eo.rgease 6y JASON WASHINGTON — The key to a intermediaries hinted, that the has no agreement in his pocket, Vietnam settlement isn't the new North Vietnamese have refused but meaningful peace communist peace plan so much to hold secret meetings in the negotiations may now be as the appearance in Paris of Paris suburbs such as took place . possible. North Vietnam's politburo under Harriman and Lodge. Footnote; Washington is member Le Duc Tho. keeping an anxious eye on He left Paris 14 months ago BELITTLING BRUCE - Saigon, which In the past has with the terse announcement that Washington has also treated sought to snag the Paris he wouldn't return until he had Bruce more as a glorified negotiations. This is the reason, an agreement in his pocket. spokesman than a negotiator. apparently, that Kissinger is To bring him back, President The Paris delegation has been traveling to Paris by way of Nixon has made a number of restricted, for example, to the Saigon. The U.S. has also taken unpublicized overtures through most routine intelligence about the precaution, in the past, of communist and neutral the war they are supposed to be intercepting the secret messages intermediaries. These secret settling. The top-secret stuff - between South Vietnam's top soundings have now brought Le battle plans, position papers, people in Paris and Saigon. The Duc Tho to Paris. contingency plans and South Vietnamese messages that His appearance definitely is policymaking documents — have fallen into our bands have the result of intricate backstage aren' I. sent to Paris. been identified by the code name diplomacy. In making the secret The air strikes at missile sites "Gout." The National Security arrangements. Hanoi had and other tactical targets in Agency, which handles secret insisted he talk to someone with North Vietnam last November codes and communications, more authority than Ambassador caught Bruce completely by stamps the intercepted messages David K. E. Bruce. It's no surprise. He received his first "immediate precedence" and coincidence, therefore, that Le word of the attacks from the sends them by teletype to the Duc Tho arrived at the same North Vietnamese. White House marked "Exclusive time Henry Kissinger, the Annoyed, he directed his for Dr. Henry A. Kissinger-White President's national security military liaison man, Lt. Gen. House." At the bottorri of each adviser, also scheduled a trip to Julian. Ewell, to send an urgent message, the date and time of the Paris. message to the Pentagon interception is given. North Vietnamese diplomats in requesting more details. Admiral WASHINGTON WHIRL — Paris had complained that Bruce Thomas Moorer, the Joint Chiefs Hoover and Tamm — For years, was unfriendly. Both of his chairman, sent back a the international Association of predecessors, Averell Harriman Washington Post account of the Chiefs of Police passed fulsome and Henry Cabot Lodge, had raids. The reply was regarded in resolutions in praise of "The maintained cordial personal Paris as an insulting message to Honorable J. Edgar Hoover." it relations with the North Bruce, suggesting he should be didn't detract from Hoover's Vietnamese. But Bruce has been satisfied with what he reads in glory that the resolutions were cold and formal. the newspapers. quietly prepared by the FBI and This is one reason, the Meanwhile, Le Duc Tho still approved in advance by its director. But lately, Hoover has been fueding with the IACP's executive director, Quinn Tamm, himself a former FBI official. Hoover's supporters claim that Tamm botched up almost every top job at the FBI. Tamm's friends say he not only had a great career at the FBI but that Hoover himself recommended him for the IACP job. They say it was only after Tamm began to get personal publicity and to emerge as a rival to Hoover as a law enforcement spokesman that the FBI chief turned against him. It now looks as if Hoover, at last, may win the feud. The IACP's board is talking about firing Tamm for making "indiscreet statements." UNDER THE DOME Senators Hubert Humpnrey, u- Minn., and George McGovern, 0- S.D., two presidential hopefuls who are frequently critical of military spending, didn't bother to show up for the crucial vote on limiting the ;.yentagon budget to $68 billion . . . . Sen. James Pastland, D-Miss., who has a habit of rubbing perlume across his pudgy fingers and dabbing a little on his chin, also has a curious method for sorting mail. He spreads the letters on a table, picks out correspondence from all the• notables, and then discards the leftovers . . Rep. Jim Burke, D-Mass., uses three different form letters thanking his constituents for their "recent correspondence," "recent warm letter" or "recent friendly letter." . . . Sen. David Gambrell's supporters are nervous because one of the new Senator's aides turns out to have a criminal record. The aide, a black named Benny Smith, was convicted two years ago for violation of the state tax law. Gambrel] is standing by Smith, who has made restitution to his state. NO FAVORITISM Transportation Secretary John Volpe likes to tell this story on himself. Once when he was in a desperate hurry, he found his official plane 18th in line for take- off at New York City's La Guardia Airport. An associate suggested to Volpe, since he's in charge of the Federal Aviation Administration, that he ask his pilot to radio the tower requesting immediate clearance to take off. Volpe gave the order to the pilot who reported back a few moments later: "Mr. Secretary, the men in the tower send you their regards and instructed me to tell you we are still 18th in line for take-off."