News stories from Thursday January 4, 1973
Summaries of the stories the major media outlets considered to be of particular importance on this date:
- Senate Democrats oppose President Nixon on the war issue. Although Edward Kennedy told the President last month that he had much good will in Congress, Democrats voted 36-12 today to cut off funds for the Indochina war. Henry Jackson's proposal to invite the President to Congress to explain his Vietnam policy was defeated. Kennedy stated that Congress wants precise information and wants the right to question the President, not just be addressed by him.
Senators Hubert Humphrey and George McGovern got seats on the Foreign Relations Committee.
[CBS] - The U.S. lost a 16th B-52 over North Vietnam today, but the crewmen were rescued. An F-111 lost several days ago was unreported until today. The U.S. has lost 30 aircraft over North Vietnam and over 100 airmen have either been killed, captured or are missing since the stepped-up bombing commenced. [CBS]
- Last week in Vietnam five Americans died, 24 are missing and 13 were wounded. 293 South Vietnamese troops were killed, as were 1,288 enemy. [CBS]
- On Monday Le Duc Tho and Henry Kissinger resumed their secret Vietnam peace talks. The regular weekly Paris talks were held today. U.S. Ambassador William Porter didn't mention the bombing raids. South Vietnamese Ambassador Lam insisted that North Vietnam recognize the existence of two sovereign Vietnams and have North Vietnamese troops withdrawn from the South. North Vietnamese Ambassador Tanh Lai rejected those demands. Lai's son was wounded and his home destroyed by the recent U.S. bombing. A separate meeting was held in a Paris suburb by technical experts.
State Department officials are gloomy about the peace talk prospects. World pressure is strongly against American policy, even Australia has condemned it. The Nixon administration had no comment regarding Canadian and United Nations condemnation of the escalated bombing.
[CBS] - Henry Kissinger and President Nixon were together today at an award ceremony for General Alexander Haig. Haig was made Army vice-chief of staff and given a medal. The President held a conference on Vietnam and the Paris Peace Talks with Kissinger, Secretary of State Rogers, Admiral Thomas Moorer and Defense Secretary Laird. Defense Secretary-designate Elliot Richardson, Kissinger and Nixon met again later. The briefing by Kissinger of Republican congressmen which was scheduled for tomorrow was postponed until January 13. President Nixon has invited congressional leaders of both parties to a breakfast briefing tomorrow regarding wage and price controls. [CBS]
- United Nations Ambassador George Bush told an East German U.N. observer that talks concerning American recognition of East Germany could be arranged. [CBS]
- With help from his friend Barry Goldwater, Richard Kleindienst is still in President Nixon's cabinet as Attorney General. Today Kleindienst held a news conference, at which he stated that the death penalty is useful in cases such as premeditated murder, kidnapping, assassination, bombing, skyjacking and the killing of prison guards. Kleindienst also said that the "Chicago 7" will be tried on contempt charges and the Justice Department would prosecute unlawful demonstrators. [CBS]
- Gerard Smith, the man who negotiated the Strategic Arms Limitation treaty with the Soviets, resigned. [CBS]
- Navy weapons cost expert Gordon Rule decided to fight his reassignment. Rule was recently demoted after giving testimony before Congress in which he was critical of Roy Ash's appointment as budget director. [CBS]
- A TWA 747 jet carrying 218 passengers received a bomb scare during a Madrid-New York flight. A man called TWA and said that a bomb was aboard and set to explode if the plane got below an altitude of 3,200 feet. The caller demanded $237,000 to reveal the location of the bomb. The jet landed at Ellsworth Air Force Base in South Dakota, which is at 3,280 feet. The plane was then searched and no bomb was found.
Author Rod Serling's television movie "Doomsday Flight" which aired in 1966 parallels this extortion attempt. That movie is said to have triggered at least one other similar incident. Serling said that he regrets the fact that his movie may have triggered some incidents, but he doesn't feel responsible.
[CBS] - Three months ago a plane carrying House Democratic leader Hale Boggs and congressman Nick Begich disappeared in Alaska. Today a memorial service for Boggs was held at St. Louis Cathedral in New Orleans. Among those present were Mrs. Pat Nixon, Spiro Agnew, Lyndon Johnson and his family, former House Speaker John McCormack, Hubert Humphrey and Gerald Ford. [CBS]
- The wreckage of the cargo plane in which baseball star Roberto Clemente and four others were killed was found by the Coast Guard. Pittsburgh Pirates teammates, coaches and their families came to Puerto Rico to honor Clemente. Even members of the Pittsburgh Steelers football team came to pay their respects. Pirate outfielder Willie Stargell said that Clemente was a friend and a great person. [CBS]
- Veterans Administration spokesman Donald Johnson announced that veterans will get higher benefits this year. [CBS]
- The Vatican held a dramatic unveiling of Michelangelo's "Pieta" today; it had been severely damaged last May by a religious fanatic. Now it has been restored, as all of the chipped off pieces were put back together and re-attached. Bulletproof glass now shields the statue. [CBS]
|
Stock Market Report
Dow Jones Industrial Average: 1039.81 (-3.99, -0.38%)
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* |
| January 3, 1973 | 1043.80 | 119.57 | 20.62 |
| January 2, 1973 | 1031.68 | 119.10 | 17.09 |
| December 29, 1972 | 1020.02 | 118.05 | 27.55 |
| December 27, 1972 | 1007.68 | 116.93 | 19.10 |
| December 26, 1972 | 1006.70 | 116.30 | 11.12 |
| December 22, 1972 | 1004.21 | 115.83 | 12.54 |
| December 21, 1972 | 1000.00 | 115.11 | 18.29 |
| December 20, 1972 | 1004.82 | 115.95 | 18.49 |
| December 19, 1972 | 1009.18 | 116.34 | 17.00 |
| December 18, 1972 | 1013.25 | 116.90 | 17.54 |