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Cloudy
and
warm
Thursday — Mostly cloudy.
Southerly winds 15-20 mph. Aft
ernoon thundershowers. High 87°,
low 66°.
Friday — Same as Thurs
day.
Wol 67 No. 108
College Station, Texas
Thursday, April 13, 1972
845-2226
orth Viets launch
eavy tank assault
IaIGON (A*) — North Vietnam-
se tanks and hundreds of infan-
bymen Thursday launched what
ppeared to be an all-out assault
'*■ ' . nl the provincial capital of An
m k, 60 miles north of Saigon.
11 Tanks and heavy street fighting
| j|3e) s reported in and around the
Initial reports said nine enemy
JttjJ Iks out of a column of 20 had
In knocked out, two by U.S.
. ighter-bombers and seven by de-
Iders of the besieged city.
1HT t ield re P° r ^ s sa ^ c ' ty was
|| [ til in government hands,
mt l n °^ er action, a dozen large
111' loi ’h Vietnamese rockets explod-
■ in and around Da
lig air base, the biggest U.S.
'ighter-bomber installation in Vi-
am. Enemy troops also re
ed attacks across a key river
Sense line anchoring the gov
ernment's northern front.
One rocket which hit on the
Da Nang flight line set fire to
a twin-engine transport about 250
yards from an ammunition dump.
Over-all damage at the base was
light, officials said.
Two hours after the attack
U.S. jets roared off the runway
on missions to support South Vi
etnamese troops. Officials said
no Americans were hit but that
at least two South Vietnamese
civilians were killed and four
wounded.
Within minutes of the first ex
plosions an aircraft with a large
searchlight took off. Its task was
to pinpoint the enemy rocket
launcher positions and to guide
fire on any weapons still unfired.
The last attack on Da Nang,
Feb. 9, killed three Vietnamese
and wounded six Vietnamese and
10 Americans with a salvo of 37
rockets.
The Bien Hoa air base used by
American Air Force units was
shelled 24 hours earlier. Mortar
rounds wounded two Americans
in the attack 15 miles northeast
of Saigon.
U.S. Air Force and Marine F4
Phantom squadrons operate from
the Da Nang base as do South
Vietnamese fighter-bombers and
transports that are vital in keep
ing the northern front resupplied.
In reporting the new enemy at
tempt to cross the Dong Ha-Cua
Viet River 10 miles south of the
demilitarized zone, the Saigon
command said 52 enemy troops
were killed.
After the collapse of their de
fensive line south of the DMZ in
the opening days of the enemy
offensive, Saigon’s troops man-
Is hesitant to
laim task too
advance,
dangerous
PHU BAI, Vietnam (AP)—About 100 GIs reluc-
y moved into a forward defensive position
itside an important American air base Wednesday
* ter first refusing because they believed it was too
ngerous.
o^ljThey took up the assigned position about three
^ is west of Phu Bai, the northernmost point in
h Vietnam occupied by Americans.
^ BAn electronic communications facility and a key
jip are there.
|The battalion commander, Lt. Col. Frederick P.
^'TJtcliell. assailed television newsmen and other jour-
who were present when the incident took
S5!SJl“All you press are bastards,” he said. “I blame
for this and you can quote me on it.”
rnri iln Saigon, the U.S. Command said, “A rumor to
Til/I effect that the area was an ambush site loaded
nilth booby traps circulated among some members.”
The unit involved is Charlie Company, 2nd
“jpljittalion, 1st Infantry, 196 th Brigade.
jJyirThe command statement, without offering any
jp/tjjrect criticism of newsmen, said: “Numerous corres-
^^pdents were in the area interviewing soldiers,
ral soldiers told correspondents that they did not
it to go into the field.”
WE,
GIVE!
H
2SSS*
No soldier actually disobeyed orders or refused
to go into the field, the command said. No discipli
nary action was taken. The men at first refused to
board trucks waiting to take them to the position,
but after a lieutenant called for volunteers and a
handful stepped forward, all except one platoon had
climbed aboard within an hour.
The platoon of about 45 men, after saying they
were told other American defenders in the area of the
position would be endangered by their absence,
agreed a short time later to go.
Fierce fighting is in progress about 13 miles
further west, around Fire Base Bastogne, which is
surrounded by North Vietnamese troops. Although
often shelled in the past, Phu Bai has not been a
target of the current offensive.
Combat refusals have become a not infrequent
occurrence among U.S. troops in Vietnam in the past
214 years, especially since the American withdrawal
began.
The U.S. Command has adopted a policy of
trying in most cases to reason with soldiers who
refuse such orders, rather than invoking punitive
measures. Usually, the soldiers eventually agree to
carry out the orders, officers say.
aged to stabilize their northern
most line on the south bank of
the river. They inflicted heavy
casualties on waves of enemy at
tackers who sought to breech it
with tanks and infantry.
The town of Dong Ha lies just
below the river and has been one
of the enemy’s major objectives
so far in the offensive. The pro
vincial capital of Quang Tri lies
13 miles further south.
Enemy troops also tightened
their siege of an infantry and
artillery base guarding the most
vulnerable approach to the an
cient imperial capital of Hue.
Field reports said enemy troops
now had surrounded Fire Base
Bastogne 12 miles southwest of
Hue and 60 miles south of the
DMZ.
Enemy gunners fired 50 rounds
into the base Tuesday and gov
ernment forces battled an esti
mated 300 to 400 North Viet
namese troops three miles from
the shell-scarred base’s barbed
wire perimeter.
The situation around Bastogne
was described as critical. It com
mands Route 574, a narrow dirt
road that was used by the enemy
during the 1968 Tet offensive to
spearhead a drive that partially
captured Hue.
A major problem in easing
pressures in the northernmost
provinces has been the low rain-
heavy monsoon clouds. No air
strikes were flown against North
Vietnam because of poor weather
which continued. Tactical air
strikes in support of embattled
infantrymen such as those at Fire
Base Bastogne were restricted.
ATTEMPTING TO CUT THINGS SHORT. Illusionist Andre Kole performs one of his
feats, using Glenn Rossi, senior ROTC cadet, as a subject. The Wednesday night attrac
tion crowded one of the largest audiences into the Memorial Student Center Ballroom.
(Photo by Mike Rice)
Judiciary committee avoids conflict
All
ssfc
]ichorn eligible
recorder race
Sandy Eichorn will be eligible
today’s recorder race, accord-
g to David Moore, Election
Immission chairman.
Eichorn’s candidacy has been
estioned by Mitch Michelson,
10 is running a write-in cam-
ign against her, when it was
scovered that a state funded
stage meter was being used to
nt out Eichorn’s campaign let-
rs.
Use of the postage meter is
egal and would have invalidated
ichorn’s candidacy.
Moore said he and Michelson
ere satisfied that Eichorn did
>t know what she was doing
as wrong and that she should
ot be disqualified.
Fall preregistration
will begin April 17
Preregistration for the fall
(Semester at A&M has been
scheduled for the week of April
17-21, Registrar Robert A. La
cey announced.
The procedure will be the
same as followed during pre
vious preregistration periods,
Lacey noted.
Only students currently en
rolled are eligible to preregister.
All new freshmen and transfer
students will preregister during
the summer. New graduate stu
dents and old returning students
register the week of Aug. 21-25.
A student begins the process
by taking his identification card
to his major department office
to receive the registration card
packet. Each department will
set its hours and class order.
The departmental registration
advisor will register the stu
dent.
Fee statements will be mailed
to the student’s permanent mail
ing address on or about June 15.
Fees must be paid by mail by
Aug. 1, otherwise the preregis
tration is subject to cancella
tion.
After fees are paid, the stu
dent’s class schedule, fee receipt
and ID card will be mailed to
his permanent mailing address.
Fall semester classes begin
Aug 28.
WASHINGTON (A>)_The Sen
ate Judiciary Committee Wednes
day avoided a confrontation with
President Nixon by refusing to
order or invite testimony from
White House aides in its ITT
hearings.
In another action, the panel
voted to have two Denver heart
specialists examine Dita Beard
to determine whether the lobby
ist for International Telephone
& Telegraph Corp. is well enough
to testify for a second time.
The hearings, now in their sev
enth week, were precipitated by
columnist Jack Anderson’s publi
cation of an interoffice memo
attributed to Mrs. Beard. It ap
peared to link the Justice Depart
ment’s out-of-court settlement of
antitrust actions against ITT to
the big conglomerate’s pledge of
financial support for the Repub
lican National Convention in San
Diego next August. Mrs. Beard
has denied she wrote the memo.
Anderson’s allegations involved
acting Atty. Gen. Richard G.
Kleindienst who was deputy at
torney general at the time of the
settlement. As a result, Klein
dienst asked the committee to
reopen hearings on his nomina
tion to succeed John N. Mitchell
as attorney general, even though
his appointment had won unan
imous committee endorsement
prior to publication of Anderson’s
accusations.
The Wednesday success of
committee Republicans in block
ing any committee subpoenas or
requests for testimony from
White House aides headed off,
at least temporarily, any direct
clash between the panel and Nix
on. A White House spokesman
had said the doctrine of executive
privilege would be invoked to pre
vent such testimony.
Presidential aides Peter Flani
gan and William Timmons have
been identified by some witnesses
as having played some role in the
ITT case.
Sen. Sam J. Ervin, D-N.C.,
moved in an executive session to
summon Flanigan, Timmons and
other executive department em
ployes to be named by the com
mittee. This was defeated by a
6-6 party line vote with the Dem
ocratic committee chairman, Sen.
James O. Eastland of Mississippi,
declining to cast the tie-breaking
vote.
An identical vote blocked a mo
tion by Sen. Quentin Burdick,
D-N.D., that Flanigan alone be
called.
Finally, a 9-4 vote defeated a
compromise proposal by Sen. Rob
ert C. Byrd, D-W.Va., that Flani
gan be asked to testify in a closed
session.
Sen. John V. Tunney, D-Calif.,
said the committee’s votes will
jeopardize Kleindienst’s chances
for Senate confirmation.
“There is no way we can get
the truth until Flanigan testi
fies,” Tunney said.
Sen. Edward M. Kennedy, D-
Mass., said he expects the matter
of Flanigan’s testimony to come
up in the committee again before
the agreed-upon April 20 cutoff
of hearings.
Presidential war power bill
refused go-ahead by Senate
At Parent’s Day
Year’s Aggie Mother to be presented
ii****'**
h
H
Presentation of the Aggie
Mother of the Year, the naming
outstanding 1971-72 Cadet
2orps units and other activities
''ill highlight Parents Day at
A&M.
More than 20,000 visitors are
xpected for the Sunday event.
TAMU’s unique “Avenue ’ of
’’lags,” marching cadets, pretty
lirls and open dormitories will
nark the special observation for
larents. The event formerly co-
ncided with Mother’s Day, when
he TAMU school year included
he May observance.
Parents Day leads off Civilian
Student Week at the university.
Activities begin at 7:30 a.m.
Sunday with the traditional
flower pinning ceremony in the
cadet area.
A Student Senate program at
9 a.m. in G. Rollie White Coli
seum will include greetings from
President Jack K. Williams, trib
utes to parents and presentation
of the Honor Mother Award. She
will succeed Mrs. Ruth H. Hewitt
of College Station.
Presentation of corps individu
al and unit awards follows at 9:30
a.m. in the coliseum, according to
Col. Thomas R. Parsons, com
mandant.
A special drill by the Ross Vol
unteer Company commanded by
Michael J. Weynand and perform
ance by the state and national
champion Fish Drill Team will
bracket a 2:30 p.m. corps review
on the main drill field. The RVs
will march at 1:15 p.m., the Fish
Drill Team at 3 p.m.
Edwin M. Dayton, Senate treas
urer, will preside at the 9 a.m.
coliseum program. Corps Chap
lain Jimmie Cook will give the
invocation and Dr. Williams will
speak following student greetings
by John Sharp, Senate president.
Tributes to fathers and mothers
will be presented by James Mc
Leroy, Senate issues chairman,
and Randle R. Ross, welfare
chairman. Senate life chairman
Layne Kruse will announce the
Aggie Mother of the Year and
make the award.
The new Aggie mom also will
be honored at the review, heading
a reviewing line including Dr.
Williams, Parsons and Lt. Col.
Roscoe P. Thorpe, professor of
aerospace studies.
Special programs for parents
and guests of the Ross Volunteers
and Fish Drill Team are sched
uled during the afternoon.
Banking is a pleasure at First
Bank & Trust.
WASHINGTON <A>)—The Sen
ate refused again Wednesday to
set aside a bill to limit the war
powers of the President.
It defeated, 56 to 23, a substi
tute proposed by Sen. J. Glenn
Beall Jr., R-Md., to appoint a 24-
member national commission for
a year-long study of the warmak
ing roles of Congress and the
President.
The test was the second in two
days indicating majority Senate
support for legislation designed
to implement the constitutional
authority of Congress alone to
declare war.
On Tuesday, the Senate turned
down 60-26 a motion to send the
bill to its own Judiciary Com
mittee for 45 days to review its
constitutionality.
The bill would limit the Pres
ident’s use of the armed forces
to emergency defense against at
tack or threat of attack or rescue
of Americans endangered abroad,
and then only for 30 days unless
Congress consented.
“Implicit in this is what has
gone on in Vietnam and the pre
vention of future Vietnams,” Sen.
Thomas F. Eagleton, D-Mo., told
the (Senate Wednesday.
Arguing that the war-powers
issue has had study enough,
Eagleton said a study commis
sion is “a way to postpone” neces
sary action.
“This is the time to act,” said
Sen. Jacob K. Javits, R-N.Y.,
principal sponsor of the bill.
Beall said the war-powers issue
is of such extreme importance
that it should have all the study
it can get.
Beall said the bill, opposed by
President Nixon, is not likely to
be considered in the House this
year and is highly unlikely to be
signed by the President.
Dallas man receives 2,000 years
for 1971 super market robbery
DALLAS (A*) — A Dallas jury
sentenced a 23-year-old man to
2,000 years imprisonment Wednes
day for the April 1971 armed
robbery of a super market in
which a security guard was killed.
A nine-man, three-women jury
returned the sentence against
Jimmy McBride after 1% hours
deliberation. The jury had re
turned a guilty verdict Tuesday
evening after 50 minutes delibera
tion.
McBride also faces murder
charges for the shooting death of
Odell Miles, 32, during the April
17 robbery of a Dallas super
market.
Dwight Bryant, one of the
store’s cashiers, testified that as
Miles walked from the back of
the store a robber shot him in
the face at a distance of about
20 feet. Bryant said he could
not identfy the man because he
wore a mask.
Also testifying was Emmett
Sneed, an off duty security
guard, who identified McBride as
one of two men who removed
stocking masks as they ran out
of the supermarket.
University National Bank
“On the side of Texas A&M.”
—Adv.