News stories from Saturday April 1, 1972

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

Soviet space officials indicated that agreement on technical plans for a joint Soviet-American manned earth-orbiting mission could come in the next week and could be announced on President Nixon's visit to Moscow next month. Such a mission could take place as early as 1975. [New York Times] With Wisconsin's Democratic presidential primary on Tuesday near, the active candidates stepped up the pace of their efforts. The race seemed to be shaping up as a close battle for first place in the 12-candidate field between Senator George McGovern and Senator Hubert Humphrey, with Senator McGovern predicting that he will win. [New York Times] A study of the states where Governor George Wallace expects that he will do well indicated that Mr. Wallace would go to the Democratic National Convention with about 250 delegate votes, a tiny fraction of the total of 3,016. Most of his backing is likely to come from the South, making him a regional presidential candidate. [New York Times] An official of the Boeing Company, actively campaigning in Wisconsin for Senator Henry Jackson, was found to be drawing his full corporate salary and to be using travelers checks issued by Boeing to buy pro-Jackson newspaper advertisements in Wisconsin newspapers. It is illegal for corporations and their officials to make corporate campaign contributions. Boeing, a major aerospace and defense contractor in Mr. Jackson's home state, said the official's use of company expense funds had been a "matter of convenience." [New York Times] In what the South Vietnamese commander called an "invasion", thousands of enemy troops were said to have broken through South Vietnam's northern line of defenses below the demilitarized zone and to be pushing the government forces in disarray toward their rear bases. Cloudy skies were said to have made bombing of the enemy troops impossible. [New York Times] The second quarter of 1972 began with what most economists discern as an upturn in the economy. Business forecasters seemed to agree that more economic growth is likely this year and that a value-added tax is likely next year but that the administration might well fail to get inflation below 3% by the end of this year. Yet some -- especially Democrats -- were more pessimistic about the economy. [New York Times]