March 26, 1975

Faisal Ibn Abdul-Aziz al Saud (King of Saudi Arabia): While House press sec Ron Nessen says Vice Pres Rockefeller, accompanied by Asst State Sec Alfred L Atherton Jr, will convey sympathy of Amer people and will carry message from Ford to new Saudi Arabian King Khalid ibn Abdel Aziz 'expressing his condolences' on death of his bro, King Faisal

S Vietnamese mil sources and Western officials reptdly are distressed at critical fuel and ammunition shortages in Mekong Delta as Communist offensives mount in area; 16 provs of delta are S Vietnam's major rice-producing area and contain almost 40% of country's population; cutback in S Vietnamese mil offensives in light of shortages described; consolidation or abandonment of about 1,000 delta outposts early in '75 recalled (M)

S Vietnamese Govt forces abandon Hue, cultural heart of S Vietnam, on Mar 25; repts from Danang indicate city is expected to fall soon; new line of defense has been organized to protect what has become enclave of Danang, with Communist-held provinces to both north and south; Govt repts 14 heavy rockets were fired in outskirts of Danang on Mar 26, apparently marking beginning of Communist operation in area; repts 6 civilians killed, 34 wounded; evacuation of civilians from city has been accelerated; airlift is underway and ships reptdly are available; most of foreigners are being flown out; pilots reptdly fear that N Vietnamese MIG fighter planes will appear soon over Danang; Pres Thieu repts on Mar 25 that 'war cabinet' will be formed by Premier Tran Thien Khiem to stiffen natl resistance; mil sources rept Govt reverses include fall of dist capital of Ha Tien in southernmost part of country; loss is considered significant because presence of Communist tanks in area, 115 miles SW of Saigon, appears to presage major push; Govt repts 12 tanks destroyed Mar 24 in battle in Vinh Long Prov, only 65 mi SW of Saigon; S Vietnamese troops left Hue by ship after blowing up installations; some 1/3 of Hue's 200,000 population is left in city, with most of these people staying by choice; refugees from Hue and southern provs arrive in Da Nang by boat; loss of Hue seen as major blow to morale because of city's importance as former imperial capital and cultural center; Hanoi radio quotes foreign press repts as saying US helicopter carriers are moving toward S Vietnam to evacuate Amers from Da Nang; urges S Vietnamese troops, police and admrs in central Vietnam to switch sides quickly; there are several hundred Amers in Da Nang; Communist pressure in other parts of Vietnam continues to mount, with next major enemy push expected against Tay Ninh, near Cambodian border; Tay Ninh dominates hwy leading to Saigon; map of Communist- and Govt-held provs and of population distribution before Communist drive (M)

Pres Ford directs Gen Frederick C Weyand to fly to Saigon to assess mil situation and recommend whether further Amer assistance is needed; State Dept announces US will begin airlift to evacuate refugees from Danang; US Embassy in Saigon asks airline contractors to help evacuate 40,000 refugees; 400,000 refugees are in Danang, which normally has population of 500,000; White House press sec Ron Nessen says Amb Graham A Martin will return to S Vietnam with Weyand; Ford meets with S Vietnamese Amb Tran Kim Phuong; says he is 'deeply disturbed' by repts of increased fighting in country; Sen Foreign Relations Com chmn Sen Sparkman makes public lr to Ford urging reconvening of internatl conf that ratified '73 peace accords; Weyand and Martin illus (M)

All-out effort to correct acoustics of Avery Fisher Hall in Lincoln Center will be made in '76; auditorium will be gutted and a new installation built under supervision of acoustician Dr Cyril M Harris and architect Philip Johnson; hall will be renamed New Avery Fisher Hall; work may start May '76 and auditorium will be closed for 5 mos during rebldg; estimated cost is between $2-million and $3-million; funds will come from gift made to Lincoln Center by Avery Fisher; Fisher comment on need for new hall; hall has been plagued by poor acoustics from the beginning, when it was called Philharmonic Hall; Harris illus (M)