This Day In 1970's History: Monday January 5, 1976
- Soviet-backed forces in Angola claimed to have captured the town of Wida, the headquarters of the FNLA. The Organization of African Unity will meet next week and is expected to call for a ceasefire and the withdrawal of all foreign intervention from Angola, including Russia, Cuba and South Africa. President Ford spoke at the American Farm Bureau in St. Louis and gave the same message to the Soviets via his speech.
The embargo on grain sales to Russia last year angered American farmers. Ford spoke about Angola today, but assured farmers that diplomatic leverage won't be at their expense, and he pledged to keep farm income high. The White House said that Ford's St. Louis trip was non-political, but political fences needed mending regarding farmers. The American Farm Bureau Federation did not endorse Ford, recalling last year's grain embargo. Delegates at the St. Louis convention are expected to call for an end to government control of exports, and will ask Congress to forbid transportation strikes. [CBS]
- President Ford, an administration official said, intends to nominate Anne Armstrong, a former White House counselor, as Elliot Richardson's replacement as Ambassador to Britain. Mrs. Armstrong, 48 years old, has been active in Republican politics. In 1972, she was co-chairman of the Republican National Committee, and in the same year President Nixon invited her to join the White House, where she had cabinet-level status. She lives in Texas with her husband, a wealthy rancher. [New York Times]
- Britain and France hinted at economic retaliation against the United States if the Concorde SST is locked out of U.S. airports. The Environmental Protection Agency wants the Concorde banned. Daily flights of the Concorde to Dulles and John F. Kennedy airports are the issue; noise pollution is feared along with damage to the ozone layer which may result in skin cancer increases. British minister of industry Gerald Kaufman says that the environmental impact of the Concorde is slight. French President Valery Giscard d'Estaing plans to visit America in May on the Concorde. [CBS]
- Congress will be asked by President Ford to change the tax laws to make it easier for heirs to continue family ownership of small and medium-size farms and businesses. He will recommend that no estate tax be required to be paid on such farms and businesses until five years after the death of the owner, and no interest would accrue during those five years. He made his proposal at a meeting of the American Farm Bureau Federation in St. Louis, Farm and small-business spokesmen for years have asked for changes in the tax laws to help persons who inherit small farms and businesses and who often have to sell them to raise funds to pay federal estate taxes. [New York Times]
- Ronald Reagan began the first of several political tours of New Hampshire to win support in his campaign for the Republican presidential nomination before the state's primary on Feb. 24. It is believed that a victory in New Hampshire for Mr. Reagan would be a setback for President Ford in his campaign for the nomination. [New York Times]
|
