The Peking Pool

Richard Nixon's visit to China next month will be the most newsworthy presidential excursion abroad since World War II, but the number of newsmen along to report it will be tightly restricted. After spending a week in China, Press Secretary Ronald Ziegler announced last week that the U.S. press contingent will be limited to about 80--roughly one-fourth the number that normally goes to the summit with the President.

Ziegler said that the Chinese had "demonstrated great professional skill and understanding." He had bargained the number of newsmen up to 80 from an original Chinese proposal of only ten. Other visiting heads of state have brought very small news entourages, and the Chinese apparently feel that they are unable to deal properly with hundreds of visiting journalists. Yet the group of 80, which will be in effect a press pool for the nation, must include photographers and technicians as well as reporters. Nearly 2,000 journalists had applied. The White House will now have to make the tough decisions on who will and will not go, and Ziegler is sure to be damned by the disappointed.

About 30 places will be allotted to television networks, including technical personnel who will perform partly on a pool basis. Wire services and national magazines may get another 20. Only 30 will be left for daily papers. No more than one correspondent will be allowed per publication, and Ziegler has approached papers with common ownership to request that they double up on coverage.

An American advance party will set up a satellite ground station at Peking airport to provide full teletype, telephone, wirephoto and television transmission facilities. The newsmen will arrive Feb. 20, a day ahead of the President. Ziegler promised interviews with Chinese, tours of schools and communes, comfortable hotel rooms and invitations to state banquets --a rosy picture for the few fortunate enough to make the trip.

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