News stories from Thursday June 22, 1972
Summaries of the stories the major media outlets considered to be of particular importance on this date:
- Hurricane Agnes is battering the eastern seaboard with fierce winds and torrential rains, causing death and destruction from South Carolina to New York. In Baltimore, 8 ½ inches of rain caused flooding. Residents evacuated their homes; volunteers rescued stranded victims with boats. The major highways are also flooded and dams are being closely watched.
The heaviest rain in 40 years fell in the Washington, DC area, raising the Potomac River six feet over flood stage. The flood prevented firemen from reaching a shopping center blaze in Alexandria, Virginia. Highways and bridges are washed away, and the race track has been swamped in Laurel, Maryland. In Montgomery County, Maryland, federal employees were told to stay home unless their work is vital. Traffic is still snarled in the nation's capital, as Rock Creek has turned into a wide river. Thousands have left their homes for shelter in schools and churches.
In Harrisburg, Pa., most of the roads are wet but passable. On the banks of the Susquehanna River, however, nine days of rain have taken their toll; some streets are submerged under 10 feet of water. Alleghany and Steuben counties in New York, 85 miles south of Buffalo, have been the hardest hit; the Allegheny River has risen 16 feet. Farm land has washed away, and thousands of homes are under water.
[CBS] - Flood waters from broken a levy in California's San Joaquin delta forced the evacuation of 1,300 residents of Isleton. In Arizona, which was the site of a lengthy drought earlier this year, heavy rains caused flooding in Phoenix; Air Force troops evacuated stranded residents. Tornadoes also occurred and destroyed 200 homes there. [CBS]
- President Nixon held his first news conference in three months, limiting questions to domestic affairs; cameras were barred. The President may lift import quotas on foreign meat to ease rising food prices, and direct controls on food prices are being considered. He criticized a court decision to integrate the Detroit schools as being a threat to the neighborhood school concept. Nixon may veto the new education bill because its anti-busing provisions are not strong enough; he may endorse an anti-busing amendment to the constitution. The President says that his administration was not involved in recent attempts to bug the Democratic national headquarters, and he refused to reveal financial contributors to his re-election campaign.
The President warned that without new weapons systems as demanded by Defense Secretary Laird, national security would become jeopardized by the late 1970's and the Russians would gain strategic superiority as a result, encouraging Soviet aggression in the Mideast. Nixon also called for Congress' approval of the U.S.-Soviet nuclear arms agreements, and said that he doesn't want Air Force General Lavelle to be court-martialed for ordering unauthorized air strikes in North Vietnam.
[CBS] - The revenue sharing bill passed the House and goes now to the Senate. The bill would return $30 billion in federal revenue to states and local governments. [CBS]
- The Democratic national convention opens, in effect, today in Washington, DC as committees convene. Rules committee hearings began today; platform and credentials committees begin hearings soon. Rules committee chairman Rep. James O'Hara stated that the proportion of men to women on the committees has been questioned. Illinois delegate Thomas Lyons said that delegates to the rules committee from Illinois were elected by other delegates, and the rules concerning quotas suggest methods of choice other than election. A Florida delegate for Wallace, Alex Preece, said that he won't leave the committee unless he is thrown out, but he feels discriminated against. By unanimous consent, the committee hearing was postponed. Disputed delegates are trying to work out a unified strategy. Chairman O'Hara sees no room for compromise and promised a showdown vote.
Democratic platform committee members are travelling across the nation, listening to the views of various party elements on the issues. The platform committee debated the Vietnam war issue in New York City. Muskie adviser Clark Clifford and McGovern adviser Abraham Chavez both urged a plank calling for immediate withdrawal. Chavez announced McGovern's Vietnam pullout plan and said that it should be made part of the Democratic party platform. Ex-Senator William Benton questioned challenging President Nixon's war plan after the mayors conference backed it. Clifford replied that the President's policy sounds good until it's analyzed.
[CBS] - Four losing candidates have filed a federal lawsuit in California to take away 151 of the 271 delegates George McGovern won there in the winner-take-all primary. The action by Senators Humphrey and Jackson, Governor Wallace and Rep. Chisholm contends that delegates should be awarded proportionally. [CBS]
- The Supreme Court ruled that it is illegal to break down school districts into smaller units to perpetuate racial segregation. Four Nixon appointees dissented -- Justices Burger, Blackmun, Powell and Rehnquist. [CBS]
- Supreme Court Justice Byron White joined the four Nixon appointees in upholding the murder conviction of Florida man who confessed while in jail to a policeman who was posing as a prisoner. [CBS]
- The Supreme Court ruled in favor of a white burglar in Georgia who complained that blacks were systematically excluded from the jury which found him guilty. [CBS]
- The Supreme Court opened the door to direct contributions by unions to political campaigns, provided that the funds are contributed voluntarily by union members for that purpose. [CBS]
- Robert Miles, chaplain of the Ku Klux Klan in Michigan, has been charged with conspiracy in Detroit along with four other men. They are accused of tarring and feathering a high school principal because he tried to promote better race relations. [CBS]
- The militant provisional wing of the Irish Republican Army offered a cease-fire to begin on Monday; Britain agreed to put down arms also.
In secluded houses in Dublin, secret bomb training classes are held for IRA recruits. Bomb experts instruct trainees on the use of explosives. The results of those classes are often seen in Northern Ireland. Today's offer of a cease-fire by the IRA, and the quick acceptance of that offer by the British administration, could mean an end to such destructive incidents.
[CBS] - A North Vietnamese infantry regiment backed by tanks crossed the My Chanh River above Hue, South Vietnam's northern line of defense. The South Vietnamese front lines, however, were not even breached. [CBS]
- Eight Americans were killed in Vietnam combat last week; 27 were wounded and 11 are missing, 18 died of non-hostile causes. 724 South Vietnamese dead were reported and 3,133 of the enemy. [CBS]
- Draftees who have been ordered to report for duty between July 1 and 15 were offered alternatives. Selective Service will permit them to join the reserves or National Guard. [CBS]
- Soviet nuclear scientist Andrei Sakharov suggested sweeping changes in the Russian way of life. He proposes open elections, an emphasis on internal problems (such as welfare, the economy, alcoholism), de-emphasis of the military and a new law providing for freedom of the press. [CBS]
- The five men arrested in the Democratic national headquarters break-in asked for a reduction in bail; four were granted their request. U.S. marshals escorted the defendants to their bail reduction hearing. $30,000 bail was set for James McCord, who had been security chief for the Republican national committee, $50,000 was asked for the other four, all of whom are residents of Miami: Eugenio Martinez, Virgilio Gonzalez, Frank Sturgis and Bernard Barker. The latter four have also been involved with Cuba in some way. [CBS]
- A judge in Miami struck down laws against female impersonation. The suit was brought by the American Civil Liberties Union on behalf of gay activists who plan to demonstrate at the Democratic national convention. [CBS]
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Stock Market Report
Dow Jones Industrial Average: 950.71 (-0.90, -0.09%)
Arms Index is the ratio of volume per declining issue to volume per advancing issue; a figure below 1.0 is bullish. | |||||||||||||||
| Market Index Trends | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Date | DJIA | S&P | Volume* |
| June 21, 1972 | 951.61 | 108.79 | 15.51 |
| June 20, 1972 | 948.22 | 108.56 | 14.97 |
| June 19, 1972 | 941.83 | 108.11 | 11.66 |
| June 16, 1972 | 945.06 | 108.36 | 13.01 |
| June 15, 1972 | 945.97 | 108.44 | 16.94 |
| June 14, 1972 | 946.79 | 108.39 | 12.32 |
| June 13, 1972 | 938.29 | 107.55 | 15.71 |
| June 12, 1972 | 936.71 | 107.01 | 13.39 |
| June 9, 1972 | 934.45 | 106.86 | 12.79 |
| June 8, 1972 | 941.30 | 107.28 | 13.82 |