The Delta Democrat-Times from Greenville, Mississippi • Page 1

Greenville, Mississippi ICBM report 102 Years No. 160 Test firing by Chinese? WASHINGTON (UPD -Defense Secretary Melvin R. Laird today unveiled evidence Red China may have already fired its first ICBM and said an apparent pause last year in Russian missile development could have heralded the birth of a new Soviet ICBM system. In his annual report to Congress on the world military situation, Laird also predicted that between 1973 and 1975 China could develop an initial force of operation intercontinental ballistic missiles. "TheSoviet and Chinese threats to the U.S.

call for moving ahead toward the full safeguard (anti-ballistic missile) deployment," he said. The complete Safeguard system would include 12 ABM sites in the United States. At present only three sites have been approved. Laird announced plans to start surveys for a fourth site in the Safeguard system. He also outlined military threats to the free world and potential hot spots, detailed plans for a toplevel Pentagon reorganization and traced a long-range program to hand over more defense responsibility to U.S.

allies by substituting increased military aid for the presence of American soldiers. "The better equipped our friends and allies are to provide for their own security, the more firm will be our own security," Laird said. "This is so because the probability of war and of U.S. involvement in war will be lowered." Laird also revealed that during the first half of 1971, despite an increase by 110 in the total number of Russian missiles while the U.S. total holds steady, the number of Soviet warheads will increase by only 11 per cent while the U.S.

warhead total goes up 15 per cent. Pentagon officials said this is because of multiple-warhead Minuteman 3 and Poseidon submarine missile installations in progress by the United States. He said this world-wide 'strategy of "realistic deterrence" was a direct: outgrowth of the more local Vietnamization policy of President Nixon and was made possible by that policy's success. In the unclassified version of his book- length report, presented to the House Armed Services Committee, Laird made only passing mention of the new Russian ICBM system. He was only a little more specific about the Chinese ICBM status.

Pentagon officials said, however, both subjects were discussed in more detail in the secret classified version of the report. "There has been an unexplained slowdown in deployment of current Soviet ICBM models," Laird said. But he said tests of modifications to the huge SS9 and smaller SS11 and SS13 missiles have continued. "The implications of these trends are still not clear," he said. Two possible explanations he offered were that planned installations had been completed or that new installations had been slowed down to permit installation of improved missiles or multiple warheads in existing silos.

"Alternatively, the explanation may be that the Soviets are preparing to deploy new ICBM missile systems," Laird said. Pentagon officials said this seems closer to the truth. They said U.S. intelligence sources have spotted new silos and equipment unlike anything that has been seen before and that the size of the missiles to fit them would rival that of the SS9, the world's biggest ICBM. It was these intelligence reports, they said, which led Sen.

Henry M. to report this weekend Russia was developing a big and qualitatively better new ICBM. Of the Chinese ICBM program, Laird said: "The start of testing has not yet been confirmed, but a reduced range test of an ICBM may have occurred in late 1970." Pentagon officials said the flight took place entirely within China, without any warhead on the missile, and covered about 2,000 miles. They said a great many defense experts are positive it was an ICBM test, with the range cut down to keep the missile in China. Average flight distance of an ICBM would be 5,000 miles or more.

Porker picnic Photo by Penny Jenkins A sack of flour discovered in the ruins of a Delta City general store-post office made as good a Sunday lunch as any for this foraging pig. Although there have been massive clean-up operations, most of the small town, hit Feb. 21 by a tornado, still lies in ruins. Ammo, fuel dumps US bombers strike paydirt SAIGON saturation bombing of the Ho Chi Minh Trail junction near Sepone has touched off a massive series of secondary explosions caused by the blowing up of Communist supplies, military spokesmen said today. Air Forceforward air controllers said more than 1,600 secondary explosions were touched off Monday by hours of heavy air strikes one mile northeast of Sepone.

captured Saturday by South Vietnamese forces. On Sunday, spokesmen said B52 bombing missions brought about 500 secondary explosions in the same area. A secondary blast--an explosion'following the blowing up of a bomb--indicates direct hits on ammunition or fuel dumps. The 2,100 secondary explosions recorded in the two days were more than recorded in the entire previous month, spokesmen said. In other action, the South Vietnamese reported killing 343 Viet Cong and North Vietnamese in a series of battles in Laos Monday, while Laotian troops said they killed at least 250 Communists.

A third accidental American air strike against South Vietnamese troops in three days was reported today. Lt. Col. Hoang Tich Thong, commander of a marine battalion at Artillery Base Delta, 12 miles southwest of Lao Bao in Laos, said a U.S. jet bombed a South Vietnamese bunker Monday, killing one Marine, wounding 11 others and killing a number of Communist troops as well.

TheSouth Vietnamese earlier reported two U.S. Air Force F4 Phantom jets and Army helicopter gunships dropped napalm and cluster bombs and fired guns on government infantrymen, killing eight and wounding 54 on Saturday. The action by Laotian troops took place when North Vietnamese attacked their position on the northeast rim of the Bolovens Plateau 300 miles south of the capital of Vientiane, a government spokesman said. The Laotian troops beat off the attacks on "Hill PS22" with the help of AC47 gunships, he said, but did not say what nationality the gunships were. He said 250 Communists were killed, while the Laotian forces lost three dead and 36 wounded.

South Vietnamese spokesmen said 250 North Vietnamese were killed in general fighting in scattered parts of Laos earlier Monday. The latest clashes at two points near the town of Lao Bao Monday afternoon killed another 93 Communists. One battle seven miles northwest of Lao Bao killed 79 Communist troops at a cost of 12 South Vietnamese wounded. Another clash seven miles southwest of the town killed 15 Communists. South Vietnamese headquarters said in a statement from Saigon that 6,052 North Vietnamese and Viet Cong had been killed in the Laotian operation that began Feb.

8 in an effort to cut the Ho Chi Minh Tuesday, March 9 The nation Three sentenced in Lamar desegregation rioting DILLON, S.C. (UPD--Three men convicted of rioting in connection with the overturning of school buses at Lamar last year have been given jail sentences ranging from four months to a year. Circuit Judge Wade S.Weatherford handed down the sentences Monday to Jeryl Best, James Dewey Marsh and Delmer Kirven. may try again-if Nixon doesn't ALBANY, N.Y. (UPD-Gov.

Nelson A. Rockefeller hinted Monday he would seek the presidency if President Nixon does not seek reelection. He promised to support Nixon if he runs. Rockefeller has made himself available for the Republican presidential nomination three previous times. He pulled out of the 1960 race early, lost a convention battle with Barry Goldwater in 1964 and challenged Nixon and lost in 1968.

Each time, Rockefeller waited before actually making a decision. "I'm supporting President Nixon in running again," Rockefeller told a news conference. "I think the President is going to get us out of Vietnam, and that he's going to get the economy turned around, and with the Congress be successful in meeting some of these very difficult situations and that he is going to run and be reelected." He was asked what would happen if the President decided to serve only four years and not try for reelection in 1972. QrjV. Rockefeller "That's a whole new ball game," he said.

"Does this mean you will consider a presidential run under those circumstances?" he was asked. "I wouldn't rule out anything," Rockefeller said. Rockefeller, 62, has served four terms. The Mid-Delta HUD schedules 200 more mobile homes The Department of Housing and Urban Development announced here today it is awarding contracts for an additional 200 mobile homes for victims of the Feb. 21 tornadoes.

Jack Ingram, director of HUD's emergency housing operation here, said the awards would bring to 515 the number of mobile homes now slated for use in the 17-county disaster area. He said four of the five firms awarded contracts for the first half of the order are Mississippi suppliers. Ingram said that 110 families have now been located in mobile homes with an additional 101 units in local staging areas and ready for movement to sites. Lack of debris removal, plus a lack of utility connections and services have slowed placements, Ingram said, but this is expected to be reversed as the week progresses. Six candidates seek Benoit board posts BENOIT--Six candidates were seeking two positions on the Benoit Board of Aldermen today.

Melvin L. Campbell, Bunion Davis, Ernest Davis, Thomas Paul Hudson James N. Powell and D. L. York were running for the positions vacated by H.

R. Wilson and Carl W. Ray. Wilson died and Ray moved. Voters here will mark their ballots for two candidates; the two receiving the most votes will be the new aldermen.

Bunion Davis is the only black candidate seeking election. Cooler and chance of showers Wednesday MID-DELTA WEATHER--Partly cloudy through tonight. Warmer today and tonight. Widely scattered showers Wednesday with cooler temperatures. Highs today and Wednesday between 62 and 74; lows tonight between 46 and 56.

A National Weather Service observer at Texas Gas Transmission Corp. reported a high of 57 and low of 27 for the 24-hour period ending 4 p.m. Monday. The low reported there for last night was 33. The Mississippi River stood at 43.02 feet today at the Greenville-Lake Village Bridge, up .27 foot from Monday's reading of 42.75.

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