June 6, 1974

HR, 270-103, insists on stronger version of anti-busing bill that goes to conf com on June 6; vote is not binding on HR conferees but puts 2 branches of Cong at odds on emotional issue; Sen, 47-46, has backed milder anti-busing stand in educ aid package; Reprs Marvin Esch and Carl Perkins comment; issue revd (M)

HR, 209-175, kills Sugar Act, freeing mkt for 1st time in 40 yrs from import quotas, under which 30 countries imported sugar from US (M)

Palestine Liberation Orgn (PLO) leader Yasir Arafat on June 5 tells movement's reprs in Cairo that he is willing to go to Middle East peace conf in Geneva if Palestinians give him mandate, closed session of Palestine Natl Council which is debating whether to take part in negotiated settlement or rely on armed struggle; Egypt and Syria are urging Palestinians to go to Geneva; refusal to do so would cut off resistance movement from its Arab support except for Libya and Iraq; Arafat is regarded as exponent of moderate faction within PLO; spokesmen for radical Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine, headed by Dr George Habash, reptdly said that their group not only opposes Palestinian representation in Geneva but will take action to disrupt conf; Popular Front and other hardliners argue that if Palestinians seek to set up state on parts of west bank of Jordan River and in Gaza, they will be boxed in during Geneva negotiations and will be unable to attain ultimate goal of creating 'secular state' in all of Palestine; Popular Front repr Taysir Qubaa reptdly said that his group would seek to overthrow leadership of PLO if moderates reject extremist position; Arafat says Palestinians should set up their own natl authority for liberated areas or they will revert to Jordanian control or come under outside trusteeship; reptdly said that Egypt, Syria and Palestinian resistance suffered more than 200,000 casualties--killed and wounded--since '67 war (M)

Reliable sources indicate on June 5 that White House, contrary to agreement worked out with Fed Judge Gerhard A Gesell, has refused to permit John D Ehrlichman full and direct access to personal notes of Presidential meetings, which he maintains are essential to his defense against charges of conspiring to burglarize office of Daniel Ellsberg's psychiatrist; subpoenaed notes include Ehrlichman's meetings with Nixon between Jan '71 and Apr '73, which are thought to bear on activities of White House 'plumbers,' whose members sought to halt newspaper leaks of sensitive materials (L)

Calif voters approve proposition allowing use of gasoline tax funds for mass transit, subject to approval of local voters; previously such revenue was earmarked for hwy construction (S)