U.S. to Send Observers to Middle East

United States-Soviet tension over the Middle East crisis eased yesterday after the U.S. reluctantly agreed to send unarmed American observers to join the U.N. observer team.

Alert Over

Although the U.S. has terminated its worldwide military alert, Secretary of Defense James R. Schlesinger '50 said yesterday that most U.S. military units would be kept ready until Russia's forces returned to normal.

Soviet Party leader Leonid I. Brezhnev said in Moscow yesterday that the Soviet Union has sent representatives to the war zone at the request of Egyptian president Anwar Sadat.

Brezhnev did not say whether the Soviets had sent military personnel.

At the same time, Israel reported it had repulsed an attempt by the Egyptian Third Army to break through encircling Israeli forces.

The developments came as U.N. officials began assembling an international force to patrol the Middle East cease-fire.

In Washington, the State Department said it had expected Russia to send ceasefire observers to the Middle East. A spokesman said that although the United States disagreed in principle, it too would send the unarmed observers at the U.N.'s request.

"We are aware that Soviets had alerted comprehensively their airborne forces," Schlesinger said, indicating that about 50,000 Russian paratroopers had been put on alert. However, he said that the U.S. did not know whether the Soviets ordered their troops to stand down from the alert.

Schlesinger said Soviet military positions were being carefully watched.

In other Middle East action, Israeli officers claimed their men had taken over most of Suez city at the southern end of the 103-mile-long Suez Canal.

Gunfire broke out across the Suez Canal as Egyptian forces on the east bank apparently began shelling their own city to drive out the Israelis.

No U.N. observers or peace force members were observed in the Suez area, AP newsmen reported.