The Courier-Journal from Louisville, Kentucky • Page 1

40 PAGES 15 CENTS VOL. 240, NO. 91 LOUISVILLE, TUESDAY MORNING, APRIL 1, 1975 Copyright 1975, The Courier-Journal 0 Leadership assailed Political troubles mount for Thieu I iff 4 as war worsens North Vietnamese troops are engulfing South Vietnamese coastal enclaves, and an attack on Saigon is feared, Page A 2. From L.A. Times-Washinston Post Service, New York Times and AP Dispatches SAIGON Thirty-eight South Vietnamese senators have approved a statement censuring President Nguyen Van Thieu for failures of leadership, indicating that they hope he will step aside, informed sources said yesterday.

At the same time militant Buddhist monks led by Thich Tri Quang, the monk who led the struggle against President Ngo Dinh Diem, demonstrated in the streets for the first time in years with Cambodia fears troops may quit Staff Photos by Bill Luster The story of Kentucky's 92-85 loss to UCLA could be read in the faces of weeping UK cheerleader Luanne Azevedo and weary Kevin Grevey. The Kentucky senior forward was the high scorer in last night's NCAA basketball tournament championship game in San Diego with 34 points. tx banners demanding Thieu's immediate resignation. The monks were driven back into a pagoda by national police after a short march. These and other developments signify rapidly mounting political trouble for Thieu as battlefield disasters multiply.

Although Thieu shows no sign of giving in to his critics whose numbers are increasing on both the right and left his position is less secure with each passing day. In an interview, South Vietnam's former Premier Nguyen Cao Ky said yesterday the government's devastating losses to the North Vietnamese are the fault of Thieu's "very poor leadership" and not due to the lack of U.S. aid. Ky repeated his call that Thieu hand over his power to a new government because "everyone is now against him." Ky also said, "What has happened in the past two weeks is not because we didn't have $300 million in military aid from the United States. The armament and equipment were still there, and the manpower resources were still there.

The problem is purely one of leadership. It's not been the business of the Americans. It's our own responsibility and we have only ourselves to blame. Everything (military supplies) we've left behind now in Pleiku, in the highlands, in Da Nang and Hue, I'm sure it cost more than $300 million." Ky was referring to President Ford's request that Congress appropriate supplemental military aid of $300 million to South Vietnam. Last Tuesday, Thieu ordered the creation of a "combat cabinet" to reorganize and reform his administration in view of "a critical situation." Since then the situation has become much worse on the battlefield and in the hearts and minds of many people but Thieu has been unable to produce a new administration.

Several of those who have been asked to join Thieu's new regime have declined. Former Foreign Minister Tran Van Do, in a meeting with high officials Saturday, said no capable and honest people will be willing to join unless they are given See S. VIETNAMESE Back page, col. 1, this section Wooden Wizardry UCLA works its magic again, eclipses Kentucky, 92-85 In last night's NCAA Tournament consolation game, Louisville beat Syracuse 96-88 to win third place, Page 4. only six players against such a fine, such a physical team as Kentucky, and win," Wooden said afterward.

"But we did. It was a tremendous game. It was played with immense intensity, as all finals are, but I thought, as in many championship games; it was not played with the skill of other tournament games." It was a classic match of tradition and pride. UCLA came into the game with nine National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) championships. Kentucky is next best with four.

So of 36 NCAA titles, last night's combatants owned 13. For Kentucky, though, this was something relatively new, this engagement with pressure unknown anywhere else. By DAVE KINDRED Courier-Journal Sports Editor SAN DIEGO It was, as always, a war. Only this time the University of Kentucky lost. UCLA won 92-85.

Again, UCLA is the national college basketball champion, and if we seek out reasons why, we must begin with John Wooden, the coach they call the Wizard. He came onto the court of the San Diego Sports Arena 10 seconds before the game would start. He wore a dark gray suit. He carried a game program rolled up in his left hand. He walked to the accompaniment of cheers audible in Los Angeles.

This was Wooden's last game after 27 years at UCLA. He announced his retirement Saturday afternoon after a 75-74 Not only was the game for a prize seen in dreams, it was against a team that maao those dreams reality with yearly habit. Coming in, UCLA had won nine of the last 11 NCAA titles including seven straight before losing last year to North Carolina State. Add to that the Wooden drama. Would UCLA win one for the Wizard? Does the sun shine in Southern California? Some folks, unhappy with UCLA's continuing supremacy, credit it to luck.

Others invoke extraterrestrial beings, saying UCLA wins by the grace of divinity. What it is, invariably, is that the See UCLA Back page, col. 1, this section victory over the University of Louisville. If the timing was a psychological stratagem and who is to think otherwise? it worked. It may, in fact, have been the decisive factor, the single strengthening element that held UCLA together down the stretch against a Kentucky team that played, as always, with the idea it's good to knock people down a lot, then do it again.

"I just can't believe that we could play By LEWIS M. SIMONS L.A. Times-Washington Post Service PHNOM PENH President Lon Nol completed preparations last night for his departure from Cambodia this morning as senior military officers discussed means of maintaining the will to fight among their troops. The high command is worried that government forces, already near total defeat at the hands of Khmer Rouge insurgents, will view Lon Nol's departure as an immediate prelude to peace and therefore put down their arms. Lt.

Gen. Sak Suth Sakhan, army commander-in-chief, and the chief of naval operations, Adm. Vong Sarendi, met with Prime Minister Long Boret, who is to fly to Jakarta with Lon Nol. According to an informed source, the three discussed the need to maintain order and discipline among officers and men, particularly if U.S. arms flow dries up.

"No soldier wants to be the last to die in a war," this officer said. "FANK (the French acronym for the government army) is no exception. The men will consider Lon Nol's departure tantamount to surrender and many of them are likely to strip off their uniforms, change into sarongs, throw away their rifles and blend back into the local population." Lon Nol's departure, which is being billed in Cambodia as an "official visit" at the invitation of Indonesian President Suharto, is intended in large part to pave the way to peace talks with the Communists. Although a "marked inprovement" was reported yesterday in the government's bid to drive Communist forces out of a stronghold seven miles northwest of Pochentong Airport, the Communists launched new offensives in other locations south of the city and in outlying provinces. "They are 90 per cent en route to victory," said a foreign military observer.

"Why should they negotiate?" The only chance the Phnom Penh regime believes it has of hanging on long enough to convince the Communists there is good reason to negotiate is if the U.S. Congress votes next week to contin- See CAMBODIANS Back page, col. 5, this section City and county schools merging today The Louisville Board of Education, in business since 1911, mixed business and nostalgia at Us final meeting last night, Page 1. Ford visits Elk Hills President Ford visited the Elk Hills Naval Petroleum Reserve in California Page A3. Vinyl chloride decision The Supreme Court refused to set aside standards set by the Labor Department to limit the exposure of industry workers to vinyl chloride Page A 4.

Amusements A 12, 13 Around Kentucky A 6-8 7 Financial 5, 6 lrOpinion Page A 14 Sports 1-7 iToday's Living A 9-11 By LINDA STAHL Courier-Journal Staff Writer As Louisville and Jefferson County school officials prepared for today's merger, U.S. District Judge James F. Gordon yesterday issued an order in the local desegregation case that eliminates what could have been a major stumbling block to the smooth operation of the new merged school board. Although merger became a fact as of midnight last night, the old Jefferson County school board and the former Louisville school board will each have an opportunity to submit separate desegregation plans in U.S. District Court in Louisville.

Local school leaders feared that the based on a new federal law passed by Congress late last summer. Details on the major concepts of that plan are to be revealed today in a broadcast at 7:30 p.m. on WKPC-TV, Channel 15. The order by Gordon yesterday "prevents a possible impasse or deadlock," said Henry Triplett, city school attorney. John Fulton, county school attorney, said there was "apprehension" over the possibility of a tie vote on the desegregation-plan issue.

Gordon's order says the two old boards will continue to exist, but only for the purpose of representing their legal views on desegregation planning. However, in every other matter the new 10-member merged board made up of the five members of the old city board and the five members of the old county board will rule. At midnight last night the state's two largest school systems officially became one district to be known as the Jefferson County School District and to be run by the Board of Education of Jefferson County, Ky. It is thought to be the 12th largest school district in the nation, with some 130,000 students. Gordon, in Owensboro, signed his order after atelephone conference involving Fulton, Triplett and Robert Sedler, attor- See CITY PAGE 5, col.

1, this section merged board wouldn't get off to a very good start if it deadlocked over the issue of what kind of desegregation plan to submit in federal district court. The city prefers a plan that Gordon approved last year but which was never implemented. Known as Plan it calls for busing about 30,500 children among city and county schools. The county leans toward a limited-busing plan that's to be The drill went smoothly as Louisville passed the Tornado Test mh Mm Awi Louisville and Jefferson County much like the real one 363 days ago that prompted this test. The test was coordinated by the city-county Civil Defense under Director Thomas J.

Nortof. It involved city and county officials and others tied into the Civil Defense emergency plan, about 50 of whom gathered in the City Hall emergency center shortly after the sirens announced that the mock disaster had begun. It also involved Our Mother of Sorrows Elementary School at 770 Eastern Parkway and Our Mother of Sorrows Church next door, Johnston Elementary School at 2301 Bradley Ave all in the path of the mock tornado and St. Joseph In- See IMAGINARY Back page, col. 4, this section By PAUL BULLEIT, GLENN RUTHERFORD and VINCENT CROWDUS Courier-Journal Stiff Writers Two big eighth-graders dashed out of the back door of Our Mother of Sorrows Elementary School carrying 8-year-old Nancy Rohleder, who had a cast on one foot.

Nancy wasn't a casualty of the imaginary tornado that swept through Louisville at 1:15 p.m. yesterday. Her foot was broken last Thursday when a tether ball fell on it during a recess but she still had to be taken to "safety" along with other students taking part in a civil defense drill. Yesterday's "tornado" first touched down in the Fairgrounds-Crittenden Drive area, then moved northeast across Fleet heat INDIANA Mostly cloudy through tomorrow with chance of light rain tomorrow; highs today near 60 and tomorrow in lower 50s, lows today in mid-30s. High yesterday, 57; low, 28.

Year ago yesterday: High 61; low 35. Sun: Rises, 7:29, sets, 8:06. Moon: Rises, 1:10 a.m.; sets, 11:07 p.m. Weather map and details, Page I. Furnished by the National Weather Service IOUISVILLE area Partly cloudy today with chance of showers tonight and tomorrow; high today neor 64 and tomorrow in mid-50s, low today in mid-30.

Precipitation probability 30 per cent tonight. KENTUCKY Mostly cloudy by tonight with chance of rain tonight and tomorrow; highs today upper 50s to upper 60s and tomorrow mid-50s to mid-60s, lows today mid-30s to mid-40s. Staff Photo by Frank Kimmel left, and James Price carried Nancy Rohleder, who had a cast on her foot, to the shelter at Our Mother of Sorrows Church. Students evacuated Our Mother of Sorrows Elementary School during a "tornado" test yesterday in Louisville. Eighth-graders Alan Craven, IMC.