News stories from Saturday November 20, 1971
Summaries of the stories the major media outlets considered to be of particular importance on this date:
- Clark MacGregor, the chief White House lobbyist on Capitol Hill, said that President Nixon might veto the pending tax bill if it includes the Democratic plan for public financing of the 1972 presidential campaign when it reaches his desk. The White House statement was part of an accelerating Republican campaign to defeat the democratic plan when it is voted on by the Senate. [New York Times]
- "I don't think it is in the cards," said Secretary of the Treasury Connally. "I personally have no ambitions." He was talking about speculation that he might replace Vice President Agnew as Mr. Nixon's running mate next year. Then he would not be interested? "That's right." But Mr. Connally stopped short of saying that he would refuse to run if the President urged him to. [New York Times]
- South Vietnamese sources said that a force of 10,000 South Vietnamese troops was massed at the Cambodian border and would attack the base areas from which enemy forces have been increasing the pressure on Phnom Penh, the Cambodian capital. Some South Vietnamese troops were expected to move to the outskirts of Phnom Penh itself. [New York Times]
- President Anwar Sadat of Egypt, touring Egyptian military positions along the Suez Canal, told his country's troops that "Egypt's decision is for the battle" because there "is no longer any hope whatsoever of a peaceful settlement" with Israel. "The battle is at hand," he added. [New York Times]
- Commerce Secretary Stans, the first member of President Nixon's cabinet to visit the Soviet Union, conferred with Premier Aleksei Kosygin on ways of increasing Soviet-American trade and said later that the discussion was very serious and had produced many constructive proposals. [New York Times]
- The jury weighing charges that Robert T. Carson had participated in a scheme to quash stock fraud indictments while he was an administrative assistant to Senator Hiram Fong returned a verdict of guilty after 18 hours of deliberations. Formerly head of the Republican party and of the stock exchange in Honolulu, Carson faces up to 10 years in prison. He will be sentenced Jan. 4, a few weeks after his 65th birthday. [New York Times]