March 29, 1975

Sniper, identified as James Carhart, from attic window of his home in Mt Holly, NJ, reptdly shoots and kills 2 policeman and wounds 2 others, before being shot and seized by police; sniper's brother, Lewis, and father, Edward, escape from house uninjured; dead policemen identified as William Wurst and Donald Aleshire; injured are Pat Kennedy and John Holmes; incident described; map; illus (M)

Re Island, South China Sea, is becoming strategic landing point for Amer pilots during efforts to evacuate refugees from Danang; island is being used as refueling stop because S Vietnamese authorities have refused to refuel helicopters in Danang; mob scenes at Danang's airports, as thousands of refugees fight to board handful fo World War II-vintage transport planes and 6 helicopters flown by Air America, described; informants say crowds overwhelmed mil policemen during early morning hrs of Mar 28; at least 4 persons were killed; Amers still remaining in city were evacuated by helicopters at concealed landing pads; Amer Consul Gen Francis reptdly used helicopter to patrol town and supervised large boat and barges for evacuation; regional comdr Lt Gen Ngo Quang Truong says it will take 45 days to evacuate refugees; Govt soldiers reptdly sack Govt rice stores near regional hqs and raid local brewery; main threat to public order apparently is soldiers, who are either deserters or are still armed; no mil engagements are in progress; Amer pilots regard further evacuation attempts as impractical; illus (M)

CAB approves Natl Airlines request to offer 'no frills' service, which will slash many fares by 35% for passengers willing to forego meals and liquor; similar plans by competing carriers noted; some new air fares cited (M)

US Embassy in Saigon says airlift of 'urgently needed mil and med supplies' has begun; 1st plane loads are scheduled to land Mar 29; embassy notes Mar 28 arrival of Gen Weyand (S)

S Vietnamese sources say Govt troops have lost more than $1-billion in Amer mil weapons and equipment over last 2 wks; losses at Ban Me Thuot, Hau Bon and Pleiku detailed; are expected to key topic of discussion between Gen Weyand and S Vietnamese officials; Weyand and Amb Martin have met with Pres Thieu; intelligence source says 'there has been complete loss of control by most of army and civilians' (M)

N Vietnamese troops closing in on Danang seize Hoi An, 15 miles away, as Danang and its principal airport are shelled; N Vietnamese troops capture Bao Loc, capital of Lam Dong Prov; troops and civilians reptdly have fled; Danang is reptd to be in chaos as city, swollen with 500,000 refugees, suspends air evacuation efforts as thousands swarm over its 2 airfields; Govt troops are commanded to restore order in 48 hrs and to shoot violators on sight; N Vietnamese troops are continuing advance along central coastal plain; Govt troops repulse N Vietnamese assault on Chon Thanh, on northern boundary of Saigon; S Vietnamese sources estimate Govt forces have abandoned more than $1-billion in Amer equipment during rapid and chaotic retreat during last 2 wks; US Consul Gen Albert Francis leaves Danang in Air Amer helicopter; searches are continuing for Amers in city; more than 300 Amers, including about 80 officials, have been evacuated in last 2 days; Gen Weyand met with Pres Thieu, Mar 28, to discuss deteriorating mil situation; was accompanied by Amb Martin; US officials say 9,000 to 10,000 refugees have been evacuated from Danang aboard Pioneer Contender, Defense Dept-chartered cargo vessel; refugees are to be taken to Cam Ranh Bay; scene at airport as refugees desperately attempt to board evacuation planes described; officials say some refugees had to be sprayed with Mace to clear path for departing World Airways plane; intelligence repts indicate N Vietnamese are planning major push on capital from Tay Ninh; casualty repts noted; illus; map (L)

illus of mourners at Faisal's grave

US banks and savings insts are making mortgage money available but home sales are not reviving because of continuing anxiety over nation's economy, high prices of homes and tight family budgets; interest rates in many parts of US are getting close to 8.5% and there has been softening of requirements for mortgages; ints with real estate brokers and builders in 11 US cities show that home sales have picked up somewhat in recent wks, but not substantially; builders hope that 5% tax credit recently approved by Cong for buyers of new homes will revitalize market

White House press sec Ron Nessen says Pres Ford will hold televised news conf on Mar 29 to reveal whether he will veto or sign $22.8-billion tax-cutting bill; says while Ford believes that econ urgently requires quick tax cut, some advisers are urging that he veto bill because it would produce untenable budget deficit; arguments for vetoing and for signing bill discussed; outlook for sustaining possible veto noted; Mgt and Budget Office Dir James T Lynn warning that Fed budget deficit would reach $105-billion in fiscal yr starting in July if Cong passes all spending bills noted (M)

A state appeals court yesterday unanimously reversed the conspiracy convictions of Thomas J. Mackell, the former Queens District Attorney, and two chief aides, and dismissed their indictments on the ground of insufficient evidence.

S Vietnamese Govt arrests Appeals Ct Judge Tran Thuc Linh and 4 leaders of student demonstrations; no reason for arrests is given; Tran is active in 3 anti-Govt groups (S)

D Middleton assesses effectiveness of S Vietnamese Air Force and ground forces for battle expected in Saigon; Amer analysts reptdly are revising estimates that Air Force will play major role in fighting; 200 of 500 mil aircraft S Vietnamese commanded have been put into storage because of shortages in maintenance personnel and spare parts; other losses noted; effectiveness of various types of mil planes in hands of S Vietnamese noted; most analysts believe N Vietnam will exploit present momentum of offensive and push on to Saigon; speed and precision of N Vietnamese offensive apparently has answered criticism that N Vietnam is incapable of controlling large units in conventional warfare (M)