News stories from Sunday December 12, 1971

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

As the death toll in the gas explosion in a water tunnel under Lake Huron climbed to 22, federal and Michigan officials began investigations into the blast. A water system official said he did not know the cause of the explosion. The sheriff said that a few more bodies might be found. [New York Times] Terrorists shot and killed a right-wing Protestant member of the Northern Ireland Parliament, then blew up his country mansion with a bomb. Senator John Barnhill, who was shot when he answered the door of his home, had often publicly denounced the terrorist tactics of the Irish Republican Army. [New York Times] India said today that her troops were only 22 miles from Dacca, the capital of East Pakistan. A force of prartroops said to be in the Dacca area could be even closer that that. Surrounded Pakistani garrisons in Comilla, Rangpur and other towns were said to be still holding out. The front in Kashmir was reported quiet. [New York Times] A Pakistani spokesman charged that India had violated Geneva conventions on warfare by warning the Pakistani defenders at Comilla that they would be turned over to guerrillas "to be butchered" unless they surrendered. The spokesman said the garrison would never surrender. [New York Times] Japan made major economic concessions at the end of two days of trade talks with the United States. After meetings in Honolulu, Japan said that it would eliminate quotas on four agricultural products and reduce import tariffs on 30 industrial items. The changes, except those affecting cars, would go into effect by April. [New York Times] Richard Fecteau, an American held prisoner in Communist China since 1952, was freed and crossed the border into Hong Kong. Peking announced that it had reduced the sentence of another American, John Downey, who was captured with Mr. Fecteau. Both were accused of being spies. [New York Times]