News stories from Saturday March 18, 1972

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

Senator Edward Kennedy charged that, despite written assurances from the administration last May that the practice would be halted, large amounts of American public health assistance funds in Laos were being diverted to the support of the CIA's secret guerrilla army. The Senator made public a summary of a General Accounting Office report that found almost half of the public health aid was being channeled by the Agency for International Development into CIA activities. [New York Times] Senator Edmund Muskie campaigned in Illinois, determined, as he told an interviewer, to present himself "more clearly, more toughly, more crisply" on the issues following his feeble showing in the Florida primary. The "new" aggressive Muskie was apparent at some stops during the week, but at other stops the candidate was back to a low-key, rambling presentation. [New York Times] A private survey of political spending by special interest groups disclosed that organized labor gave more campaign money to two liberal New Jersey Democrats -- Senator Harrison Williams and Rep. Frank Thompson -- than to any other congressional candidates in the 1970 elections. Neither of the men reported more than a fraction of the labor contribution. [New York Times] Gov. William Cahill of New Jersey, who had said that President Nixon "just doesn't relate to the average guy in the street," announced that he would serve as the New Jersey campaign chairman for Mr. Nixon's re-election. Sources close to the Governor said his statement had all but made it necessary that he accept the campaign post to dispel any reports of a split between him and Mr. Nixon. [New York Times] India and Bangladesh have concluded a 25-year treaty of friendship and cooperation. The signing of the treaty came at the end of a two-day visit to Dacca by Prime Minister Indira Gandhi. Earlier in the visit Mrs. Gandhi and Bangladesh officials agreed that Pakistan must recognize Bangladesh before the release of Pakistani prisoners of war could be negotiated. [New York Times] The Saigon command said that South Vietnamese troops, supported by artillery and aircraft, had beaten back an assault by as many as 800 North Vietnamese soldiers in the area between the Ashau Valley and the ancient imperial capital. The South Vietnamese reported killing 180 enemy soldiers in the battle but said there was no report on government losses. [New York Times]