October 9, 1975

Far East, South and Southeast Asia and Pacific Areas Chinese geologists, commenting on theories to account for formation of Asia, believe Asia's complex and hitherto perplexing pattern of earthquake activity is manifestation of crustal movements on grand scale; note secs of earth's crust are being pushed in various directions by northward drive of India, much as ice floes are scattered by forward motion of an icebreaker; data deduced from earthquake analyses and from images obtained by Earth Resources Technology Satellite (S)

Influence USSR is attempting to assert on pol and econ conditions in Laos and rivalry with Hanoi and Peking in this matter described; there are estimated 300 to 500 USSR diplomats, pilots, engineers and technicians in country performing variety of tasks to aid Laotians; some of Soviet pilots reptdly live in houses once occupied by Air Amer pilots; co was backed by CIA and played key role in Amer war effort; despite Soviet and Chinese efforts to sway Laotians toward them, N Vietnamese reptdly enjoy predominant position because their troops bore brunt of fighting in country and because sr Pathet Lao leaders have close personal ties with N Vietnam; diplomatic sources rept that since end of Vietnamese war in Apr, number of N Vietnamese troops in southern panhandle of Laos near Thailand has increased and flow of Communist weapons to Thai insurgents has been noticeably stepped up; heavy commercial dependence on Thailand by Laos noted; illus of Soviet family shopping in Vientiane (M)

Bronx Dist Atty announces that NYC Ptl Thomas Ryan has been indicted for murder and Ptl Patrick Halligan, Dennis Greene and Joseph Chinea have been indicted for assault in connection with beating death of Luis Santiago and wounding of Hector Romeo after their arrest; incident described (M)

Fed Reserve Bd Chmn Arthur F Burns softens opposition to Fed intervention to ease NYC's fiscal crisis, Joint Econ Com hearing; proposes 5 guidelines for Cong action; testifies that although impact of city's crisis is far greater than he envisioned and 'could trigger a recession,' he doubts that would be case and does not regard situation as catastrophe (S)

The Senate rejected, 48 to 47, a curb on political use of Congressmen's private office accounts, often referred to as “slush funds.” Page 25.