March 9, 1976

Berger, Stephen (Comr): Named chief admr of Emergency Financial Control Bd

Reagan doubts he can beat Ford in Fla or Ill Pres primaries; reverses earlier position and concedes that he does not see Ill, his home state, as strongly for him; says he will stay in race regardless of primary outcomes (M)

Congressional sources rept 2 former IRS officials and 1 present IRS official told HR investigating com headed by Repr Charles A Vanik that they were subjected to unfair pressure to retire because their policies did not suit IRS Comr Donald C Alexander; A J O'Donnell, who was Southeast regional comr until last July, in lr to Vanik, suggests that enforced retirements may be connected with his knowledge that law firm with which Alexander had been connected came up in probe into Bahamian tax fraud schemes; says actual pressure on him came from Deputy Comr William Williams; says that prior to his retirement, he found in several instances that Alexander appeared to be unfair in his handling of allegations that IRS intelligence div agents had been too close to Justice Dept's strike force against organized crime and had improperly set up Operation Leprechaun to snoop into sex and drinking habits of prominent Floridians; says he agreed to retire because Alexander's disregard for rights and feelings of some intelligence div personnel had polarized intelligence segment against Alexander, and for other reasons; E J Vitkus, asst regional comr for Southeast, says he was put under pressure to retire, and will leave IRS on Mar 12; says he was pressured because he would not condemn Operation Leprechaun, as had Alexander, until IRS conducted internal probe; IRS repr says service has copies of lrs to com and is studying them; HR com staff investigation discloses that many charges of IRS wrongdoing in Operation Leprechaun had been exaggerated; Vanik rept to other com members holds Alexander overreacted to press repts; 3d lr to HR com was signed by G M Register Jr, former chief of intelligence in Jacksonville, Fla; Register says he retired on learning that he was to be transferred to post without meaningful duties to perform (M)

more than 150 speakers from various educ, civic, religious and other groups score plans to restructure CUNY at NYC Higher Educ Bd public hearing on Mar 8, while thousands of demonstrators protest outside CCNY bldg where meeting is held; bd chmn Alfred A Giardino announces bd will postpone action on several controversial aspects of proposals, including designation of NYC Community coll to limit its liberal-arts course offerings to those needed to support its technical programs and continued designation of LaGuardia Community Coll as comprehensive cooperative educ center; bomb threat during hearing noted; illus (L)

Amalgamated Transit Union strikes Transport of NJ after its members reject co's final offer by vote of 2,318 to 708; Gov Byrne says efforts by state to take over co would be unconst, news conf; says Legis leaders are not willing to assume cost of financing open-ended cost-of-living increase (M)