Troop Withdrawals Slowed in Vietnam

SAIGON--The U.S. Command ordered another slowdown in the rate of U.S. withdrawals from Vietnam last week, cutting the rolls by only 500 servicemen, military spokesmen announced yesterday.

Due to what the spokesmen termed a "bureaucratic lag" in the withdrawals, the actual U.S. Army strength increased by 100 men in the week ending last Thursday. It was the first rise in the number of soldiers in Vietnam since the beginning of 1971.

Military sources said that almost all of the servicemen currently being withdrawn from Vietnam are merely shifted to Thailand, from where they will continue flying warplanes in Indochina.