August 13, 1974

US Agr Dept, in wake of prolonged drought in Middle West grain growing regions, reduces drastically corn crop forecast, a development that is expected to increase meat and poultry prices in '75; corn crop is expected to total 4.97-billion bu, which would be 12% lower than '73 record crop; earlier forecasts estimated corn crop at 6.5-billion bu; dept economist J Dawson Ahalt says sharply reduced corn crop will not have much effect on consumer prices for rest of '74, although prices may soar in '75; says main impact of smaller crop will be on pork and poultry products; contends that beef supply is likely to continue high, but more of beef will come to mkt fed on grass; implies that not all price increases at farm level will be passed along to consumers, noting that there is 'unsually wide spread' between farm and retail prices; dept rept points out that feed grains are off 17% in current yr, although wheat production is still expected to set record; rice production is also rising sharply; Ahalt and Deputy Asst Agr Sec Richard E Bell point out that crop rept was based on growing conditions as of Aug 1 and that some rain has fallen since; new wheat crop is 1.84-billion bu, down from 1.93-billion 1 mo ago; grain sorghum output is expected to decline 34%; illus; graph of '74 grain forecasts (M)

Christopher S Wren, member of NY Times bur in Moscow and member of Amer team that climbed Lenin Peak, repts that joint Amer and Japanese team, including himself, found bodies of 7 members of 8-team Soviet women's mountain climbing team that died last wk as they unsuccessfully attempted to traverse Lenin Peak in Soviet Pamirs; says bodies were discovered several hundred ft below summit of Lenin Peak and that 8th member of team was believed to have been swept over side of mt by high winds; Soviet press has not yet mentioned disaster; Pamir mts described; illus; map (L)

Page

Ford, in speech to joint session of Cong Aug 12, warns other countries against trying to exploit change in US adm, stressing strong defense is surest way to peace; assures USSR of 'continued effort' in working together for peace because of dangers of nuclear war; Kissinger and Amb Dobrynin conf, Washington; Dobrynin cut short his vacation in USSR to return; State Dept officials say he brought with him Brezhnev's reply to Ford's personal message (M)

S Korean court martial in Seoul sentences former S Korean Pres Yun Po Sun to 3-yr suspended sentence, Bishop Daniel Chi Hak Soun to 15 yrs and loss of civil rights for additional 15 yrs, Protestant pastor Park Hyung Kyu to 15 yrs and additional 15-yr loss of civil rights, theological seminary dean Kim Chang Kook to 10 yrs and additional 10-yr suspension of civil rights and Amer history prof Kim Dong Gil to 15 yrs and additional 15-yr suspension of civil rights; sentences were not officially announced because former Pres Yun apparently caused consternation by refusing to leave his home to attend court session; his sentence was said to be suspended in recognition of his previous service to country; all are accused of having violated emergency measure, proclaimed by Pres Park on Apr 3, forbidding all dissent against Govt; measure included death sentence among its penalties; in each case, charge of violation of emergency measure involved activities before measure was enacted, thus defendants have been punished for acts ruled illegal after they had been committed; about 700 Protestants from Natl Council of Churches and 3,000 Catholics meet separately to protest actions; pors of former Pres Yun and Bishop Chi Hak Soun (L)