August 23, 1974

Judge John J Sirica postpones Watergate cover-up trial until Sept 30 at urging of US Appeals Ct for Washington, DC; delay gives parties some of additional time they have said they need to prepare for trial; it gives Watergate prosecutor Leon Jaworski more time to resolve legal status of former Pres Nixon and it may make it more politically feasible for Pres Ford to take part in resolving Nixon's legal status if he wishes to; background of events leading to ruling; list of participants in Appeals Ct ruling, which was unanimous; Sirica por (M)

US Sen, 85-0, passes landmark pension reform bill as Cong adjourns for Labor Day recess; legis will set standards for private pension plans and protect pension rights of 30-million Amer workers; NY Sen Jacob K Javits, prime sponsor of pension bill, hails measure as greatest development in life of Amer worker since Soc Security; Sen Labor and Public Welfare Com chmn Sen Harrison A Williams sees bill as 'safeguard for pension expectations of Amer workers'; bill aims at insuring that workers who belong to private pension plans will receive benefits after number of yrs of service if plan is terminated when co goes out of business; standards under bill outlined (M)

Turkish Premier Bulent Ecevit says that Turkey could compensate for any weaknesses in US defenses in Mediterranean caused by Greece's withdrawal from NATO, int; suggests that new and improved relationship between US and Turkey has developed out of Cyprus crisis; declines comment on whether Turkey would provide port facilities for US 6th Fleet if facilities in Greece were withdrawn; emphasizes that Turkish activity in Mediterranean will be 'with understanding that NATO should function only as collective security arrangement, but also as constructive agent for detente in area' (S)

S Korean Pres Park on Aug 23 lifts 2 politically repressive decrees in his 1st move to ease his campaign against opponents since Jan; removes emergency measure imposed on Jan 8 to forbid all discussion, criticism and demands for revision of Const; charter, adopted late in '72, gives Pres unltd power; Park, following special Cabinet meeting, also drops emergency measure imposed on Apr 3 after student protests to prohibit all such dissent against Govt and its policies; it carried penalties ranging from 5 yrs to death; Park leaves intact 2 other emergency measures, 1 imposed on Jan 8 to establish secret courts-martial and to permit arrests without warrants, and other, announced on Jan 14, which cut taxes for low income persons, raised taxes on luxury goods and increased import tariffs; Park says there will be no amnesty now for those who have been arrested and tried under lifted decrees; Park's spokesman Kim Seong Jin, in making announcement, says Govt had imposed measures, at cost of some 'misunderstanding' by S Korea's friends, to alert nation to threat from Communist N Korea; says killing on Aug 15 of Mrs Park had made nation better understand Communist threat and necessity of decrees; says since nation has been warned, time has come for decrees to be lifted (M)

Vice Pres-designate Nelson A Rockefeller makes round of 'courtesy calls' in Sen and HR on Aug 22; holds short news conf with Repr John J Rhodes, who says he sees no difficulty about Rockefeller's confirmation; later meets with Sec Henry A Kissinger and Syrian Foreign Min Abdel Halim Khaddam; lunches with Sen Jacob K Javits and later meets with Sen Barry Goldwater; is escorted by staff members from White House Cong liaison office, including Robert R Douglass; attends private dinner with Pres and Mrs Ford at White House; other meetings and activities noted; Rockefeller illus with Pres Ford and Repr Joe D Waggonner Jr (M)