News stories from Sunday August 15, 1971
Summaries of the stories the major media outlets considered to be of particular importance on this date:
- President Nixon will make a major statement on the economy tonight. He is expected to announce a change in economic policy; economists are urging the creation of a wage-price review board. The President is not expected to invoke a wage-price freeze.
The Democratic majority of the Joint Economic Committee issued a report charging that inflation and unemployment are at dangerous levels due to the President's "do nothing" policy. Senator William Proxmire said that the tax cuts which the Democrats proposed in their report would neither worsen inflation nor increase the federal deficit significantly. Republican members of the Joint Economic Committee issued a report claiming that the economy is recovering.
[CBS] - Minor incidents of violence were reported in Northern Ireland. In Belfast, homes being burned down during the recent violence have resulted in a serious housing shortage. Central Citizens Defense Committee director Hugh Cormican said that his organization is helping only Catholic refugees because of the intimidation it receives in Protestant areas. [CBS]
- Enemy forces attacked three South Vietnamese bases near the DMZ; U.S. command confirmed that there have been American B-52 raids into the DMZ since early in the month. [CBS]
- Jordan is accusing Syria of massing troops along their border; King Hussein of Jordan ordered a counter build-up. [CBS]
- An Organization of American States report says that the U.S. must accept the shift toward socialism in Latin America if it wants to continue contributing to progress. [CBS]
- A Brazilian congressman has demanded an investigation into the disappearance of Stuart Jones; it is rumored that Jones was tortured and killed by the military government four months ago. [CBS]
- Cuban Premier Fidel Castro denied that Communist countries use sports for political purposes. U.S. Olympic Committee president Clifford Buck earlier deplored Cuba's and Russia's opinion that their superiority in sports reflects the superiority of their political system. [CBS]
- Hurricane Beth is headed for Newfoundland and Nova Scotia. [CBS]
- Motorcycle races are being held in the Black Hills of South Dakota. The races have been held annually in Sturgis since 1938; the city turns a town park into a campsite for motorcyclists. The founder of the event says that the races were originally local; they had only 15 contestants the first year. [CBS]
- The Taos Indians are celebrating the return of 48,000 acres of land to them; the government has returned the sacred Blue Lake area of New Mexico to the Indians after 64 years. Senator Fred Harris of Oklahoma said that the return of the land reflects the fact that America is proud of the differences between people. [CBS]