and patient's right to obtain full explanation in clear, concise terms of his med condition; bill's approval as natl policy statement follows 3-yr study by its bd of trustees and 4 consumer reprs; assn expects that, although a hosp will not lose accreditation if it rejects policy, 7,000 member insts will adopt statement and make copies available to all patients; among major points of bill are: rights to considerate and respectful care, privacy of patient's own med care program, confidentiality of his med records, clear understanding of which dr is in charge of over-all care, options that exist for treatment of condition and whether experimentation is involved in such therapies; document is believed 1st generally available public policy statement from natl health orgn that specifically defends what cts have already ruled-that adult patient with no prognosis for recovery has right to die without med therapy; assn says that because of complexities involved in med care, it expects hosps to raise many questions of interpretation about specific cases