News stories from Sunday October 18, 1970

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

A note received by Quebec officials in the handwriting of James R. Cross -- the first new evidence that the kidnapped British diplomat is still alive -- reiterated the demands of his kidnappers, a Quebec separatist group, that 23 prisoners be freed as the ransom for his release. The government's previous refusal of that demand and its institution of emergency wartime powers were followed by the discovery early in the day of the body of the other kidnapping victim, Pierre Laporte, the Quebec Minister of Labor and Immigration. [New York Times] Political leaders in all 50 states believe that the war in Indochina is playing a minor role in this year's Congressional elections, a survey found. "People seem to be persuaded that the President is absolutely sincere about de-escalating and getting us out of Vietnam," one member of Congress said, reflecting a typical viewpoint. [New York Times] Analysis of new census data showed that the South gained more people in the last decade than any other region of the nation. In fact, census officials said, more people moved to the South than from it in the 1960's -- for the first time since the 1870's. The South also improved its economic position faster than any other region. [New York Times] More than 30,000 Viet Cong agents have infiltrated the South Vietnamese government, according to a study by the CIA reported to have been given to President Nixon. Because the agents' apparatus has proved virtually impossible to destroy, the report added, a surge of Communist activity can be expected as American troops withdraw. [New York Times] Despite the refusal of government spokesmen to comment, it was reliably learned that the United States and the Soviet Union have reached a secret understanding under which the Soviet Union agreed to remove from Cienfuegos, Cuba, equipment for a base to serve missile-carrying submarines. [New York Times]