December 22, 1978

Sec Vance and Soviet Foreign Min Gromyko rept progress toward resolving issues holding up arms accord, meeting, Geneva; say some difficult problems remain; efforts of US to ensure that USSR does not encode missile test-flight signals to prevent US from monitoring them to verify compliance with accord cited; Vance and Gromyko illus with delegations (M)

BARE trees bud with tiny white lights. The Empire State Building glares green and red. A benevolent witch ushers forth Christmas in an exhibition on 43d Street. And in the Bronx, a pointsettia stands eight feet tall.

Greece completes details of its entry into mkt; agrees on terms for full membership; move clears way for Spain and Portugal to begin talks in '79; admission seen as part of quest by southern Eur's poorer and less stable countries to join with richer and more economically advanced nations of northern Eur (M)

NYC Estimate Bd, bowing to objections of several hundred members of Cong of Ital-Amer Orgns, declines to award series of Soc Service Dept contracts for day care to several other agencies (M)

Because of a transcription error, State Supreme Court, Justice Donald Zimmerman was misquoted yesterday in an article about the denial of a request that The Times be restrained from publishing remaining articles on the drug war in the South Bronx. What he said was, “You don't mess with press in advance of trial unless you are in extremis.”