News stories from Sunday May 21, 1972
Summaries of the stories the major media outlets considered to be of particular importance on this date:
- President Nixon is relaxing in Salzburg, Austria, en route to Russia. He chose Austria as a rest stop because it is a neutral country; he chose Salzburg in order to avoid the ceremonial trappings that come with a visit to Vienna. The President conferred with Chancellor Bruno Kreisky, after which President and Mrs. Nixon attended a luncheon at a mountain-top hotel. At the same time, Peter Kreisky, the son of the Chancellor, attended an anti-Nixon demonstration that was protesting U.S. policy in Vietnam.
Foreign affairs adviser Henry Kissinger hopes the U.S. and Russia can reach agreement on defensive nuclear arms limitations, and perhaps offensive weapons. Trade agreements and Soviet restraint in Vietnam will also be discussed. President Nixon will arrive in Moscow at 9:00 a.m. EST tomorrow. The Soviet government will greet the President with the highest degree of protocol. Articles in Pravda and Isvestia are preparing the Russians for the impending summit.
[NBC] - Fighting at An Loc continues. The government relief force on Highway 13 has been stalled again by North Vietnamese artillery and mortar fire. North of Hue at the Mekong River, North Vietnamese tanks routed a government militia unit and now they almost surround an outpost of South Vietnamese marines. The attack was beaten off by heavy air strikes and naval gunfire.
Hue has regained its dignity since the panic after the fall of Quang Tri. Farmers are hurrying to harvest the record rice crop before battle begins. Banners tell of victories; security and law & order have returned. Government troops are gradually mounting offensives pushing north and west of Hue. American planes hit enemy positions that were located by South Vietnamese troops.
[NBC] - The demonstrations against the mining of North Vietnamese harbors don't match the intensity of the protests of a few years ago. In Washington, DC, 2,000-3,000 marchers walked toward the Capitol today. Rep. Bella Abzug and black comedian Dick Gregory spoke against the Vietnam war. The march was peaceful until several hundred started throwing rocks, some of which hit policemen, who then used tear gas to disperse the crowd. [NBC]
- Eugene McCarthy endorsed George McGovern for the Democratic presidential nomination, saying that the Vietnam issue is of overriding importance. Speaking in Phoenix, Arizona, McGovern said that he is grateful for the endorsement of United Farm Workers union president Cesar Chavez. Chavez is fasting for nine days to effect a boycott against non-union lettuce growers in Arizona. McGovern endorsed the boycott, and said that he will give up eating lettuce. The incident is similar to 1968, when Robert Kennedy visited a fasting Chavez.
In San Diego, Hubert Humphrey criticized McGovern's welfare program and cited his own record against U.S. involvement in Vietnam; Humphrey also stated that he backs the aerospace industry.
[NBC] - Alabama Governor George Wallace had an uneventful day. His temperature is near normal and he shows no sign of infection from his wounds. Wallace's legs are still paralyzed, however. [NBC]
- Michelangelo's priceless "Pieta" statue of Mary holding Christ was attacked by a visitor to the Vatican. Laslo Toth, a Hungarian who emigrated to Australia, is being held by Rome police for attacking the statue with a sledge hammer. Mary's left arm was knocked off, her hand broken, and her nose and one eye smashed. Pope Paul inspected the damage. The arm and hand may be repaired, but the face might not be successfully restored. [NBC]
- Four civilians were wounded in Belfast, Northern Ireland, when British paratroopers fought Protestant militants who were attempting to knock down barricades. In Londonderry, the body of a British soldier was found near the Bogside area, which is controlled by the IRA. [NBC]
- Thousands of youths fought Russian soldiers and police in Kaunas, Lithuania, on Thursday. [NBC]
- The bomb threat against the Queen Elizabeth II has been revealed as a hoax. Three British anti-sabotage experts parachuted to the vessel to search in vain for bombs. The extortion plan was made against the Cunard Line without bombs actually being aboard. [NBC]