NIXON PROPOSES STAGED PULL-OUT

WASHINGTON, May 15 (Reuter)—President Nixon made a new bid to end the Viet Nam war by urging Hanoi last night to agree to a mutual and staged withdrawl of all foreign troops from South Viet Nam over the next 12 months. The President, in a 22-minute televised speech, presented an eight-point plan beginning with the first of several stages for a mutual pull-out and followed by an internationally supervised cease-fire, and free and fair elections in which all political elements in South Viet Nam would take part. Mr. Nixon gave the reported plan to begin a pull-back of American troops with or without an agreement with Hanoi, as soon as South Vietnamese forces could take over more fighting fronts from American forces. White House sources said later that the President did plan to cut-back American troops’ strength when he judged it could be done safely and as a mark of confidence in South Viet Nam.