News stories from Saturday April 11, 1970

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

Apollo 13, the third manned landing mission to the moon, was successfully launched toward the ancient hills of Fra Mauro with a late hour substitute, Jack Swigert, as the command module pilot. An unexplained shutdown of one of the Saturn rocket's second-stage engines did not hinder the blast-off which was watched by Vice President Agnew. [New York Times] The Commission on Civil Rights has criticized President Nixon's recent policy statement on school desegregation as inadequate and overcautious. It may even signal a major retreat, the report said. In a unanimous rebuttal to the President, the six-member federal commission expressed fear that the administration had unintentionally signaled a slowdown in school integration. [New York Times] According to a high administration official, President Nixon has narrowed the search for a new Supreme Court nomination down to three Northern federal judges: Harry Blackmun of Minnesota, Edward Gignoux of Maine and Alfred Goodwin of Oregon. The source also indicated that Nixon would make his choice by the middle of the week and that choice was likely to be Judge Blackmun. [New York Times] Gov. Claude Kirk of Florida has been fined $10,000 a day by a federal district judge for disobeying court orders to desegregate Manatee County public schools. In issuing the fine, Judge Ben Krentzman held Governor Kirk in contempt of court and directed him to implement on Monday the integration plan. The fine will not be collected if he complies with the order by noon, Monday. [New York Times] Leaders of the Professional Air Traffic Controllers Organization were ordered by a federal district judge to tell their members to go back to work or produce medical certificates of illness. However, Judge George Hart delayed any decision to fine the controllers for staying away from their jobs. He set no deadline for the return of the "sick" controllers. [New York Times] The White House has reassured Western Europeans that the United States has no plans to withdraw any troops from Europe even after the expiration in mid-1971 of the United States commitment to maintain current troop levels. Officials say that the statement, coming at the end of two days of talks between President Nixon and Chancellor Willy Brandt of West Germany, clarified the situation by ending the impression that a new decision on troop deployment must soon be made. [New York Times] A stepped-up campaign to find out who the potential bomb planters and snipers are before they endanger others is planned by the Nixon administration. President Nixon, alarmed by what he considers to be a rising tide of extremism, plans to improve the domestic intelligence apparatus of informers and wiretapping. [New York Times] Cambodia's new leaders have staged their first mass rally in an atmosphere of intense nationalism and strident martial resolution. The rally was held in the wake of recent border crossfire that resulted in the deaths of at least 89 Vietnamese civilians in Cambodia. Meanwhile, in the Vietnamese sector of Phnom Penh, a 6 P.M. to 6 A.M. curfew was in effect because of what were termed subversive activities. [New York Times]