January 29, 1974

3‐member MTA panel rules LIRR mgt was unprepared for ice storm that virtually paralyzed its operations on Dec 16‐17, ‘74 assails lack of consideration for passengers stranded up to 10 hrs in powerless trains; calls on rr to develop plans to evacuate passengers in similar situations in future, with help of fire, police and hosp personnel if necessary; says mgt misjudged severity and duration of storm and failed to inform passengers, public, news media and MTA hq of seriousness of situation; no rr officials ore singled out for criticism; MTA Chmn William Ronan orders rr to restructure its mgt to centralize responsibility for passenger operations; panel members listed (M)

Defense Dept spokesman Jerry W Friedheim repts that USSR conducted 1st long‐range test firings of SS‐19 missile on Jan 25 and Jan 26 from Soviet research center near Aral Sea; tests were observed by US ships, planes and sub marines in Pacific target area; Friedheim describes multiple‐warhead missile as ICBM with 4,500‐mi range, comparable to US Minuteman missile and significant step toward Soviet development of MIRV; says Defense Dept believes SS‐19 is successor to SS‐11, principal Soviet ICBM; says USSR gave advance warnings of tests when area was declared unsafe for shipping last wk; further tests may be planned; Soviet ability to fire such missiles has raised Defense Dept concern that USSR could attack US Minuteman bases and is main tech impetus behind Defense Sec Schlesinger's emphasis on developing ‘counterforce’ capability against Soviet mil installations (M)

Ali thereby evened his series with Frazier, the winner by a unanimous 15round decision at the Garden nearly three years ago in their heavyweight title showdown.

Soviet Foreign Trade Deputy Min Vladimir S Alkhimov's recent press conf, in which he stated that USSR would be willing to sell wheat to US to help replenish stock, revd (S)

Fed Judge Jack B Weinstein orders city, state and Fed housing officials to provide joint plan with NYC Bd of Educ to help desegregate Mark Twain Jr High School 239 in Coney Island; says racially imbalanced housing is at heart of racially imbalanced schools; only 18% of students at Mark Twain are white; Judge Weinstein ruled that Fed complicity in encouraging segregated schooling through its housing policies is improper under 5th Amendment and directed that renting and construction patterns be modified to encourage substantial number of whites and middle‐class families to move into area to stabilize population; HUD officials say this is 1st instance they know of Fed judge ordering housing officials to take such a step (L)