News stories from Sunday September 17, 1972

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

Senator George McGovern, campaigning in Huntington, W. Va., sharply reversed the underdog tone he had given his presidential campaign. In an attack on the administration, he called for the suspension of Earl Butz, the Secretary of Agriculture, charging that Mr. Butz and others had been engaged in improprieties in the sale of wheat to the Soviet Union. He also said that the administration's war on drugs had failed. [New York Times] United States jets set fire to fuel, ammunition and storage facilities in raids near Hanoi but stayed away from the capital, the United States command announced in Saigon. The closest the American planes were to Hanoi in the attack Saturday was 16 miles, according to the command, which also reported that eight targets were hit, at points 16 miles southeast of Hanoi to 60 miles northwest. [New York Times] The federal government's $1.3 billion a year guaranteed student loan program, the largest single source of financial aid for the nation's college students, is in a state described as "uncertain," "confused" and sometimes "chaotic." Many of the 1.2 million students who normally would get guaranteed loans are temporarily without sufficient funds as they return to their campuses this month as a result of misunderstandings of how the newly revised program is supposed to work. [New York Times] Israeli Army units completed their withdrawal from southern Lebanon today after encountering strong resistance from the Lebanese Army and Arab guerrillas that delayed the return home of some Israeli units at least 12 hours. Although Israeli military authorities were unwilling to admit it, it was evident that unexpectedly heavy resistance from the Lebanese had slowed the Israelis and forced a change in their plans. An Israeli Army spokesman said that at least 60 Arab guerrillas had been killed. Israeli casualties were reported as three killed and six wounded. [New York Times] The Soviet Union has recently begun to supply weapons directly to the Arab guerrilla movement Al Fatah, according to sources close to the Fatah leadership. Arab and Israeli informants say that Fatah provides arms as well as money and manpower to the Black September terrorist groups. It was after learning that Arab terrorists had been gathering in southern Lebanon that the Israeli Army made forays into Lebanon this weekend. [New York Times] Uganda radio reported that a force of 1,000 Tanzaian troops had invaded Uganda at dawn today, crossing at the border village of Mutukala and striking for the administrative center of Masaka, about 80 miles northeast of Kampala, the capital. Tanzanian officials denied that any of their forces were involved but Tanzania's Ministry of Information said "people's army forces" in Uganda had captured an army barracks. The "people's army" was reported on its way to overthrow Uganda's President, Maj. Gen. Idi Amin. [New York Times]