November 20, 1973

approved by Sen

thousands of travelers are experiencing difficulty in obtaining airline reservations as result of fuel shortage

Gov Rockefeller cuts short attendance at conf to meet with NYC Mayor-elect Beame on NYC transit fare

German Min H Frederichs on Nov 19 bans Sunday driving for next 4 Sundays and cuts speed limits to about 62 mph on 4- and 6-lane hwys and 50 mph on lesser rds beginning Nov 26; cites expected 15% reduction in Arab imports and expectation of 13% savings from conservation moves

several scores of young people who had gathered at Athens Polytechnic Univ are taken into custody on Nov 19 on charges of unlawful assembly, and 4 are ct-martialed on similar charges and sentenced to 4 yrs in prison; actions come as Govt continues its effort to curb unrest; throughout day Govt broadcasts warnings that anyone disobeying armed forces orders risks his life because, under martial law, soldier would shoot in cases of resistance; Govt on Nov 19 raises total number of persons killed by gunfire to 11 from previous figure of 9; announces that visit by Rumanian Pres N Ceausescu that had been scheduled to start on Nov 20 has been postponed; police and mil forces guard campus of Athens Polytechnic Univ; students, who are milling around campus silently, are taken into police hq on charge of violating ban on gatherings of more than 5 persons and are being held for identity checks; many Greeks and some diplomats predict that Pres G Papadopoulos will slow--if not suspend--what his spokesmen have described as process of democratization; all-civilian Cabinet that took office in Oct under Premier S Markezinis was to have speeded process by preparing elections for new parliament; there have been rumors in Athens for 2 days that position of Markezinis has suddenly weakened; Markezinis's office announces on Nov 20 that Markezinis has conferred with Papadopoulos; Govt officials continue to blame a minority of young 'anarchists' for rebellion; ed in Athens Mirror cites what it calls evidence of skillful orgn behind student take-over at Polytechnic; former Premier P Canellopoulos on Nov 19 calls for broad-based 'govt of natl unity' to overcome present crisis; circulates statement among newsmen, but it is not likely to appear in print in Athens because of censorship under martial law; business and other activities throughout Greece are reptd almost normal despite exceptional security measures; food is in plentiful supply in Athens; most workers rept to their jobs, but many offices, stores and businesses in greater Athens close early in afternoon to allow their employes to reach home before 7 PM curfew; curfew is relaxed to 11 PM in Salonika and is lifted in Patras dist; martial law bans strikes by workers; Govt officials, however, cite labor walkout that had previously been scheduled when asked why newspaper To Vima had not published since Nov 18; newspaper repts it had not published because some of its printers had been prevented from showing up for work