News stories from Sunday August 20, 1972

Summaries of the stories the major media outlets considered to be of particular importance on this date:

Vice President Spiro Agnew arrived in Miami for the Republican national convention; many conservative Republican delegates want Agnew for president in 1976. When Agnew arrived for the national convention in 1968 he was virtually unknown. He had been the governor of Maryland for just two years and had been in politics for eight years. This time he arrived in a White House plane with a large staff, Secret Service guards and an army of newsmen; Republicans welcomed him enthusiastically. Agnew said that if he had decided definitely not to seek the presidency in '76, he wouldn't be running for vice president this year; he has not yet decided about 1976. [NBC] President Nixon spent the day at the Camp David, Maryland, retreat conferring with foreign affairs adviser Henry Kissinger (who is just back from South Vietnam) and preparing his acceptance speech for Wednesday night. First Lady Pat Nixon and daughters Julie Eisenhower and Tricia Cox arrived in Miami in a White House plane. Mrs. Nixon thanked the crowd for welcoming her and praised the 3,000 young people who paid their own expenses to be volunteers at the Republican national convention. [NBC] George McGovern rested today with his family in Washington, DC. Tomorrow he begins a campaign trip that will include meetings with Lyndon Johnson and Chicago Mayor Richard Daley. McGovern stated that if he wins in November, he expects President Thieu of South Vietnam to leave his country; a coalition government would take Thieu's place. [NBC] Organizers of the Republican national convention are going to great lengths to see that nothing interferes with their orchestrated testimonial to President Nixon and party unity. But a floor fight over the apportionment of delegates to the 1976 convention may present a hitch. The rules committee is working on a compromise to give big states and liberals a better deal, thus sidestepping a floor fight. Republican party chairman Senator Robert Dole encouraged the compromise. [NBC] Protest leaders insist that demonstrations at the Republican national convention will be non-violent. Wednesday night they plan to block entrances to the convention hall so that President Nixon will have to make his acceptance speech to a half-empty floor. Not many demonstrators have arrived yet, but leaders insist that many more are on the way. "Yippie" member Jeff Nightbyrd says that the day of large-scale demonstrations is gone. [NBC] Time magazine reports that the five men who were arrested trying to break into Democrat party headquarters in Washington, DC were actually trying to remove bugs that were already in place there. The story claims that members of the Committee to Re-Elect the President were on the listening end of the bugs. [NBC] The Philadelphia Inquirer reports Secretary of State William Rogers as saying that the U.S. will reach a negotiated settlement of the Vietnam war by election day in November or soon thereafter. Rogers' prediction coincides with the return of Henry Kissinger from secret talks with North Vietnamese peace negotiators and separate talks with President Thieu. [NBC] Three highways near Saigon which had been cut by North Vietnam and the Viet Cong have been reopened by South Vietnam. North Vietnam is increasing pressure against Danang and has seized the Que Son Valley. 300,000 refugees have fled Quang Tri and many are in Danang. A former U.S. Army installation has become a relief center for refugees. Widespread official theft of relief supplies has been reported, and low-grade rice meant for animal feed is being given to refugees. [NBC] 300 people are reported dead as a result of floods and mudslides in South Korea; 18 inches of rain fell on Seoul in a 24-hour period. 100,000 people are homeless. Militiamen and police have launched rescue efforts using boats. [NBC] In Reykjavik, Iceland, the 16th game of the world chess championship ended in a draw. Bobby Fischer now has 9½ points; Boris Spassky has 6½. [NBC] Wage and price controls have now been in effect for one year. In the year since President Nixon began his program of economic regulation, the nation's economy has improved substantially. Economist Solomon Fabricant says that the dollar on the international market is in better condition, production and employment are higher, unemployment is down and inflation is lower. But the degree to which Nixon policy has contributed to economic gains is unclear. The stock market is up, but food prices have risen as well. [NBC]