MOTM

a) technically, they are not 'bypass' caps, they are 'bulk' caps. A 'bypass' 
cap is a small value cap (like 0.01uf) that is very close to an IC's power 
pin. It is there to 'bypass' RF frequencies to ground cause by the lead 
inductance of the part. The caps used in the '960 are there to reduce 
voltage drop when wiring large cabinets, where the '960 is say 20-30" away 
from the main supply (or if you are wiring say 2-4 of them up in a big 
cabinet.

b) the caps are across the +-15V lines, so every connector "sees" the caps.

Both bypass caps and bulk caps are needed in 'real systems' to counter 
effects of the 'real world'.

Paul S.