May 19, 1975

Ron Stewart, who played 21 seasons in the National Hockey League, is expected to be named the New York Ranger coach today. Stewart, who wound up his playing career with the New York Islanders in the 1972–73 season, will replace Emile Francis, who will remain the general manager. Page 37.

US Sec James R Schlesinger announces that 3 marines and 2 airmen were killed, 16 missing and 70-80 wounded in effort to rescue freighter Mayagez and crew, int, ABC-TV program Issues and Answers; Defense Dept says 3 of 70-80 are still in critical condition, although most had only superficial wounds; says final toll of Amers killed is expected to be at least 21, since 16 missing are assumed to have drowned after their helicopter was struck by Cambodian ground fire and then crashed; Schlesinger says Mayagez Capt Charles T Miller may have been in error when he said there were already 7 dead marines aboard destroyer Wilson when he and new crew were rescued; says Miller probably referred to wounded marines, rather than marines who had been killed; discloses that mil planners, acting on orders from Pres Ford, had authorized 4 waves of attack planes to move against Sihanoukville and that strikes were part of gen attack plan that included possibility of landing marines on mainland in Sihanoukville area if necessary to try to rescue crew; says 4th wave was terminated before it took off from carrier Coral Sea; in ref to landings on Tang Island, Schlesinger says he does not believe any error was made; says lesson for US is that it must go against mil power of opponent and not spend time parrying their offensive operations; Schlesinger illus (M)

Pres Ford is expected to sign legis changing way in which CAB deals with airlines; will seek to loosen Fed control to foster greater competition (S)

sr official aboard plane that brought Sec Kissinger to Vienna for 2 days of talks with Soviet Min Andrei A Gromyko says US was considering using B-52 bombers against Cambodian mainland after seizure of freighter Mayagez if carrier Coral Sea had not arrived in area by May 14; says to wait longer would have been to run high risk of new Cambodian Govt making public ransom demands and freezing its position; holds option of using B-52's became academic after strong headwinds assured that Coral Sea would be in position to begin rescue operation for crew of Mayagez and related actions against mainland; holds Kissinger was casually informed about event during regularly scheduled staff meeting and that Kissinger set wheels in motion for Natl Security Council meeting; says sr members of council quickly agreed that main effort should be to avoid repetition of situation like N Korean seizure of Pueblo in '69; Kissinger and wife Nancy illus (M)

2d in series of articles on new campaign finance act examines legal challenges to new law; says many consider law full of ambiguities and even contradictions, which may cause it to be overturned before '76 election; notes plaintiffs in lawsuit brought against act are from left and right of pol spectrum, from former Sen Eugene J McCarthy to Sen James L Buckley Jr, from NYCLU to right-wing Human Events newspaper; cites limits on individual contributions, limits on spending, and method of doling out Fed money, as plaintiffs' principal areas of complaint; notes plaintiffs view these areas as restraining or impeding free speech and discriminating against 3d parties; notes Prof Ralph K Winter (Yale Univ Law School) holds that right to free expression relates to pol contributions as well as to speech; notes that limitation on spending was seen as price that had to be paid to persuade Cong, eager to limit money their challengers may spend, to adopt other aspects of law; gives view of most pol analysts, that incumbency bestows huge advantage to candidate; discusses major objections to public financing provisions of law (L)