News stories from Sunday July 2, 1972
Summaries of the stories the major media outlets considered to be of particular importance on this date:
- There was an attempted hijacking of a Pan Am 747 jet en route from Manila to Saigon. The hijacker wanted to go to Hanoi and blow up the jet there as retaliation for U.S. bombing of North Vietnam. The hijacker was shot and killed by a passenger.
Fighting occurred near Quang Tri city in South Vietnam, as the government continues to attempt to recapture it from North Vietnam. North Vietnam fired rockets and artillery shells into Hue.
[NBC] - Three people are dead following a gun battle with British soldiers in Northern Ireland. The IRA says that their men were not involved.
In Belfast, preparations are being made for the annual July 12th parade. Protestant barricades from the paramilitary Ulster Defense Association were erected in response to the IRA's barricades in Londonderry. The UDA wants to force the British government to remove the IRA barricades, but the government prefers slower action.
[NBC] - Indian Prime Minister Indira Gandhi and Pakistani President Bhutto have agreed to renounce the use of force in the settlement of their disputes and to pull back military forces from their border. Progress of the negotiations has been slow and tenuous. Both sides emphasize the need for a durable peace, including resolving the issue of Kashmir. [NBC]
- George McGovern appeared on national television today to try to explain some of his controversial statements, including his claim that he would not support the Democratic presidential nominee if he was denied the nomination by unfair means. McGovern appeared on ABC's "Issues and Answers" program and said he is fully confident that the Democratic national convention will be a good, fair one. If the process is fair, he'll back the party nominee.
Whether the convention is to be deemed "fair" may depend on whether McGovern gets back his California delegates. California Democratic national committeemen announced a new legal effort to regain the lost McGovern delegates; McGovern approved the legal action.
[NBC] - Former President Harry Truman, 88, entered a hospital in Kansas City, Missouri, for treatment of an intestinal problem. His condition is reported as satisfactory. [NBC]
- One of the main sources of heroin is Turkish opium poppies. The Turkish government is trying to curtail opium distribution, and as of next year all Turks are forbidden to grow opium poppies. Government officials are measuring fields to estimate production to stop black-market sales of opium gum. Using part of a $35 million grant from the U.S., some farmers are presently paid about $17 per pound of opium gum produced in the last year. The subsidy will last for only three years, and some farmers feel that the subsidy is too small; they also worry about replacement crops. Turkish farmers feel that they are being made to suffer for an American problem. [NBC]
- Yemen has re-established its diplomatic relationship with the U.S. which was broken during the 1967 Middle East war. Yemen is the first Arab nation to re-establish ties with Washington. [NBC]
- American chess player Bobby Fischer is missing from Reykjavik, Iceland, where he is scheduled for a match with Russian champion Boris Spassky. Fischer is holding out for more money. The World Chess Federation has postponed the start of the match for 48 hours, but said that Fischer will be disqualified if he is not in Iceland by noon on Tuesday. [NBC]