US. jets hit
Quang n
Hue areas
SAIGON (R-Over 100 B52 bombers ranged yesterday
over South Vietnam's two northern provinces for the fourth
successive day, dropping 2,500 tons of explosives on North
Vietnamese positions around communist-held Quang Tri
and in the foothills and mountains west of My Chanh and
Hue.
Saigon headquarters announced that government pa-
trols found 46 bodies of communist troops in one strike area
southwest of Hue and 50 bodies southwest of My Chanh.
Action on the other two fronts in the three-month-old
offensive-the central highlands and Highway 13 north of
Saigon-was largely limited to small clashes and heavy
shelling. Communiques said the besieged province capital
of An Loc, 60 miles north
of Saigon on Highway 13,
Nixon acts to endured nearly 200 rounds
of shell fire overnight.
hal J.r, The air war over North Viet-
ii IurgI flO nam continued. The U.S. Com-
iand claimed destruction of the
Viet Tri thermal power plant
!IIat p ices 25 miles northwest of Hanoi
i prices and damage to many other tar-
gets stretching all tile wsy south
WASHINGTON (/P) - President to Vinr. Vinh is about 160
Nixon acted yesterday to dampen miles south of the North Viet-
surging meat prices by remov- namese capital.
ing all restrictions on meat im- S p o k e s p e r sons said 2,000-
ports. pound Iaser- uided bombs drop-
But e sunnd aygner lie by F4 Phaittoma lets d'-
Bitt be shuoned soy general stroyed the power plant's boiler
food-price freeze and said there facility, the electrical switch-
will not be immediate reductios ing building and the coal con-
to meat costs at the super- veyer, and "effectively destroyed
market. the plant's capability to produce
Officials said that while Nixon electrical power for the nearby
has ruled out a temporary price industrial complex."
freeze on meat and other farm Navy pilots flying off car-
products, controls still may be riers in the Gulf of Tonkin re-
imposed on now-exempt agricul- ported seeing massive fires and
tural products such as fruit, ve- widespread destruction after at-
getables and meat. tacks on bridges, trucks parks.
railroad sidings anod ammsunition
Nixon said th lifting of meat- depots in the north.
hmport quotas tor tbe balance of Radio Hanoi claimid six U.S.
1972 should overcome "a short- jets were shot down during the
term shortage" but "may not weekend but the U.S. Command
fully solve the problem" of rising said it had no plane losses to
prices. He vowed. boswever, tbat report. Comomand policy is to
be would "take whatever fther w irt h ho 1 d announcement of
measures that are necessary to downed aircraft until search and
prevent increases in the cost of rescue missions have ended.
food." U.S. air and naval strength
His quota removal decision in Indochina has more than
doubled since the North Viet-
nam offensive began March 30,
rises in wholesale meat prices, but it is concentrated on ships
the third surge in the wholesale in the South China Sea and air
level in five months. bases in Thailand.
U.S. troop strength in Viet-
It appeared aimed at stabilize nam has continued to decline on
ing prices before the higher costs schedule, despite the offensive,
reach election-year retail meat and American spokesmen said
counters. they expect to meet President
Nixon's goal of a 49,000-man
"Increased s u p p li e s from ceiling by Saturday.
abroad will not have an imme- Of these only two battalions,
diate effect in reducing prices in about 1,000 men, are classed as
the supermarkets, but his action combat troops and they are in a
will definitely help in the fuure," ai and Bien Boa.
be said. In line with what many off i-
Most of the meat imports ar- cers openly acknowledge as the
"numbers game," the command
rive frozen in refrigerated ships announced the completion of
and are processed for such pro- the transfer of four Air Force
ducts as hamburger, frankfurters and three M a r in e fighter-
and luncheon meat. bomber squadrons from Da
Nang to Thailand.
11 coiie to tiht U.SS.
Cuban Prime Minister Fidel Castro (left) is welcomed by Soviet Communist party leader Leonid
Brezhnev (right) yesterday upon arriving in Mos.ow for a visit of undetermined length. Soviet
President Nikolai Podgorny (far right) looks on. The trip marked Castro's first visit in eight years.
ANN ARBOR, MICHIGAN
Tueeday, June 27, 1972
News Phose: 764-05 5
Page Three
Common Market discusses
world monetary crisis
LUXEMBOURG (0'- - -Brit-
ain's chancellor of the exche-
quer, Anthony Barber, h e I d
crisis talks here yesterday on the
floating pound and said all Com-
mon Market finance ministers
"understood the necessity of the
action which we took."
- Barber said he told Britain's
future Common Market partners
that London intends to return
it to a fixed rate for. the pound
"as soon as possible." But he
declined to tell reporters when
or what the new rate would be.
The British finance chief de-
clared London remains commit-
ted to intentions of the recent
Common Market agreement to
keep currency' fluctuations nar-
row - an agreement Britain
temporarily broke Friday when
it floated the pound because of
speculative pressure on the
British currency.
Earlier in the da'y, French
Foreign Minister Maurice Schu-
mann accused Britain of b a d,
faith in throwing European mon-
etary affairs into turmoil even
before its formal entry into the
market.
Sources said that France will
urge adherence to the March
agreement to keep exchange
rates of the European currencies
within 2.25 per cent of e a e i
other. Britain joined this agree-
ment in May.
Barber declined to predict at a
news conference what would be
the outcome of current crisis
talks underway all day as the
Common Market sought ways to
preserve monetary unity and
fight speculators weakening the
dollar and other currencies.
He said the London currency
market would reopen today. Lon-
don and most European foreign
Little of it is placed on the
counter as higher-cost cuts such
as steak and roast.
Agriculural associations, meat
packers and ranchers expressed
doubt that the lifting of quota
restrictions on meat imports will
significantly slow the upward
spiral of meat prices.
One group, the American Na-
tional Cattlemen's Association,
said the lifing of quotas by Nixon
could backfire and cause the
price of meat to go even higher.
At the Agriculure Department,
a spokesperson said removal of
the import lid is not expected to
reduce substantial increases in
foreign beef shipments in the
near future.
One reason, the official said, is
a growing demand for more
meat in other countries and stiff-
er competition for available sup-
plies, particularly from Australia
and New Zealand, which are the
biggest shippers.
whither weed week
By DIANE LEVICK
With the July 10 deadline for filing petitions
quickly approaching, the Michigan Marijuana Ini-
tiative ( MMI i has declared June 24 to July 1 "Weed
Week."
The organization has launched an intense petition-
ing drive for the week to put the question of legalizing
marijuana on the November state ballot.
The MMI petitions call for decriminalization of
personal use of marijuana by those over 18, but does
not concern sale or use while ditving a vehicle,
MMI has kicked off Weed Week with free concerts
in Flint, Mt. Clemens, Lansing, and other areas
around the state. No concert is planned locally,
however.
Petition circulators will hit shopping centers and
campaign door-to-door in an effort to gather 2605,000
signatures- the minimum number required.
Ann Arbor boutique owners are conducting Weed
Week sales and donating a percentage or flat rate to
MMI. The Hide Out Leather Shop, Salvation Records,
This Is It boutique, and Middle Earth are participat-
ing.
According to David Fenton, spokesperson for the
See MMI, Page 7
exchange markets were closed
Friday after the surprise Brit-
ish decision to float the pound
to let it find its own level based
on supply and demand.
"I was received very well,"
Barber told the news conferenc's.
"All the ministers appreciated
the problem with which we
were faced," he added.
Barber said in answer to a
question he hoped Britain would
unfloat the pound and return to
a fixed rate before it joins the
Common Market Jan. 1.
He refused to answer one re-
porter's question whether other
European finance ministers hsd
urged Britain to do this sooner
than Jan. 1.
Asked if Britain's breaking of
the Common Market agreement
imperiled chances for European
economic and monetary union,,
Barber replied he did not believe
that "for the moment."
He added that the moves to-
ward union were "not as frag-
ile as that."
Barber said the 10 finance
ministers of the enlarged Com-
non Market womld meet in Lon-
don July 17-18 "to consult to-
gether about our common -bIec-
tives.-
The day's meeting included
the finance ministers and ren-
tral bankers from the six Com-
mon Market nations, Belgium,
France. Germany, Italy Luxeir)-
bourg and the Netherlands, and
the finance ministers of the tour
nations joining next year Bit-
aim, Denmark. Ireland and Nor-
way.
Commenting on the general re-
alignment of major world cur-
rencies last December in Wash-
ington, Barber said: "Despite
our difficulties, I believe that
the general realignment will be
maintained."