September 16, 1979

With the strategic arms treaty apparently well on its way to Senate ratification, presumably the last thing the Carter Administration wanted was a showdown with the Russians. Yet when two Democratic Senators raised the issue of Soviet combat troops in Cuba, “with SALT at stake, we felt we had to come out swinging,” a White House aide explained. Last week, it appeared the Administration's quick haymaker had missed, leaving it open to new attacks on the treaty and President Carter's re‐election prospects.

Rena Corman article describes attractions of Merano, in South Tyrolean mountains of northern Italy; illus; map (M)

Pat Clark-Wilson article on 9,331-mile rail trip she took from London, through Europe and western Asia to Hong Kong; tour was arranged by Central Kingdom Express; illus; drawing; map (L)

Reading the papers, Jody Powell cracked at a news briefing last week, “1 got the impression it was 1980 and that we had just passed New Year's Day, not Labor Day.” The press secretary had been asking reporters to please pay attention to Jimmy Carter's work on the Strategic Arms Limitation Treaty and energy legislation. But all he kept hearing was Kennedy this and Kennedy that until, finally, he announced that the White House would not get bogged down so early in “playing games with Presidential politics.”

Vincent Canby comments on several movies that will be shown; illus (M)