October 28, 1976

Carter pledges aid to NYC, Oct 27 rally on 7th Av between 36th and 37th Sts in Garment Center, NYC; crowd, may of them union members urged on by labor leaders, generally enthusiastic; says NYC is test of whether trends of declining revenues and indus bases and lack of housing can be reversed; accuses Pres Ford of 'indifference', citing budget cuts and vetoes; Carter meets briefly at Statler Hilton with labor leaders and then visits Terence Cardinal Cooke; meeting seen politically significant because of signs of 'softness' in Roman Cath support for Carter in NY Times survey and other polls; Carter and wife illus (M)

Ford, in statement prepared for release in combatting spread of nuclear weapons, contemplates US program to test commercial use of plutonium (M)

Survey of top Calif Dems shows most believe Carter will lose state despite public and private polls showing dead heat; Carter campaign remains in deep organizational distress despite hard work by state mgr Terry O'Connell and despite recent heavy involvement of Gov Edmund Brown aides; Carter orgn's strategy in Calif outlined; Brown associate Tom Quinn, Dem campaign consultant Joseph Zerell, Dem state chmn Charles Manatt and San Francisco Mayor George Moscone comment (L)

presentation of country's latest 5-yr plan by econ planning chief Nikolai K Baibakov attributed to Kosygin's illness (L)

Pres Ford attempts to cut links to Richard Nixon and Watergate scandal during Villanova Univ rally, brief news conf in Atlantic City and Oct 26 TV appearance in Chicago; arranges for issue to be raised in Chicago during telecast across state with Joe Garagiola; scores 'imperial presidency' at news conf at FAA test-landing field outside Atlantic City; makes unannounced call on John Cardinal Krol, head of Archdiocese of Phila; declines to agree to Carter's demand that Pres Ford Com stop circulating pol pamphlet Heartland containing criticism of Carter; says all material, including analytical columns and ed cartoon showing Carter holding Bible in 1 hand and copy of Playboy in other, was taken from 'public domain'; illus of Ford with Miss Amer, Dorothy Benham, at Atlantic City rally (L)