News stories from Saturday March 29, 1980

Summaries of the stories the major media outlets considered to be of particular importance on this date:

The administration denied reports that a conciliatory message had been sent to Ayatollah Khomeini admitting "past mistakes" in United States policy on Iran. A statement purporting to be from Washington was made public in Teheran. The White House later released further comment through a senior spokesman, who said that the purported letter "does contain ideas" raised in communications between Washington and Teheran. [New York Times] The Shah's spleen was removed in a successful operation in Cairo, his American surgeon, Dr. Michael DeBakey, said. "His condition is very satisfactory" and all vital signs are perfectly normal, the surgeon told reporters at the Maadi military hospital. [New York Times] A home near Jonestown, Guyana, for Laotian refugees in Thailand is being sought by a consortium of religious and charitable groups headed by Billy Graham's son. Guyana has tentatively agreed to accept at least 1,500 and perhaps as many as 30,000 Meo tribesmen, who would be provided a settlement in a 120-square-mile jungle area near the Venezuela border, about 20 miles from Jonestown. [New York Times] Hard times face the richest cities as revenue shortages and labor unrest that have been major problems in the Northeast and Midwest spread across the nation in the wake of inflation, anticipated cuts in the federal budget and an eroded urban political base, according to studies by urban experts and interviews with municipal officials. "We are heading into a period where high inflation rates and declining federal grants promise to be a way of life," said Alan Beals, head of the National League of Cities. [New York Times] The Mormon church is flourishing and building on its prosperity as it never has before in its 150-year history. Amid new challenges posed by progressive trends in society, membership in the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints is soaring. Once an ostracized institution, the church is now regarded as the highly respected embodiment of a clean-living, old-fashioned set of values. [New York Times] A suit seeking more Federal protection of 300 barrier islands on the Atlantic and Gulf Coasts was filed in Washington by the Sierra Club and the Natural Resources Defense Council. [New York Times] A Turkish-American pact was signed in Ankara by Foreign Minister Hayrettin Erkmen and Ambassador James Spain. It will enable the United States to continue to use a Turkish air base, four intelligence-gathering installations and seven communications terminals in return for military and economic assistance. [New York Times]