News stories from Sunday February 27, 1972
Summaries of the stories the major media outlets considered to be of particular importance on this date:
- The death toll from the flash flood in Logan County, W. Va., Saturday rose to 60 and the state police said they feared it could go into the hundreds. Several hundred persons were still missing. [New York Times]
- Ralph Nader announced the formation of a national organization of retired professionals that will seek to deal with such problems as housing, taxes and medical care. The group's first priority will be the problems of the elderly. [New York Times]
- Despite shots fired at two army posts and a helicopter, British soldiers held their fire as more than 3,000 Catholic militants marched in the first mass demonstration in Londonderry, Northern Ireland, since 13 civilians were killed there four weeks ago. The line of the illegal march avoided military roadblocks. [New York Times]
- President Nixon and Premier Chou En-lai of China issued a joint communique in which the United States pledged to reduce its forces gradually on Taiwan and in which both nations promised a gradual increase in contacts and exchanges. Reacting to the United States-Chinese communique, newspapers on Taiwan that closely reflect the views of the Chinese Nationalist government strongly condemned the agreement to withdraw American forces from Taiwan. The government itself, however, withheld its official reaction.
The White House made no effort to distribute copies of the communique to congressional leaders, and most members of Congress were content to wait until they had read the document or had been briefed by Mr. Nixon before they commented.
[New York Times] - President Nixon is scheduled to return to Washington on Monday night, after a stop in Anchorage, Alaska. [NBC]
- Jack Grayson, chairman of the Price Commission, disclosed in an interview that his unit would refuse to allow construction contractors to pass along pay rises in the form of higher prices. But a spokesman for the contractors said such a policy would result in "a wave of strikes." [New York Times]
- Angela Davis's trial is about to begin. She is now out on bail thanks to Roger McAfee of Raisin City, California, who put up his farmland as security for Davis's bail. Community reaction has been negative, but McAfee says that he admires Angela Davis. [NBC]
- Syrian and Israeli forces clashed at the Golan Heights. [NBC]
- One U.S. soldier was killed in a cave complex near Danang, South Vietnam. [NBC]
- U.S. spacecraft Pioneer 10 was launched; its destination is the planet Jupiter. [NBC]