News stories from Saturday January 22, 1972

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

Clifford Irving, the novelist who says he compiled an autobiography of Howard Hughes, has "no doubt" that he had met with the billionaire industrialist and that his material is authentic, his attorney said. Martin S. Ackerman, the attorney, said that Mr. Irving believed that the Swiss bank account into which publishers' money for the autobiography was deposited "was opened by a loyal servant, agent or some other person associated with" Mr. Hughes. [New York Times] As millions of Europeans watched on television, representatives of Britain, Denmark, Ireland and Norway signed the Treaty of Brussels today -- thus enlarging the European Common Market to 10 nations. Assuming that all four ratify the agreement, they will formally join the enlarged community next Jan. 1. Negotiations to enlarge the community, which will be one of the world's great economic powers, began more than 10 years ago. [New York Times] Andrei Gromyko, the Soviet Foreign Minister, flew to Tokyo for a week of talks with Japanese leaders. He is expected to try to draw Japan closer to the Soviet Union and to dissuade the Japanese from following the United States in improving relations with China. But many problems between the two counties remain. [New York Times] Negotiators for the Canadian government and the Canadian Air Traffic Control Association agreed on a new 27-month contract that includes a 17% pay increase. If union members approve the settlement, Canada's commercial airports should be in full operation by Wednesday -- speeding mail and travelers after a nine-day lapse. [New York Times] A spokesman for the Cost of Living Council said that the government filed its first lawsuits last week in a major campaign against violations of federal economic controls. Seventy retail establishments were sued, more than 13 times as many as had been sued previously in Phase Two of the President's economic program. [New York Times] The Soviet Union's annual year-end economic report showed slow progress in some key areas last year, the first year of the current five-year plan. The report, released in Moscow, said that agricultural output showed no increase over 1970, while industrial labor productivity increased more slowly than in 1970. [New York Times]