September 19, 1973

Illus

US HR Ways and Means Com postpones for another wk US Sec of State-designate H A Kissinger's scheduled Sept 18 appearance before com to defend Nixon Adm's efforts to extend improved tariff terms to USSR without linking them to unrestricted emigration by Soviet Jews

Sen Watergate com decides on Sept 18 to call White House speechwriter and pol strategist P J Buchanan as 1 of its 1st witnesses when public hearings begin Sept 24; com officials say panel has obtained series of memos Buchanan wrote at outset of '72 election campaign that suggested pol espionage and sabotage against Sen Muskie and other candidates for Dem Presidential nomination; investigators says documents 'set the tone' for various 'dirty tricks' that were subsequently performed; Buchanan says on Sept 18 that he wrote many memos that suggested 'broad strategy' and pol attacks against Dem candidates but had proposed nothing that could be characterized as 'dirty trick'; com announces Buchanan will probably be com's 4th witness and will be preceeded by E H Hunt Jr, J Caulfield and J Ragan, who has admitted to investigators that he placed wiretap on telephone of columnist J Kraft; 2 separate sources say ex-FBI agent Ragan, reputedly a wiretapping expert, also helped to install tap on telephone of Nixon's brother; AP repts that Ragan on Sept 18 denied tapping phones of Kraft or F D Nixon; com agrees on Sept 18 to int ex-White House aide C W Colson in private session Sept 19 before deciding whether to call him to testify in public; W O Bittman, P L O'Brien, K Parkinson, E Krogh Jr and D R Young, originally on list of witnesses, have been removed from list; Sen Ervin illus

US Defense Dept officials rept USSR has developed 'pop-up' technique for launching missiles that could significantly heighten warhead payload of ICBM force; mechanism described; method's key advantage is seen as permitting USSR to place larger missiles in existing missile silo holes; Sen Armed Services Com chmn Sen H M Jackson says in int that development of technique underscores his contention that Soviet advances are working to undermine Amer nuclear deterrent; concurs with Defense Dept that advance may permit USSR to increase 'throw weight' of its missiles within strictures of '72 Strategic Arms Limitation pact as larger SS-18 missile could be placed on existing 313 silo holes built for SS-9 missile; Sen sources also believe same technique could be used in deploying SS-17 missile which USSR is developing to replace SS-11 ICBM

UAW and Chrysler Corp on Sept 17 sign tentative pact that contains provision expected to spur demands by labor for enactment of natl health ins, which has been stalled in Cong for 3 yrs; provision outlined

Sept 19: Jordanian King Hussein on Sept 18 declares amnesty for political prisoners, including Palestinian guerrillas jailed since '70, in move toward Arab reconciliation; 1 of beneficiaries will be Al Fatah leader M D Odeh, better known as Abu Daoud, who is serving life sentence for allegedly planning series of assassinations of Jordanian leaders; amnesty follows Hussein's recent meeting in Cairo, Egypt, with Egyptian Pres A Sadat and Syrian Pres H Assad; is clearly peace token toward Palestinian movement; relations between Hussein and guerrillas have been hostile since Jordanian Army expelled guerrillas in '70 and '71, with heavy loss of life among Palestinains; Hussein illus

Julia Stanek, the weakest of the sextuplets born Sun day to Mr. and Mrs. Eugene J. Stanek in Denver, died last night of a respiratory ailment. Details on Page 29.

US Civil Service chief appeals examiner H D Staiman on Sept 18 reinstates A E Fitzgerald, Air Force cost analyst who disclosed in '68 $2-billion cost overrun on C-5A aircraft project and then was dismissed, and orders back pay of over $100,000 for him; holds his Jan '70 dismissal was 'improperly' disguised as economy move when it was 'purely personal'; rejects Fitzgerald's stand that he was dismissed because he told Cong about cost overruns; holds 'prime factor' in dismissal was 'erroneous' Washington Post Jan '69 page 1 article which said he had lost his tenure in Air Force shortly after he testified; rules he never had 'career tenure' and that his notification of such tenure was computer error; says Air Force blamed Fitzgerald for unjust publicity it recd about tenure and that controversy was prime factor in deterioration of relationship between him and Air Force; decision turns on former Air Force Sec R C Seamans's refusal at hearing to disclose any talks with White House about Fitzgerald on grounds of exec privilege; is also linked to memo disclosed at Sen Watergate hearings from then White House aide A P Butterfield to then White House chief of staff H R Haldeman scoring Fitzgerald's lack of loyalty and urging 'We should let him bleed, for a while at least'; Staiman also finds that Air Force Office of Special Investigations removed from Fitzgerald's files all good comments about him; holds it 'unconscionable' for Air Force to show such altered files to Cong; Fitzgerald, who was represented by ACLU, says he is pleased and will return to Pentagon if Air Force accepts ruling; illus of Fitzgerald

some high White House officials have been saying in private conversations in last few days that it might be best for Vice Pres Agnew to resign and allow Pres Nixon to choose new Vice Pres; White House sources insist that no decision has been made by Pres regarding any recommendation he might make for his Vice Pres; White House press sec Warren refuses to discuss repts and rumors; repts of conflict are heightened when Agnew's spokesmen deny, but without allowing their names to be used, Sept 18 rept in Washington Post that Agnew, himself, was considering resigning; Post quotes 1 unnamed Repub party leader as coming away from meeting with Agnew convinced that he would resign, probably this wk; article quotes other unnamed sources as saying that such an opinion is incorrect; Agnew refuses to comment; some high White House aides make it clear in behind-the-scenes conversations that they believe Agnew resignation would be desirable on ground that Nixon, already saddled with his own problems, does not need additional burden of a Vice Pres faced with indictment or impeachment, should it come to that; White House has done little to lay aside impression that Nixon and his associates consider Md inquiry involving Agnew to be serious and that White House, consequently, does not intend to make strongest commitment of support for him; Pres asst M R Laird says he is not source of rept and has never discussed question of resigning with Agnew; Sen Goldwater says he does not believe Agnew will quit; Goldwater spokesman A Smith says repts that Goldwater is responsible for speculation on Agnew's imminent resignation 'appear to have come from somewhere in the White House'

NYS Comm of Investigation opens hearings on Sept 18 Into alleged corruption in Albany Police Dept; says its investigation shows that police officers have been involved in systematic and organized burglaries, larcenies, thefts of public funds, as well as illicit relationships with narcotics dealers, prostitutes and after-hrs clubs over period of yrs; witnesses testify that policemen carried out burglaries, covered up crimes with official sanction and then sought to intimidate citizens who complained; comm counsel and witness J Fisch's testimony detailed; former Albany policeman J Dittmer's privately related testimony is read at trial, detailing how he and 2 fellow officers broke into parked trailer truck and stole several cases of film projectors, cameras and shaving equipment; witness L S Kelly Jr testifies that he reptd to state police burglary of auto tire store by 2 policemen in '64, but was never called as complainant; says his house was placed under police surveillance to intimidate him

S Pacific Conf, meeting in Tumon Bay, Guam, takes step in ending 'insulting' way in which regional aid programs are administered; adopts resolution calling for joint sessions beginning in '74 with S Pacific Comm, the aid body; new formula will give comm new character with island residents having dominant voice; under old system, territories meeting at conf made recommendations to comm, which then considered them at its own meeting; list of islands participating in conf

analysis of Swedish elections and near pol demise of Premier O Palme and his Soc Dem party suggests that Swedes feel that Socialist programs enforced by Soc Dems have become too costly; contends that many people take view that price for immense progress has been running too high; holds that success of former Agrarian party, now Center party--big gainer in non-Socialist group--stems not only from its hammering at high taxes but because its leader T Falldin, who is farmer, impressed people with nostalgic references during campaign to simple and carefree life that was enjoyed by many before Swedish industrialization; contends that Palme's search for innovations may have to be hurried