January 15, 1974

Pravda, in I Solovyev article, issues major attack on Jan 14 against dissident novelist Aleksandr I Solzhenitsyn, charging that his expose of Soviet penal system and secret police in The Gulag Archipelago was ‘stuffed with cynical falsifications'; describes author as ‘thoroughly immoral’ traitor and defector but offers no indication of what action might be taken against him; argues that abuses of Stalinist period have already been dealt with satisfactorily, saying that Communist party has successfully brought country back to ‘principles set by Lenin'; denounces as ‘vicious fabrication’ contention in West that Solzhenitsyn's book could not be published in USSR, claiming that number of works have been published in country criticizing ‘shortcomings and mistakes'; attack appears calculated to discredit author as thoroughly as possible among ordinary Soviet citizens before they have chance to learn more about book (L)

Fed energy chief William E Simon testifies that gasoline prices will increase by 10c or lie and remain at that level unless import prices rise again, Subcom on Priorities and Econ in Govt (S)

NYS Assembly on Jan 14 unanimously votes to remove requirement of corroboration in rape cases from Penal Code, move urged for yrs by women's movements, civil liberties groups and law enforcement officials; bill's sponsors predict quick Sen approval; bill removes all need for corroboration except in cases of consensual sodomy or where victim is under 18 or has mental defect; Assemblyman Alvin M Suchin says ‘the gals did a lot of good, hard work'; Manhattan Women's Pol Caucus rape com coordinator Sally McGee says they will lobby for bill in Sen; Assemblyman Herbert J Miller seeks unsuccessfully to introduce amendment to omit from corroboration requirement those cases in which rapist and victim are known to each other (M)

BALTIMORE, Jan. 14—A panel of three Maryland judges concluded today that former Vice President Spiro T. Agnew was “unfit” to be a lawyer and that he should be disbarred to “protect the public.”

Jan 15‐16: US Sec of State H A Kissinger meets on Jan 14 with Egyptian Pres A el‐Sadat, making what Kissinger calls ‘very good progress’ toward narrowing differences on separating Israeli and Egyptian armies near Suez Canal front; leaves later in day for Israel to meet with Israeli officials and to hand over Egyptian response for disengagement; US officials voice gen optimism that by end of wk fairly detailed agreement on ‘terms of reference’ for Geneva negotiations on disengagement can be achieved; concede, however, that sharp differences still exist and must be resolved; Egyptian Foreign Min Ismail Fahmy seems to be conciliatory and fairly optimistic on agreement; details of proposals have not been disclosed, but belief is that among problems is Israel's desire for sharp limits on Egyptian tanks, missiles and artillery on eastern bank of canal; Egypt regards entire eastern bank and Sinai Peninsula as its territory not subject to Israeli control; details of Egyptian plan are negotiated by US Under Sec of State Joseph J Sisco, Deputy Asst Sec Alfred L Atherton, US Amb at Large Ellsworth Bunker, Egyptian C/S Lt Gen Mohammed Abdel Ghany el‐Gamasy and Egyptian Foreign Min official Omar Sirry (L)