News stories from Sunday March 7, 1971
Summaries of the stories the major media outlets considered to be of particular importance on this date:
- The Mideast cease-fire deadline passed. President Sadat declared that Egypt is no longer bound by the terms of the cease-fire but indicated no resumption of hostilities. Sadat made his decision after a secret visit to Moscow. Senator Henry Jackson noted that a similar visit by former President Nasser to the USSR later resulted in a build-up of Soviet military aid in Egypt; Sadat's visit indicates that Russia is directing the negotiations for Egypt. President Nixon said that he doesn't expect an outbreak of fighting. [CBS]
- One thousand U.S. planes flew bombing missions in Laos and Cambodia. A North Vietnamese counterattack against South Vietnamese forces at Tchepone, Laos, is expected. King Savang Vatthana of Laos is the best hope for the reconciliation of Laotian factions because the King is treated respectfully by both Communists and Americans, however the King has remained neutral so far. [CBS]
- The Pentagon reported that it has detected new Soviet missile construction but is not sure what type of ICBMs are involved. [CBS]
- The British postal union voted to return to work although a wage agreement still has not been reached. [CBS]
- Five persons were killed and 22 injured in a fight between motorcycle gangs at a motorcycle show in Cleveland. [CBS]
- A White House decision to rapidly develop atomic breeder reactors to ease power shortages was reported to run counter to the wishes of some scientists who fear that breeder reactors will endanger the environment. Another White House decision cut back some of the research on pollution-free fusion reactors. [New York Times]
- Americans were reported to be finding justice more elusive, capricious and uncertain than ever as a result of long delays that have been strangling the courts in the nation's large cities. The congestion often hurts most the injured whose claims and causes remain unheard. [New York Times]
- Conversations with placement officers and students at colleges and universities across the country showed that industrial recruiters have cut their visits by 10 to 50 percent over last year. Similar cuts were made last year, and some saw fewer job opportunities for college graduates than in any time since the Depression years. [New York Times]
- A computer check of the business associations of William Casey, President Nixon's nominee to head the Securities and Exchange Commission, was reported to have found that a man Mr. Casey selected to sell some stock had been expelled from the securities industry by the S.E.C. for a stock manipulation. The stock sale for Mr. Casey may have violated the S.E.C. rules that permitted the man to return to work. [New York Times]