May 26, 1975

May 26: Israeli and Lebanese forces battle for 12 hrs on May 25 in southern Lebanon after what Israeli mil spokesman describes as 'accidental and unintentional' encounter between Lebanese soldiers and Israeli patrol; fighting began when 12-man Israeli patrol pushed 2 miles into Lebanon near village of Aita al Shaab in search of Palestinian guerrillas who might be preparing to infiltrate Israel; patrol encountered some Lebanese troops and clash developed into battle involving exchs of artillery fire and Israeli jets; Israelis asked UN Truce Supervision Orgn to advise Lebanese authorities that they did not want to fight Lebanese and that their action was against guerrillas; but shelling continued and Israelis shelled back; Israeli raid and fighting detailed; Israeli officials say 2 Israeli soldiers were killed; Lebanese Defense Min says 7 Lebanese soldiers were killed and 2 seriously wounded; says Israelis used helicopters to evacuate their wounded; Israeli C/S Lt Gen Mordechai Gur comments; map (M)

Pres Ford seen as beginning to define goals, essentially conservative, that he would like US to endorse; crime control program and planned set of proposals designed to curb rapid growth of Fed spending, both of which are in planning stages, expected to reflect Ford's philosophy; White House aides hold Ford's approach to initiatives have been made clear; cite Govt retrenchment, reform of soc spending, free mkt econ and self-sufficiency for cities as examples (L)

NYS Med Soc House of Delegates, 143-82, rejects NYS's new med malpractice law, with many drs renewing strike threat; vote follows confrontation between opponents and partisans of measure; about 500 physicians storm bldg and take over delegates' meeting room; members of Long Island and some upstate med socs have threatened to halt all but emergency services after July 1 because of what they contend are inadequate limitations on malpractice suits and costs in new law; delegates vote, 174-26, to set up dr-owned ins co to write malpractice ins at lower premiums than charged by commercial carriers; Sen John R Dunne and Assemblyman Stanley Steingut score rejection of malpractice law; soc pres Dr Ralph S Emerson says ins co will need $20-million to be 'viable'; Dr George T C Wade, speaker of soc's House of Delegates, says he is hopeful that strikes will be in isolated areas of state (M)

US customs officials uncover internatl smuggling operation using Ger and Mex connections to supply US and Canadian cancer sufferers with large quantities of laetrile, drug outlawed in both countries as worthless; drug is also known under other names including Krebiozen; trafficking has apparently assumed major proportions since '65 ban in Calif: Fed grand jury, San Diego, begins investigation of alleged conspiracy; US Atty Herbert B Hoffman comments; some 20 to 30 major distributors appear to be employed by smuggling ring as well as number of drs and lesser dealers, many of whom are cancer sufferers; among those implicated are 3 men long prominent in dealings in laetrile and agitation for its legalization: Andrew R L McNaughton, Dr Ernest Krebs Jr and Dr John A Richardson; also implicated is Dr Ernesto Rodriguez Contreras, who has treated thousands of Amers and Canadians with laetrile at his Tijuana cancer clinic; customs rept identifies mfrs as Cylo-Pharma de Mexico and Sidus Pharmaceuticals in Munich; AMA and Amer Cancer Soc spokesmen agree there is little or no evidence that laetrile produces any harmful effects despite high cyanide content; assert drug arouses false hopes and keeps many cancer sufferers from obtaining prompt surgery, radiology and chemotherapy; Dr Dean Burke insists drug shows capability in some cases of controlling and halting spread of certain malignancies (L)

illus of Barbara Smuts, released kidnap victim, and Dr Jane Goodall in Dar es Salaam, Tanzania (S)