News stories from Tuesday December 19, 1972
Summaries of the stories the major media outlets considered to be of particular importance on this date:
- The U.S. carried out the heaviest air raids of the war against North Vietnam, bombing the Hanoi and Haiphong areas. Many civilians were reportedly killed. The U.S. admits to losing three planes; Hanoi claims to have downed six and captured many pilots and crews.
Bombers which are based outside of South Vietnam (at Thailand's Khorat Air Force Base for example) carried out today's raids against North Vietnam. General Alexander Haig had just arrived in Saigon to brief President Thieu at the time the bombing began. Haig was greeted by U.S. Ambassador Ellsworth Bunker and General Frederick Weyand. Haig talked with Thieu and then flew to Cambodia to talk with Premier Lon Nol.
The six-man crew of a U.S. B-52 that was shot down near Hanoi was captured; they were displayed at a news conference in Hanoi.
[CBS] - The Soviet Union called the U.S. attacks on North Vietnam "brutal" and warned that they could damage U.S.-Soviet and U.S.-Chinese relations. Xuan Thuy, the North Vietnamese negotiator at the Paris Peace Talks, held a news conference and said that every Christmas President Nixon expresses concern for American POW's but then bombs North Vietnam.
Yesterday Xuan Thuy and U.S. Ambassador William Porter held a technical experts meeting near Paris. Today Thuy said that North Vietnam may suspend the technical talks as well as the regular Thursday peace talks. Thuy claims that Henry Kissinger is blocking peace by demanding 126 changes in the October accord. One issue concerns the reunification of North Vietnam and South Vietnam. Thuy says that the U.S. is trying to "freeze" Vietnam into two countries. There is also a disagreement over the size of the four-nation International Control Commission. Thuy stated that the 5,000 soldiers demanded by the U.S. constitutes an "army of occupation". The White House denied Thuy's claim that Kissinger demanded 126 changes in the October agreement. Another area of disagreement concerns the DMZ (demilitarized zone). Kissinger wants the DMZ as the demarcation line between North and South Vietnam. On November 20 Le Duc Tho supposedly accepted this, but changed his mind last Wednesday.
American military sources in Washington and Saigon say that President Nixon is clamping the lid on information. On Capitol Hill, opposition to Nixon's policy change on Vietnam is mounting. Senator Hubert Humphrey urged more negotiations and called the bombing senseless. Senator Jacob Javits stated that North Vietnam has never been bombed into a settlement before and won't be now. But Senator William Brock believes that the Communist build-up in South Vietnam is jeopardizing U.S. troops, and he feels that the mining of Haiphong harbor brought North Vietnam to the peace table and renewed bombing will have a similar effect. House Armed Services Committee chairman Edward Hebert stated that the bombing will be effective.
[CBS] - Apollo 17 splashed down this afternoon three miles from the recovery ship. Astronauts Schmitt, Evans and Cernan were lifted by helicopter to the Navy ship. [CBS]
- Former President Harry Truman was reported as slightly improved but still in serious condition. [CBS]
- Across the nation 13 newsmen are currently involved in contempt of court actions for refusing to disclose confidential information. A 14th newsman, John Lawrence, bureau chief of the Los Angeles Times, was briefly jailed for refusing to supply tapes of an unpublished interview with a government witness in the Watergate bugging case. Judge John Sirica ordered the L.A. Times to produce the tapes of its interview with Alfred Baldwin. Times' lawyers argued that this would have a chilling effect on news coverage in the future. William Bittman, the lawyer for defendant E. Howard Hunt, says that he needs the tapes to evaluate Baldwin's credibility. Lawrence refused to produce the tapes, so Sirica found him in contempt and jailed him. Lawrence's appeal will be heard tomorrow morning. [CBS]
- Roy Ash, who was named by President Nixon as director of the Office Management and Budget, came under fire. Naval procurement chief Gordon Rule stated that Litton Industries should have its shipbuilding contracts canceled for default. Rule also charged that Litton's president -- Roy Ash -- would be a bad choice for budget manager. [CBS]
- Legal scholars proposed that the workload of the Supreme Court could be eased by creating a smaller version of the Supreme Court, a "National Court of Appeals", which would screen cases. The idea is opposed by former Chief Justice Warren, Justices Douglas and Goldberg, and others. [CBS]
- A Harvard University health expert says that cigarette smokers who are 65 or older might just as well keep on smoking; there is no evidence that smoking at this stage shortens life expectancy. [CBS]
- Around Christmas time, people decorate their houses with lights. In Bath, Ohio, people come from all around to see the Christmas light display at the home of dentist Dean Jones. 250,000 came last year to see the fabulous arrangement of lit trees, stars, reindeer, and more. Tourists give contributions which Jones uses to buy candy for children and gifts for orphanages and old people's homes. Neighbors complain of the huge traffic jams that are created, however, and Jones says that he might be able to move his display to city property in the future. [CBS]
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Stock Market Report
Dow Jones Industrial Average: 1009.18 (-4.07, -0.40%)
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* |
| December 18, 1972 | 1013.25 | 116.90 | 17.54 |
| December 15, 1972 | 1027.24 | 118.26 | 18.30 |
| December 14, 1972 | 1025.06 | 118.24 | 17.93 |
| December 13, 1972 | 1030.48 | 118.56 | 16.54 |
| December 12, 1972 | 1033.19 | 118.66 | 17.04 |
| December 11, 1972 | 1036.27 | 119.12 | 17.23 |
| December 8, 1972 | 1033.19 | 118.86 | 18.03 |
| December 7, 1972 | 1033.26 | 118.60 | 19.32 |
| December 6, 1972 | 1027.54 | 118.01 | 18.61 |
| December 5, 1972 | 1022.95 | 117.58 | 17.80 |