In Saigon, the young Buddhist disciple murmured "I am Tao" as he drew designs from the book of I Ching on the palm of his hand. But could that be a Yank accent? It was indeed. John Steinbeck Jr., 22, son of the late novelist, has dropped out into a dingy Saigon flat in order to follow his yen for Zen. His teacher: Nguyen Thanh Nam, a mystic generally known as the "Coconut Monk," after his habit of meditating perched atop a palm tree in the middle of an island in the Mekong River. Young Steinbeck and his guru have pursued the cause of peace by presenting U.S. Ambassador Ellsworth Bunker with a peeled coconut, and were last seen marveling at the white elephant at the Saigon zoo.

It was Everett Dirksen's 73rd birthday, and the Illinois Senator opened the romp and circumstance by dipping into a voluminous chocolate cake. Then Ev marched his guests in to inspect his latest joy: the kidney-shaped heated indoor swimming pool that he and his wife have built at their Leesburg, Va., home. Both Richard Nixon and Spiro Agnew stopped by to pay their respects, and unlike the pool-dunking days of the New Frontier, not a soul was dampened in the drink. "But it was still a fun party," reported Mrs. Dirksen. "The two elects and the birthday boy proposed many toasts."

His plays may be noted for their brooding sexuality and four-letter shockers, but Tennessee Williams now seems concerned with more spiritual matters. "I wanted my goodness back," said the 54-year-old playwright; so he converted to Catholicism last week in St. Mary Star of the Sea Church near his home in Key West, Fla. A former Episcopalian, Williams was baptized by the Rev. Joseph LeRoy. Convinced that God has been calling him to Catholicism, Williams now plans a trip to Rome, where he hopes to receive a personal blessing from the Pope.

When Mussolini's crack troops swept through Ethiopia in 1936, they plundered the royal palaces and carted many of the nation's treasures back to Rome. Only now is one of the items on its way back to Addis Ababa, the magnificent cast-iron statue of the Lion of Judah. Though he is pleased with the return of the symbol of his legendary succession from King Solomon and the Queen of Sheba, Emperor Haile Selassie is not satisfied. The trophy he wants most still stands near Rome's Circus Maximus. It is a finely carved, 83-ft. granite obelisk that once rose above Ethiopia's ancient capital of Axum.

A county grand jury of nine whites and 14 Negroes stood in an Atlanta courtroom last week as a judge empowered them to investigate the need for better crime-and gun-control legislation in Atlanta. In their first official act, the jurors then elected a foreman: the Rev. Martin Luther King Sr., 69.

There is a new crest forming on the old wave of European film makers. In Rome, Italy's Federico Fellini (8 1/2, Juliet of the Spirits) held a press conference to say a few extra kind words about Sweden's Ingmar Bergman (Persona, Shame), who was beaming at his elbow. "Ingmar," said Federico, "is a born storyteller, an artist who through his work manages to project his whole life." Replied Bergman: "Even before I met Fellini, I loved the soul of his pictures. I knew that artistically we spoke the same language." Now the two have decided to collaborate on a film provisionally called Love Duet. The theme, naturally, is love, and the two will more or less independently shoot whatever moves them, probably without benefit of a script. "Each of us will have the greatest liberty to create," says Bergman. Adds Fellini: "But it will not be a poker game in which we hide aces up our sleeve. The only one we may hide things from is the producer."

In the bitter winter wind that swirled through Washington, D.C.'s Capitol Mall, the short figure with the snappy red bow tie fairly glowed with good cheer. Joseph H. Hirshhorn, 69, financier and art collector, was on hand to witness the realization of his most persistent dream: ground breaking for the vast Hirshhorn Museum that will house the $50 million art collection he has given to the United States. "This is a special occasion to celebrate a lifetime of effort and commitment," said the Latvian-born Hirshhorn proudly. "I think it is a small repayment for what this great nation has done for me and others who have come to this country as immigrants."

"For a marvelous evening of fun," gushed the invitation, "come dressed as anybody in Hollywood history or world history that you might like to have been in a previous lifetime." Paramount Pictures was tossing a "Reincarnation Ball" to herald its latest flick, On a Clear Day You Can See Forever, and practically all of Hollywood was invited. Barbra Streisand decided that she was Colette and came in a Gallic gown of beige lace. Edward G. Robinson made like Jack London in an old salt's pea jacket, while Raquel Welch presented an uncanny resemblance to Katharine Hepburn. A few folk came in ordinary dress. As Groucho Marx put it: "The invitation said to come as somebody you greatly admire, so of course I came as myself."

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