Carter, in New England, Predicts Appioval of Mideast Plane Sales

Elections Bd confirms that S William Green defeated Bella S Abzug by 1,161 votes in special election; Abzug still refuses to concede that Green won; recanvass gives Green 30,332 votes and Abzug 29,171; Howard Lim Jr gets 435 votes on Conservative line and Paul Gallagher 152 votes on Labor Party line (M)

Green's Victory Is Of icial,but Mrs. Abzug Is Silent

ints with transportation officials, union leaders and heads of various US rr lines indicate that mgt decisions on storm preparation and maintenance equipment may have contributed to LIRR's poor performance during Feb 6 snowstorm; says LIRR's problems in severe weather are not typical of other commuter rrs in NE or Midwest, including those that use similar equipment; views detailed; LIRR pres Robert K Pattison defends mgt's action during storm; says gradual equipment improvements are being made; NYS Com on Transportation announces hearing Mar 9 on service failures (M)

L.I.R.R . Problems Found Not Typical For Similar Lines

USSR denounces as 'lie' former White House aide H R Halderman's assertions that it asked Nixon Adm in '69 to join in nuclear attack against China; says such proposal would run counter to foreign policy of USSR; Haldeman's allegations revd (M)

Soviet Denies Plan to Attack China, Calls Assertion by Haldeman .a Lie

Pres Carter repts progress in coal talks that could lead to settlement within 'next few hrs, or a day or so,' Feb 17 news conf, Cranston, RI; chances of overnight settlement appear slim; Labor Dept says Govt's options include 80-day cooling off period, mine seizures and Cong enactment of mandatory, binding arbitration; Sec Marshall conducts day of shuttle negotiations between mine owners at White House and UMW officials at Labor Dept (M)

CARTER HOPES TALKS PRODUCE COAL PACT WITHIN ‘A DAY OR SO’

Western sources in Ethiopia say that Cuban mil experts in nation now number about 3,500 and are pouring into country at rate of more than 1,000 per mo; number is expected to reach 5,000 by Mar and may go as high as 8,000 in following mos; US has charged that many of Cubans are taking part in 3-wk-long Ethiopian counter-offensive against Somalia-backed rebels in Ogaden; map (M)

Cuba Said to Expand Military Force In Ethiopia by Over 1,000 a Month

Saudi Arabia to create city of 100,000 people that will be designed as modern mil center for production of weapons; has commissioned Edward Durrell Stone Assocs, Amer co, to prepare master plan; community would be located at Al Kharj, 60 mi SE of Riyadh, and will cost estimated $10-billion; map (M)

Saudis to Build Weapons Center; U.S. Firm Drawing Plan for City

BELFAST, Northern Ireland, Saturday, Feb. 18&#8212;A bomb exploded last night in a restaurant where more than 400 people had gone for dinner and dancing, killing at least 14 persons, many of them children, the police said.

BOMB IN RESTAURANT KILLS 141N ULSTER

Article on mystery of Soviet politics, and particularly question of what kind of leadership will succeed that of Brezhnev; Andrei P Kirilenko is believed to serve as interim leader, with Fyodor D Kulakov as man most likely to assume interim Kirilenko regime; 1st Deputy Prime Min Kirill T Mazurov is seen as Kosygin's successor; illus of Brezhnev with Politburo members Mikhail S Solomentsev, Kulakov, Konstantin U Chernenko, Mikhail A Suslov, Arvid Y Pelshe, Kosygin, Kirilenko, Viktor V Grishin and Mazurov (L)

Mystery of Succession in Kremlin Remains Impenetrable

CIA holds USSR's civil defense preparations are unlikely to blunt ability of US to retaliate in event of nuclear war, Cong testimony by agency dir Adm Stansfield Turner; rept finds steadily increasing effort by USSR to protect cities and industry against nuclear attack, but that preparations could not prevent gen breakdown in Soviet econ in event of Amer retaliatory strike; rejects view advanced by earlier adms that Soviet steps to build fallout shelters and to disperse new factories indicate Moscow might be willing to undertake surprise attack; findings contrast sharply with testimony of Lt Gen Samuel V Wilson, Defense Intelligence Agency dir, who agrees that USSR could not protect its econ from nuclear war, but who notes USSR initiated programs yrs ago to insure rapid recovery from such conflict; Wilson notes shelters have been built for mil and pol leaders, and that procedures to evacuate large cities before attack appear workable (M)

P..A. Says Soviet Defense Plans Could Not Blunt Nuclear Strike

agreement seen as leaving Carter Adm in dilemma since most Adm specialists believe such settlement, arrived at without participation of black guerrilla groups, cannot bring peace and stability; some officials express belief that agreement will only intensify guerrilla war; concede, however, that pact provides for free elections and eventually govt headed by blacks (M)

Rhodesian Agreement Puts Washington in Quandary

Smith, following meeting with 3 black leaders, repts more progress in talks on structure of transitional govt; meeting concentrated on detailed composition of provisional adm that will guide transition from white to black; illus (M)

Rhodesian Premier- Reports More Progress in Talks

TEL AVIV, Feb. 17 (AP)&#8212;Foreign Minister Moshe Dayan arrived back in Israel late today.

Dayan Returns to Israel

Nkomo and Mugabe condemn nearly complete settlement between Smith and moderate black leaders; promise intensified war to thwart it (S)

Nkomo Denounces Accord

comment on Israeli Foreign Min Moshe Dayan's US tour (M)

A Reporter's Notebook: On U.S. Tour With Moshe Dayan

Lufthansa airline office in Bogota damaged by bomb blast (S)

Colombia Bomb Blast Damages West German Airline's Office

Thai Gov Pramoon Chanchamnong says Thai officials have been returning Laotian refugees to Laos, sometimes handing them over to police or soldiers, who mistreat them in sight of Thai officials; US and UN officials are distressed by action; flow of Laotian refugees into Thai camps, which stands at 82,511, has slowed by 2/3 since Nov '77; action comes at time when UN and many countries, particularly US, are trying to persuade Govt to settle refugees permanently, with financial aid, in Thailand; prov police chief Col Udom Amornchai comments (M)

Thais Returning Refugees to Laos, Sometimes to Official Mistreatment

About 50 Amers to be released Mar 6 as part of prisoner exchange treaty (S)

Mexico to Release Americans

White S African Cabinet Min says opera house under construction in Pretoria will open its doors to all races; statement follows by 1 wk Transvaal admr Sybrand van Niekerk statement that opera house would be for whites only because blacks do not like opera (S)

SOUTH AFRICAN DISPUTES BAN ON BLACKS AT OPERA

Faud Seraguddin, 1st chmn of Egypt's New Wafd pol party, is elected on pledge of support for Pres Sadat's peace efforts; party, formed 13 days ago, has 24 supporters in 360-seat People's Assembly (S)

Chairman of New Party in Egypt Vows to Give Backing to Sadat

State Dept repts sharp increase in Cuban mil forces in Ethiopia, estimating total of over 5,000; Sec Vance comments (S)

U.S. Reports Sharp Increase

David L Aaron, Pres Carter's deputy asst for natl security, arrives in Ethiopia; meets with Lt Col Mengistu Haile Mariam (S)

Carter Aide In Addis Ababa

City's econ prosperity described; illus (L)

Paraguay Enjoys Both the. Old Siesta and the New Boom

Amer Jewish delegation of rabbis and laymen is visiting Egypt to explore Jewish roots and to try to initiate interfaith exchs with Moslem religious leaders and scholars; delegation of Synagogue Council of Amer was invited by Amb to US Ashray Ghorbal (M)

U.S. Jews Will Meet Sadat Today

Israel tells S Korean Govt that it will close its embassy in Seoul; Amb Emmanuel Ron comments (S)

February 18, 1978

Headlines from February 18, 1978

Carter, in New England, Predicts Appioval of Mideast Plane Sales

Green's Victory Is Of icial,but Mrs. Abzug Is Silent

L.I.R.R . Problems Found Not Typical For Similar Lines

Soviet Denies Plan to Attack China, Calls Assertion by Haldeman .a Lie

CARTER HOPES TALKS PRODUCE COAL PACT WITHIN ‘A DAY OR SO’

Billboard 200

Saturday Night Fever

The Stranger

News Of The World

All 'n' All

Foot Loose + Fancy Free

Historical Context for February 18, 1978