October 13, 1973

Syrian mil spokesman says Syrian air defenses on Oct 12 shot down 35 Israeli planes that attacked mil air bases around Damascus and other targets; says 3 freighters, Soviet, Japanese and Greek, were sunk during attacks by Israeli missile boats on ports of Latakia and Tartus; says 8 attaking Israeli craft were sunk by Syrian missile boats; says 'fierce fighting' continued all along Syrian front; says more than 40 Israeli tanks and 20 armored vehicles were destroyed; front, along occupied Golan heights, is 24 miles west of Damascus, which is calm; correspondents are taken to Al Mazza Hospital in Damascus, which Syrian staff says was hit by Israeli bombs and rockets; 2 wounded Israeli pilots are at hospital; effectiveness of Soviet-made missile defense system proves itself again, according to witnesses who say they saw 5 Israeli planes shot down by SAM missiles

Pres Nixon on Oct 12 nominates HR Minority Leader Ford to be 40th US Vice Pres; says he will send nomination to Cong on Oct 13; it is expected that Ford will be easily confirmed; Ford, in brief acceptance speech, pledges to do his utmost to the best of his ability in serving US well and to perform those duties that will be his new assignment as effectively and as efficiently and with as much accomplishment as possible; illus of Ford and Nixon

USSR on Oct 12 accuses Israel of 'barbarous' attacks on nonmil targets and demands that they be stopped at once, UN Security Council; Soviet UN delegate Y A Malik reads dispatch to Council from Soviet press agency Tass stating that Soviet merchant ship Ilya Mechnikov was sunk in Syrian port of Tartus by Israeli attack; Tass demands 'immediate stop to the bombings of peaceful towns in Syria and Egypt'; says 'continuation of criminal acts by Israel will lead to grave consequences for Israel itself'; Israeli repr Y Tekoah says that on basis of his information, Soviet ship was damaged as result of naval battle between Syrian and Israeli naval vessels outside port; terms damage 'unfortunate'; repts from Damascus, Syria, say that Soviet ship was subsequently sunk, as were Greek and Japanese merchant ships, during attacks by Israeli missile boats against ports of Tartus and Latakia; Syrian Deputy Premier A H Khaddam charges Israel with using napalm and with dropping delayed-action bombs in suburbs of Damascus; Egyptian Foreign Min M H el-Zayyat warns that there will be reprisals if Israeli forces continue to hit civilian targets; Council pres Sir L McIntyre speaks of 'grave responsibility' to restore peace; Council adjourns without setting date for next meeting

bitter behind-the-scenes struggle has developed between NJ and NY over NYS Racing and Wagering Bd proposal to build sports complex in Sunnyside sec of Queens that has strong backing of Gov Rockefeller and that could effectively kill similar proposed complex in Jersey Meadows; high NYS authorities say that Rockefeller had approved announcement of Sunnyside proposal that forced postponement of sale of $280-million bond issue to finance NJ complex; NJ officials and businessmen express anger over NY action

Distribution of this issue of The New York Times was delayed by work stoppages by the printers' union in defiance of a court order. The stoppages also made it necessary to reduce coverage of the news. Details, Page 24.