August 18, 1973

Section of cofferdam at Con Ed Astoria plant collapses on Aug 17 injuring 2 workmen and apparently drowning 2 others; dam was holding back East River water while crews worked on intake tunnel to carry water into new generator; divers are searching for missing men and injured are reptd in good condition; Labor Dept repr A Barden says dam has recently been inspected and found safe; illus; map

Md US Atty's office outlines to Justice Dept its investigation into alleged kickbacks to high public officials, including Vice Pres Agnew, and is now waiting for decision on whether to proceed to seek indictments; source close to investigation says ‘some decisions have to be made’ in Washington before indictments can be sought by US Atty's office in Baltimore; source says he is referring to usual procedural step whereby US Atty Gen's office reviews investigation to test its strength before local US Atty asks for indictments; says case is so ‘wide and complex’ and involves so many people that, if decision is to go ahead, it might take some time before there would be any indictments; says Asst Atty Gen Petersen had come to Baltimore to meet with Fed investigators and US Atty Beall to inform himself about investigation; Petersen met with Beall and investigators on Aug 16 and also met with key witness L Matz; Fed investigators in Baltimore pick up copies of Agnew's personal financial and tax papers at his Washington office

Defense Sec Schlesinger announces that USSR has successfully flight‐tested intercontinental missiles with separately‐targetable multiple warheads (MIRV), with SS‐18 carrying at least 6 hydrogen warheads in 1‐megaton range, Aug 17 Defense Dept briefing; says ‘very adventuresome’ series of missile tests that began in May embrace 4 new‐generation Soviet missiles, including largest SS‐18, that could lead USSR to ‘clear advantage in counterforce capability’ over US; SS‐18, tested on range ending in Kamchatka Peninsula, is liquid fueled and succeeds SS‐9; Defense Dept descriptions of others in series noted; Schlesinger anticipates missiles will be ready for deployment by ‘75 and will equal number of Amer independently‐targetable warheads by end of decade; characterizes development as Soviet bid for ‘strategic advantage’ and makes it imperative for US to prevent USSR from ‘marrying’ its quantitative superiority to qualitative equality; says phase 2 of arms limitation talks are significant in that they ‘must prevent imbalance'; Soviets had earlier contended that 2d round of talks could succeed only if USSR could negotiate in same terms as US by demonstrating MIRV capacity

Crime in NYC subways, contained at night by transit police saturation program, rising in afternoon and early evening hrs; over‐all serious crime has risen 17%, as of mid‐Aug, over corresponding ‘72 period; change‐booth holdups, reversing trend, have dropped 23.9%; transit police statistics show 831 robberies of passengers, 198 felonious assaults and 952 purse snatchings up to mid‐Aug; Transit Patrolmen's Benevolent Assn pres John T Maye says that statistics would probably have to be tripled for more accurate tally; says many passengers victimized in lesser crimes do not rept them; also says that transit ptl are encouraged to issue summonses rather than make arrests for lesser violations; police chief Robert H Rapp contends that issuing summonses results in more extensive police coverage of subway system

Pres Nixon's attys declare on Aug 17, in their latest legal brief, that exec branch, not cts or a grand jury, has exclusive right to drop a criminal prosecution when ‘other governmental interests’ outweigh its pursuit; 1 of governmental interests Nixon is seeking to protect in refusing to release White House tapes is his ability to communicate confidentially with his aides to promote free discussion in White House on major issues; brief is last of series of legal exchanges between Pres and special Watergate prosecutor A Cox before their case is argued on Aug 21 before Judge Sirica; Nixon attys pose series of imaginary conversations in Oval Office, each of which could determine whether or not a crime had been committed, some of which seemed entirely plausible, as method of defending theory that confidentiality is essential to Pres; White House brief is submitted by L Garment, J F Buzhardt Jr, Prof Wright and 3 staff attys working for Pres; illus of T P Marinas, consultant on White House legal staff

WASHINGTON, Aug. 17—The White House finally made public today a proposal for five‐year national attack on cancer that would accelerate research into the basic causes of the disease and better methods of treating it.

Sec J R Schlesinger says US will respond to ‘legitimate noncombat requests of Laos,’ news conf, Aug 17

Mafia figure A De Carlo is arrested in his NJ home on Aug 17 by US marshals for failing to obey ct order to pay $20,000 fine; fine is part of his original 12‐yr sentence for extortion, of which he served 33 mos before receiving exec clemency from Pres Nixon on Dec 25, ‘72; De Carlo, who is suffering from terminal cancer, is wheeled on stretcher to ambulance and driven to Fed Ct in Newark; tells judge that he thought fine was included in his clemency; Judge A T Augelli gives De Carlo 60 days to pay fine in installments and allows him to return home, warning him that he will be recommitted to prison if he now fails to pay fine; De Carlo's release from prison is being investigated by US Sen subcom headed by Sen H M Jackson, and by US Atty's office in Newark in conjunction with FBI and Watergate prosecutor A Cox; illus

Chilean Govt's 1st detailed rept on econ consequences of truckers’ walkout finds that 23‐day strike has had ‘catastrophic’ repercussions on nation's already ailing econ; says agr is seriously threatened, indus has slowed down and supplies of commodities have reached ‘crucial point'; Natl Planning Min G Manner says truckers’ walkout is ‘pol strike aimed at overthrowing Govt, with help of imperialism'; left‐wing newspapers have accused US of financing strike; Govt is continuing efforts to reach agreement with Natl Truck Owners Confed and bus and taxi assns, who demand guarantees that transport indus will not be taken over by state; reliable sources say strike has cost Govt about $100‐million, half of what mo‐long strikes in Oct ‘72 were officially said to have cost; Chileans have suffered more from current strike because nation had not built up its supplies; ‘73 production is expected to decline by about 10% if strike is settled soon; over 40,000 trucks are off rd; striking truckers maintain that trucking indus is totally paralyzed; illus of truckers’ camp

Chin Chi Wei is appointed commander of Chinese military region that includes Szechwan and Tibet in apparent effort to bring area under firmer control; Chin will replace Liang Hsing‐chi, who was dismissed from post in ‘71; repts filtering from area tell of factional struggles and lawlessness in cities and countryside, particularly in Szechwan; travelers rept unruly youth engaging in public gang fights, urban youth refusing orders to settle in the country, and rural youth resisting commune control; history of province revd

Thousands of Amers of Chinese extraction have visited China since Peking and Washington decided to move toward more normal relations; in line with its new foreign policy, Peking is extending special priveleges, usually denied to local Chinese or Chinese from Hong Kong or Macao, to Chinese from US; privileges extended to visitors have bought criticism from some, who feel that preferential treatment is inappropriate for egalitarian society; visitors with relatives find they are given much freedom and can visit them in their homes or stay with them if their homes are large enough; in spite of shift in Govt policy, many Chinese are still wary of outsiders and avoid their relatives, apparently for fear of another policy change which would cause their relatives to become an embarrassment to them

Cambodian refugees begin returning to their home villages; discover that in most cases everything they left was burned or destroyed by battles and US air raids; destruction at Krang Pong Ro village described; map; illus