PROJECT RULISON Goode ening everybody. Sept. lO, 1969 Dallas Towns end Project Rulison finally took place late today in western Colorado. Deep underneatlt Battlement Maysa - near tlu town of Grand Valley - a Forty- Kiloton nuclear device was detonated after six days of delay. Project Ru liso,a - designed to slaake loose vast ro1dergroM,ad det,oaits of natural gas. TIie resa,lting tremor - felt several mile• from Ground Zero. Conservationists llad tried,,. vat,s to f>revent tlte blast - fearful tltat it ,., uld contaminate air a,stl water supplies - but Atomic Energy Commission Scientist• said tll 011 e fears were groundless - adding tit at Ille exf>los io,s would f> r o vi de n e w fJ roof t It a t man c an us e nu cl ear energy for peaceful purposes. VIETNAM On the battlefields of Vietnam - the guns of war remained strangely silent today. For a few hours, at least, both sides informally ex tending that cease -fire - marking tl1e death of North Vietnam's President Ho Chi Minh. This in sr,ite of predictions from South Vietnam's President Thieu - tliat tl,e enemy will now come back more determined than ever. PEACE TALKS In Paris, an argument over lltj date for tlie next session of the Viet Nam peace talks. Tlie Viet Cong askirtg for a delay from tomorrow to Friday - because tlte f>eriod of mourning for Ho Clai Minh lasts until tl,en. Tlie allies - saying tlaat Friday would be inconvenient - laeld out for Sah,rtlay. Tlrat 1>rom1>ted a lengthy laassle - witli t11e Commauaists finally agreeirtg on Saturday for t11e next sessiort. WRITE HOUSE FOLLOW PARIS In Washington - the White House trying to quell reports - telling of a so-called "deterioration of relations" betWJeen Washington and Saigon. Notlting of tire sort - said Wltite Rouse - News Secretary Ron Ziegler. As for the President's planned higlr-level strategy fflteti,ag on Vietnam - it's still set for Friday. However, tlte site of the parley - now expected to be Camp David ratl1•r titan the White Rouse. Main reason - we hear - to ensur• comfllete concentration solely on ending tire war. MIDDLE EAST In tht- tense Middle East - a return-to-the-scene - Israeli jets blasting Egyptian targets in the same Gulf of Suez area - where yesterday the Israelis staged a big assault by land, sea and air. This ... said an Israeli spokesman - ;,. -retaliation for "further Egyptian cease-fire violations along the Suea Canal" - only this morning. WASHINGTON FOLLOW MIDDLE EAST A related de elot,ment - back in Washington. Secretary of State William Rogers announcing t,lans to meet with Soviet Foreign Minister Andrei Gromyko - when both are in New York next week for the United Nations General Assembly. An effort - we are told - to get the ball rolling again - toward a Big Four Mideast peace formula. DIRKSEN FOLLOW WASHINGTON Elsewhere in Was llin a-ton - thoi,s ands more pa id th•f r final respects - to the late Senator Everett Dirksen. First - as the body lay in state at the Capitol Rotunda. Later - at funeral services in Washington's National Presbyte.,.ian Cllurcll. And no• the Senator begins llis final journey - back laome again to - - - Pekin, Illinois. (SUGGESTED LEAD-IN TO THOMAS TAPE SLUGGED "TRIVIA") What with Lowell Thomas of again in pursuit of the rai-~, the exciting, the unusual - it's time again for another special report he le~t us. Topic for tonight - tri v ia around-the-world. Lowell ... ( L. T. Tape Insert - unedited) TRI IA (Some Oddities) One of the minor problems of reading, traveling, talking to interesting People - is that you pick up so many interesting ti d - bits , little things you want to s hare with o t It en and you never seem to ha e the time to do it. Well, tonight - let's take time. The c(Jpi !. al of Sask a t c he wan is th e c i t y of R e gin a · s o r: ~ ~n e d in E i g h tee n - Eighty-Two - after Victoria REgina, Queen of England. A regal name, indeed - especially considering the city's former name. lt was previously known as The Pile of Bones. And another: The Caribbean isle of Barbados - named by early Portuguese Explorers. Originally, Los Barbados - meaning the Bearded Ones. Bearded Indians? Oh no. Los Barbados referred to all those bearded fig trees that grow wild down there. And a final note: The great blue whale as we ull know - is the biggest living thing on earth. Often attaining a weight of a hundred and fifty tons - or thirt_y-five times TRll"IA - 2 a bi as a,r eleplrant . Hard to imagine anything so big - i n 't it? But maJbe tl1is trill lrelp. The tongue o a blue ,cltale - tl,e to'llg11e aloJte ojle,r w-eiglrs o · er llrree tons. As for cl,eelt, ol, a lot of tllat too. Solo,rg •. . . . . . . . . ( SUGGESTED FOLLOW TO THOMAS TAPE SLUGGED "TRIVIA") Thank you, Lowell. And now - from tongue-in cheek - c:,.. .. back to the news. BANGKOK TIie Far East again - Bangkok - an announcemeP1t today from Tleailand's Prime Minister Kittikaclaorn; an annourace,,.e,eJ tllat U.S. and Tlrai of fie ials lra v e reaclred tentative agreeme,e t o,e tlae n11mber of American troof)s to be witlrdra.,,. fro"' tlaat co•11try. Bow,ever, tire initial f)ullback - exf)ected to h1volv• o,rfy abo•I tlrree tlaousa,ed men; a1trf tl1ese - mainly •11gira••rirag a,ed logistic forces. CASTEL GANDOLFO At tlle summer Vatican - Castel Gandolfo - a,a Pot,e Paul admitting tlla t tl,e may laave seemed 11,ra11re of laim . self - in deali,rg witl, cl,urcll turb,.lence over tl,e t,ast year or so. Tl,e Pot,e sa~•i,eg: "I GM o,aly 1,•ma,a - tl,erefare, it would 1101 seem stra,age if I seeMed lac II hag ,,. c a,a/i d e,ac e. " Ba•euer, tl,e Portti/J denied - tlaat tltu i11 a 11y aoa.)' m itiga I•• I ia rece,at rul h1ga. A44i,ag tlaat la• is t,o•• ••• ed of "•• h1terftal certai,aty" - tl,at era••• any a11d all "exterraal impre•• io11s. " STOCKS Tlie New York Stock Exchange today turned in its best performance in more than /it•e montl&s - the Dow Jone• Indus trial average went up almost twelve -and-a -Ital/ po in ta. Prices also climbed s ltarp ly on tlte American · Escltarage - and William McCllesJ1ey Martin, claairma,a of tlae Federal Reserve Bo a rd, s a id ' · We may be g e tt i,1 g 11 e t.r a 11 end of t It e Period o I very lligla i.ntere• t rates. " And oft tllat eftcouragi,ag word - a,ad eftcou-ragh1g •ord fro• Wa-rren Moran. BRIDGEHAMPTON Here on our own slaores - a visit today from tlae world'a greatest woman driver. Namely - Pat Moss Carlason of Britai11; aiater of tlae lege,.dary road racer Sterlt,cg Mo•• - also, a cltampio,. lo,cg distaJtce rally driver in h•r ow,c rigllt; "Driver of tit• Y•ar" award over ,,,e best of all male co•t,•tttora. PNrt,o,e of Mr•. Carlsso,.•, present vi•it; To clleck oi,t - for t,o,,ible Britt•II e,ctra nt• - Nori,, America'• Millioa-Dollar Ca,a-A• road raci,ag ••rie•; lateat eve11t of Carl,ao,a co•f•••e• to J••I o•• ,,.r,. to date - o,c a closed coura e rac l,eg cir cu It. A,ed u,af1111tlt lter brotlter - 111/to proceeded to aet a new lat, record for a car witll t,a••e•ger. Exe iting - y••; but never again - said tis e lady driver. Adding ~ ' . ~ - 111itl 9:-;:;;,1c: "I never even saw tlte rood - I Just closed my eyes." Dallas Townsend saying good night.