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News stories from Sunday April 9, 1972
Summaries of the stories the major media outlets considered to be of particular importance on this date:
- Three major battles were reported around Quang Tri city. South of Danang, North Vietnam captured two South Vietnamese Fire Bases. Ground attacks against American installations and the downing of two U.S. helicopters resulted in the deaths of six Americans; 25 were wounded. An Loc, the capital of Binh Long province, is surrounded by three North Vietnamese divisions. South Vietnamese relief forces moving up Highway 13 toward An Loc were attacked by North Vietnamese forces.
South Vietnamese troops are defending Highway 13 leading into Saigon. Most key towns in the district such as An Loc are now controlled by the Communists. Local militiamen have fled with their families, and some South Vietnamese army regulars retreated to the provincial capital after losing a nearby town. U.S. air strikes are keeping the North Vietnamese pinned down and reinforcements are on the way, but commanders are worried. The current offensive is North Vietnam's final move to win the war on its own terms. If North Vietnam scores significant military victories and proves that "Vietnamization" does not work, it can resume peace negotiations during an American presidential election year knowing that the United States may give in to its demands. [NBC]
- The FBI arrested Richard Floyd McCoy, a 29-year-old Brigham Young University student of law enforcement, for the attempted hijacking and extortion of a United Airlines jet. McCoy parachuted from the plane with the ransom money near his home in Provo, Utah. McCoy was arrested at his home, dressed for a National Guard drill. He was arraigned in federal court on a charge of air piracy. A neighbor said that McCoy's wife has a rare bone disease and his father is ill. Financial necessity may have prompted the hijack attempt. [NBC]
- Former President Lyndon Johnson, recovering from his latest heart attack in Charlottesville, Virginia, is in satisfactory condition and improving. Heart specialist Dr. John Hurst says that some permanent damage occurred with this attack, but congestion has eased and Johnson is in a very good mood. [NBC]
- James Byrnes, Secretary of State under former President Harry S. Truman, died today in Columbia, S.C., at 89 years of age. [NBC]
- Hubert Humphrey says that the Democrat presidential nomination is wide open now, but he predicts a trend toward one candidate in May, after the Pennsylvania and Michigan primaries. George McGovern predicted that he will lead all other Democrats in delegate strength after the next two primaries. [NBC]
- In Belfast, Northern Ireland, 30 Catholic priests called for an end to terrorism. Six men assaulted a young pregnant mother and tarred and feathered her as punishment for fraternizing with a British soldier. Bombings yesterday at a soccer stadium and a hotel in Belfast caused damage. [NBC]
- Tasadays are a tribe of Stone Age cave-dwellers who have been discovered in a dense jungle on the Philippine island of Mindanao. Tasadays venture into the forest for food, but return to their caves at night. They are not hunters or farmers, but gatherers of food in streams. A hunter from a nearby tribe discovered the Tasadays and has influenced them, giving them knives and cloth; stone axes are still used. Anthropologist Carlos Fernandez has won the confidence of the tribe, a happy people who only wish to remain undisturbed. [NBC]
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