News stories from Saturday July 10, 1971

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

A coup was attempted against King Hassan II of Morocco, but Hassan reportedly escaped. The Libyan government announced its support for the Moroccan rebels; the U.S. had no comment on the coup. [CBS] Vice President Spiro Agnew arrived in Ethiopia. [CBS] A Library of Congress report estimates that the Vietnam war has cost the U.S. $98 billion, which works out to $490 per American, and concluded that defoliants have destroyed one-seventh of South Vietnam's land. The report lists 827,000 allied casualties and over 1 million civilian casualties. Senator William Fulbright said that the cost of the Vietnam war may be undermining democracy in America.President Nixon is reviewing his Vietnam war policy and is considering North Vietnam's peace proposal. [CBS] U.S. planes bombed enemy positions near the DMZ in South Vietnam. South Vietnamese forces are now responsible for the entire northern part of South Vietnam; the U.S. will continue air support and artillery support. [CBS] The Federal Renegotiation Board said that private contractors overcharged the government more than $65 million in the last fiscal year. [CBS] The National Women's Political Caucus is meeting in Washington, DC. National Organization of Women spokesman Betty Friedan claims that the caucus must become political in order to stay alive. Rep. Bella Abzug vowed that women will settle for nothing less than equal representation at all levels of political power. Journalist Gloria Steinem said that women need to take strong stands to make their positions clear. [CBS] Ralph Nader charged that General Motors lied about the safety of Corvairs; General Motors denied the charge. [CBS] West coast docks are closed by a longshoremen's strike. Those docks handle 20% of American imports and exports. Some ships are unloading cargo in Mexico and Canada and then shipping it across the border. Economist Robert Parry believes that the strike will last from 30-60 days; California could lose $1 billion during the strike. [CBS] A memorial service will be held in New Orleans for Louis Armstrong tomorrow. [CBS]