Rebels
Phnom
SAIGON (UPl)—South Vietnamese
forces seeking a morale-boosting victory
drove back a Communist assault on the
surrounded key city of Xuan Loc
yesterday and also reopened Saigon’s
vital road to the Mekong Delta rice bowl.
Despite these two successes, however,
the battle for Xuan Loc raged on with the
North Vietnamese using the steeple of a
downtown Roman Catholic church as
their aiming point to pour artillery shells
into the ruined city.
The Saigon command reported ,22
Communist soldiers killed in ,/the
abortive attack outside Xuan Loc at Thm
Giao village. Spokesmen said there
were no government casualties.
While Xuan Loc, 38 miles northeast of
Saigon, holds out, the Communists are
unable to mount their full force for an
assault on Saigon itself and so the battle
for the city is considered perhaps the
most important in the, 30-year Indochina
struggle. 1
South Vietnamese officers say a
victory at Xuan Loc is necessary to
prove government troops can hold their
lines. Massive retreats last month sent
the morale of soldiers and citizens
plummeting.
Spokesman said 153 artillery shells hit
S. Viets
road to
PHNOM <PENH, Cambodia (AP)
—Heavy fighting broke out early
today as Khmer Rouge rebels drove to
within a mile of the highway from
Phnom Penh to the airport that is this
city's only link with theoutside world.
It was feared an attack on the capital
itself was imminent.
The Communist-let insurgents battled
their way within a mile of route three
near'Pochentong airport, four miles east
of Phnom Renh.
Field reports said a garrison of 200
government troops with four howitzers
was cut off near the airport. Thousands
of refugees fled along the highway
toward Phnom Penh but many were
turned back at gunpoint by military
police.
Small-arms fire and mortar shell
explosions could be heard from the top
tloor of the Hotel Le Phnom in the center
of the city. Government troops holding a
thin line on the east bank of the Mekong
River were reported to be under strong
pressure also. ‘
Cambodia’s shaky new government
nas ordered its troops to hold fast.
Premier Long Boret told a news
conference yesterday, “We will never
-urrender." •
He said U.S. Ambassador John
Gunther Dean had suggested he invite
Prince Norodom Sihanouk, nominal
leader of the rebels,' to return to Cam
bodia from- Peking and negotiate an end
lo the war. Boret told newsmen he
i ejected, the proposal and his side would
"ignore" the rebels until there is a
cease-fire.
teams, 21 4-H crub 3-man teams, 18 individual collegiate
■n iv 7cpn /l otu | . . , . , amateurs and 6 individual collegiate professionals. The en-
AI.AN ZEPP (I2th-ammal industries) prepares to lead a trants had to judge 40 cows, and compare their rankings to
Guernsey cow into the judging area during Saturday’s 50th those of professional cattle judges. All cows were supplied by
Annual Penn State Invitational Dairy Judging Contest. The the University.
Collegian
the
daily
dose
Penh
Xuan Loc yesterday wounding five
government troops. UPI correspondent
Leon Daniel in the surrounded city
reported yesterday afternoon the
Communists were obviously zeroing
their 105 mm and 130 mm guns on the
Catholic church spire in the barrage.
The victory on the “rice road” oc
curred 74 miles southwest of Saigon,
where government troops reopened
Highway 4, the key route to the populous
Mekong Delta where most of the nation’s
rice is grown.
Military sources at Can Tho, biggest
city in the Mekong Delta, said the road
was reopened to regular traffic at dawn
, today after it was cut for 48 hours.
' The sources had few details, but said
government troops had driven back a
Communist force which took over most
of a district directly across the Bassac
River from Can Tho.
The Communists overran Cai Von
training center near Can Tho Saturday,
and turned two captured government
howitzers on the city, South Vietnam’s
seventh largest with 170,000 residents.
Fighting also was reported close to
Saigon, near Thu Thua district town 25
miles southwest of the capital. Govern
ment forces killed 42 Communists at a
cost of one dead and five wounded just
reopen
Mekong
Dean made the suggestion, Boret said,
on Friday, the day before U.S. Marine
helicopters evacuated the ambassador
and 275 other foreigners and Cam
bodians from Phnom Penh.
Dean, now in Thailand, made no
immediate comment on Boret’s
statement.
In Washington, a Pentagon spokesman
announced that U.S. cargo planes flying
under contract have made several air
drops of supplies. The planes had been
shuttling into encircled Phnom Penh
with rice and ammunition but that was
stopped Friday because of heavy
shelling of the airport, and parachute
drops now are being used.
Military reports said two government
fighter-bombers were blown up at the
_ airport and two persons were killed. An
Air Cambodge plane braved heavy fire
and landed with only three of its four
engines operating.
“If the plane makes it out, it may be
the last time,” one of the ground
crewmen said. A German television
cameraman said he filmed Khmer
Rouge troops advancing toward the
airport. “I could see them clearly,” he
said. “They wearing black
uniforms.”
The American Embassy compound
looked like a ghost town yesterday, and
one of the Cambodian guards posted
outside said Cambodian employees left
behind looted Dean’s residence after the
evacuation. He said one of the things
taken was a refrigerator. Several cars
remained in the (embassy parking lot,
one of them with four flat tires.
airport
one mile north of Thu Thua, spokesmen
said.
,-In Saigon, President Nguyen Van
Thieu officially presented his new
cabinet to newsmen at the downtown
Independence Palace yesterday. Prime
Minister Nguyen Pa Can headed a
cabinet made up of pro-Thiew
politicians, alfnost all of whom have
served in previous South Vietnamese
administrations.
Yesterday, an ammunition dump near
Saigon blew up, destroying brand new
American-supplied arms meant jo re
equip a shattered South Vietnamese
division.
Reporting from Xuan Loc, Daniel
said: “It is clear that the five-day battle
for Xuan Loc—which some strategists
see as the decisive one of the 30-year
Indochina war—is not yet finished.”
Daniel said that, according to the
strategists, a victory at Xuan Loc could
give the Communists, who already
control 19 of South Vietnam’s 44
provinces, a “straight shot” at Saigon
and the huge Bien Hoa airbase 14 miles
to its north.
But Brig. Gen. Le Minh Dao, com
mander of the 18th division in the Xuan
Loc sector, remained confident. “We
have pushed them away from the city,”
he said.
Other field reporters said the South
Vietnamese, yesterday moved at least
• 100 tanks into an area 27 miles northeast
of Saigon, or 11 miles west of Xuan Loc.
Government planes flew heavy air
strikes in the region despite thick
groundfire from the Communists.
In neighboring Cambodia, leased U.S.
Air Force cargo planes yesterday
started making daylight drops by
parachute of relief supplies at two
locations near Phnom Penh. The air
drops were arranged after all U.S.
personnel were evacuated Saturday and
it was determined that U.S. supply
planes could no longer safely land at the
airport outside of Phnom Penh. The
drops contained food and medical
i
Mideast
Lebanese rightists and Palestinian
guerrillas clashed yesterday in
suburban Beirut, leaving a reported 29
persons killed and 19 wounded.
Members of the rightist Phalange
party, which is opposed to armed
guerrilla presence in Lebanon, and the
Palestinians’ gave conflicting versions.
Police refused comment.
The Phalangists said Palestinians!
opened fire on celebrants at the 9
inauguration of a church in the middle
class suburb of Ein Rummaneh, where
party leader Pierre Gemayel was
presiding. They added one of their
Beirut offices was blown up later.
According to the Palestinian news
agency Wafa, Phalangist snipers am
bushed a busload of Palestinians as it
passed the church en route to a refugee
camp. It said 26 Palestinians were killed
and 19 were wounded.
A Phalangist spokesman reported a
party member and two other persons
also were killed.
state contest included 27 Future Farmers of America 2-man
By the Associated Press
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Photo by Ju/J# Cipoiia
Mahavishnu
dash kills 29 in Beirut
Official silence reflected the govern
ment’s fragile authority over the
Palestinian guerrillas and the militant
Christian Phalangists, who maintain a
well-armed militia estimated to number
at least several thousand.
Lebanon the campsite ior an
estimated 12,000 Palestinian guerrillas
and their presence has shaken the
Christian-Moslem balance of Lebanese
society.
The Phalangist party, with more than
65,000 members, is opposed to Lebanese
based guerrilla attacks on Israel for fear
of Israeli retaliation.
Congress to discuss Indo aid
WASHINGTON <AP) Congress begins deliberating
crucial decisions on Indochina this week with meetings
scheduled on President Ford's emergency aid requests.
Senate Democratic Leader Mike Mansfield and House
Speaker Carl Albert—both predicting Congress’ rejection of
any military aid for South Vietnam or Cambodia —are to
discuss today whether, when and how to put it to a vote.
Senate Democrats are to caucus this afternoon with Sen.
James Abourezk, D-S.D., calling for them to reiterate their . House Republican Leader John J. Rhodes says he sees
stand against approval of military aid for either country. little point in approving humanitarian aid if Congress does not
Mansfield and some ranking House members favor prompt grant South Vietnam military aid to survive,
action this week on Ford's original $3OO million military aid “ “I’ m dubious that we have the votes for anything in military
request for South Vietnam. aid frankly,” Rhodes said, “and without that what sense does
They reason that its rejection would kill any further it make to approve humanitarian aid? Who are you going to
military aid for South Vietnam and that its approval would be give it to?
the first installment on Fofd’s new $722 million military aid The Senate has only a few minor bills scheduled for the
request for the country. 1 week. The House has a fuller schedule, including action on two
Meanwhile, the Senate Foreign Relations Committee is y bills dealing with the nation’s high unemployment,
scheduled today to begin looking into Ford’s request for The House is to take up a $5OO million bill today authorizing
authority to use U.S. forces if necessary to evacuate loans up to $250 a month .for two years to unemployed home
Americans from Saigon, i owners to help meet their mortgage payments. v
Sen. Jacob K. Javits, R-N.Y., said yesterday that there is no A $5 billion federal advance to feed unemployment in
chance Congress will approve Ford’s request for additional surance funds that already are running out in some states is
military aid, but added he feels limited authority will be ap- included in an $ll .a billion appropriation to be voted on by the
. proved for use of troops in evacuating Americans. House later in the week.
PHEAA grants face reduction ,
By J ANICE SELINGER
Collegian Staff Writer
Penn State students intending to apply
for financial aid grants should do so soon
or face the possibility of not getting the
amount of money they hoped for.
Grant awards offered by the Penn
sylvania Higher Education Assistance
Agency may have to be reduced unless
the legislature appropriates additional
monies for the agency by May 1, said
PHEAA public relations: officer Ron
Tavlor.
The governor's budget for 1975-76 had
recommended $6B million for PHEAA
but the agency says it will need at least
$78.4 million to keep the program run
ning at its current level. !
Anything less than this, said Kenneth
R. Reeher, executive ! director for
PHEAA, would require anadjustment in
the way the program is handled.
Right now, Reeher said, awards—all
of which are made on j of
Ten cents per copy !
Monqay, April 14,1975!
Vol. 75, No. 149 12 pages University Park, Pennsylvania
Published by Students lot The Pennsylvania State University
JOHN Mcl.Ai-'GHLIN, lead guitarist with the Mahavishnu
Orchestra, played to a Rec Hall Audience Saturday night. See
review page 7.
Premier Rashid el-Solh met last night —Officials in Jerusalem said one plan
with top army and security officials in . under consideration involves giving up
an effort to head off further violence. (about half the Sinai, including the
strategic mountain passes near the Suez
Canal, in exchange for'fe nonbelligerency
declaration from Egypt. They said while
this proposal may be discussed in
Washington, it would not be presented as
a formal negotiating position.
—The Jerusalem sources also said
Israel believes the Soviet Union is not
interested in a quick resumption of the
Geneva conference because the Kremlin
would like to see a greater degree of
agreement between Israel and Egypt
first.
The dash came as Palestinian
leaders, including guerrilla, chief Yasir
Arafat, gathered in Damascus, Syria,
for a meeting of the central committee of
the Palestine Liberation Organization.
In other Middle East development:
- Israeli Foreign Minister Yigal&Uon
said Israel was facing pressure from the
United States for a Sinai settlement with
Egypt, but that the Jewish state would
resist compromises that would endanger
its security.
A House Judiciary subcommittee plans a hearing on
whether South Vietnamese in danger of death and;reprisals if
their country falls can also legally be evacuated by U.S.
Ford’s third request—for $250 million humanitarian aid for
South Vietnam—stands the best chance of Congress’
unqualified approval. '•
need—can go as high as $1,200 or the cost
of tuition and fees, whichever is less.
If the funds are cut and the number of
applicants qualifying for awards in
creases, Reeher said, either the
maximum $1,200 award will have to be
changed or the needs test rearranged.
According to John F. Brugel, director
of financial, aid for Penn State, any
change in awarding PHEAA grants,
which gave $9 million to 1,500 Penn State
students this year, might hurt students.
‘‘PHEAA grants are an extremely,
significant source of funds' for Penn
State and any reduction in tHI size of the
awards is a serious situation,” Brugel
said.
“The maximum size of awards is now
full tuition,” Brugel said, “but if they
decrease the size of the award and if
tuition increases, it could be a very
serious situation.”
Those applying or reapplying for
PHEAA loans should get their ap-
plications in by May.l, Brugel said. This
is ‘especially important since there may
not be enough funds to handle the late
applicant, Brugel said.
“Last May," Reeher said, "when we
began making announcements for 1974-
75 awards, the farthest thing from my
mind was that seven months later we
would be coming to the legislature for a
deficiency appropriation.
“But what we didn’t know last spring
was that thousands of college students
were not going to get summer jobs to
help them meet college costs, nor did we
conceive that thousands of parents were
going to get laid off indefinitely,”
Reeher said.
Weather
Sunny and pleasant today. High 51.
Clouding up tonight. Low 36. Chance of
rain and cool tomorrow. High 47.
Photo by Julie Cip<