News stories from Sunday January 2, 1972
Summaries of the stories the major media outlets considered to be of particular importance on this date:
- President Nixon, in a nationally televised interview, said that 25,000 to 35,000 American troops would remain in South Vietnam until the North Vietnamese released all their American prisoners of war. Mr. Nixon called the intensified bombing of North Vietnam last week "very, very effective" and said the raids aided troop withdrawals. [New York Times]
- In his televised interview, Mr. Nixon declined to formally declare his candidacy for re-election but left little doubt that he intended to run. He said he would announce his decision before Jan. 14, and that his current inclination was to keep Vice President Agnew on the ticket -- the clearest commitment to date. [New York Times]
- President Zulfikar Ali Bhutto of Pakistan announced the nationalization of major industries in 10 categories, including iron and steel, public utilities and oil refineries. In addition, companies worth more than $2 million in which a single family owns more than half the shares were ordered nationalized. No foreign investments were affected. Businessmen in Pakistan said they thought the moves were comparatively mild. [New York Times]
- The skies over Tokyo were clear and the streets were full of women clad in multicolored kimonos as Japan celebrated for a second day the beginning of the Year of the Rat. The rat is the symbol of prosperity. Its year is the first in the 12-year cycle of the ancient Chinese calendar, which the Japanese adopted along with the Western calendar. [New York Times]