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News stories from Sunday July 16, 1972
Summaries of the stories the major media outlets considered to be of particular importance on this date:
- Inmates rioted at the Maryland House of Corrections in Jessup. Prisoners stormed a fence surrounding a recreational yard in a mass escape attempt. Two guards and four inmates were wounded. Maryland Governor Marvin Mandel and black Rep. Parren Mitchell spoke with the inmates. The escape attempt failed when guards fired on the prisoners, however inmates were able to take over the prison temporarily. Troopers massed and waited in pre-dawn darkness as Governor Mandel negotiated with the rebels; state troopers and police dogs then regained control inside without serious resistance. The damage done by the prisoners might cost $1 million to repair; Mandel said that the warden has a tremendous job ahead of him in trying to get the institution back on an operating basis.
Warden Ralph Williams asked the press to cooperate by staying away until things are fully back to normal. Prison guards began a shakedown of inmates and cells, looking for hidden weapons. [NBC]
- In Northern Ireland, two British soldiers were killed by a land mine and a policeman was shot dead in Belfast, An 18-year-old was killed by troops during a riot in Strabane, and another civilian was found dead with a bullet in his head. British soldiers sealed off downtown Belfast in order to stop terrorist bombings.
In Londonderry, bombs have nearly wiped out the downtown area. Businessmen called for the resignation of security chiefs and asked for an inquiry into why security measures failed so completely. British soldiers erected barriers on the side of the business district bordering the Catholic area. The Irish Republican Army shot at the soldiers, wounding one. [NBC]
- American B-52 bombers hit southern North Vietnam. Their targets were North Vietnamese reinforcements bound for Quang Tri city. The bombing of the city was halted when it was learned that large numbers of civilians are still inside. ARVN troops are said to be just several hundred yards from North Vietnam's fortress inside the city. [NBC]
- The Vietnamese are a powerful force throughout Indochina. In Nakhon Phanom, Thailand, the town clock was donated by Ho Chi Minh in 1960 to thank the Thais for taking care of the few Vietnamese who fled here during the French-Indochina war. Now there are 40,000 Vietnamese in this part of Thailand -- most of them from North Vietnam -- and they are still loyal to Ho Chi Minh's ideology. The Thais say that North Vietnamese residents send money home to support the war and they provide Hanoi with intelligence on U.S. bases here. The Thais try to control the North Vietnamese through schools where Thai and English languages are taught. At night, however, the children learn North Vietnam's language and history. Parents tell them that some day they'll return and help rebuild their homeland. [NBC]
- Lt. William Calley's lawyer will ask for a new trial; a new witness to the My Lai massacre has been found. [NBC]
- Bobby Fischer and Boris Spassky continued their world championship chess tourney in Iceland. Fischer showed up for the third game eight minutes late. Icelandic Airlines reports that Fischer booked a seat on a plane back to New York City, but decided instead to stay on for the match. [NBC]
- The east coast was ravaged last month by Hurricane Agnes. Flood-damaged cars are now being sold to unsuspecting customers. In Harrisburg, Pa., thousands of cars were covered with water, oil, tar and mud during the flood. Insurance companies declared them irreparable, settled claims on them, and took possession. Now the insurance companies are selling the cars to dealers.
The Pennsylvania Attorney General ruled that customers must be told that a car has been in a flood, but that ruling will be hard to enforce because many cars are being taken out of state. A flood-damaged car can be reconditioned to make it look like new with very little actual repair work. [NBC]
- Labor Secretary Hodgson announced that an additional $28 million will be made available to provide 40,000 temporary jobs for workers left jobless by the east coast floods. Workers will help in the rehabilitation effort. Swift action on the emergency relief measures is expected in the Senate. [NBC]
- Democratic vice-presidential nominee Thomas Eagleton hopes to meet this week with AFL-CIO president George Meany to make peace between labor and the party, and to try to win support for Democrats in November. Eagleton also expects Chicago Mayor Richard Daley to work for the McGovern ticket.
Senator Eagleton grew up in South St. Louis. His father was a prominent Catholic attorney, active in local politics. The future senator attended St. Louis County Day School and was editor of the yearbook and played baseball. Assistant headmaster Hugh Johnson said that Eagleton was politically-oriented even in the fifth grade. Dr. Mark Eagleton says that it's tough to have a younger brother who's so famous; he's been in politics for 16 years even though he's a young man, and is almost considered one of the old pros, so he can help bridge the gap between the old and new Democrats. [NBC]
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