News stories from Wednesday January 10, 1973
Summaries of the stories the major media outlets considered to be of particular importance on this date:
- Former White House consultant E. Howard Hunt pleaded guilty to planting bugs in the Democratic party headquarters at the Watergate hotel. Prosecutor Earl Silbert agreed to allow Hunt's guilty plea. Hunt recruited men to bug the Watergate building and Senator McGovern's headquarters. Tom Gregory, a student at Brigham Young University, planted a bug in McGovern's offices. Silbert stated that a Republican intelligence operation was ordered by deputy campaign director Jeb Magruder, and run through G. Gordon Liddy. Its aim was to learn about planned demonstrations against Nixon campaigners and the Republican national convention. $235,000 was paid out for plans to infiltrate Senator Muskie's headquarters as well as McGovern headquarters, Democratic national headquarters at the Watergate and the Democratic national convention.
Silbert suggested that the motive of James McCord and the "Miami 4" was financial, but Hunt and Liddy were the top men. Henry Rothblatt, the lawyer for the four Miami-based defendants, denied this and said that his clients were obeying orders from higher-ups. Attorney William Bittman announced that Hunt wants to plead guilty to only three of the six counts against him -- wiretapping conspiracy, illegal entry into a building, and stealing papers. Judge Sirica is not sure about whether to let Hunt off on the other three charges against him.
[CBS] - The atmosphere was less icy at the Paris Peace Talks today.
President Nixon never consulted his top military advisers before ordering the December bombing of Hanoi. Admiral Thomas Moorer, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, told reporters that he wasn't asked about the bombing. White House spokesman Jerry Warren denied Moorer's claim and the Pentagon refuses to answer questions about it.
[CBS] - Defense Secretary-designate Elliot Richardson defended President Nixon's bombing policy at his Senate confirmation hearing. Senator Harold Hughes is threatening to fight Richardson's confirmation as a way of pressuring the President into ending the Vietnam war. [CBS]
- The U.S. lost an A-6 fighter-bomber, a helicopter and eight men in Vietnam today. The United States has acknowledged the loss of 16 B-52's during last December's bombing of North Vietnam.
Some parts of Hanoi no longer exist -- areas of the city that had no civilian targets. But one resident of the area claims that eight members of her family were killed during the bombings and Bach Mai Hospital was destroyed.
[CBS] - Four more U.S. POWs were displayed today in Hanoi. William Conlee reported that he is being treated well; Carl Jeffcoat said he was shocked that American B-52's were targeting areas which had no military installations; John Will asserted that civilians were bombed and a POW camp was almost bombed; Paul Granger said that he feels sorry for the Vietnamese people and he prays for peace. [CBS]
- A B-52 pilot in Vietnam wrote to Senator Charles Mathias that Strategic Air Command is "stupid and lax" in planning air raids. He stated that the same routes are used for repeated raids, even though it is known that the route is defended by SAM's the entire way. Another B-52 pilot, Capt. Michael Heck, is facing a court-martial for refusing to fly missions over North Vietnam. [CBS]
- The Supreme Court overturned a judgment against Howard Hughes' tool company. TWA was originally awarded $145 million in the case. [CBS]
- In congressional testimony last month, Navy cost expert Gordon Rule criticized President Nixon's choice of Roy Ash as budget director; Rule was abruptly transferred to a lesser job. Today Congress called Rule and the man who reassigned him back to testify and confront each other. Rule stated that he was testifying as an individual and not as a representative of the Navy when he voiced his opinion that Ash as OMB director would be a mistake. Admiral Isaac Kidd told Rule to change jobs because Rule testified in an area in which Kidd told him not to. Rule criticized Kidd's treatment of his case; Kidd says he doesn't think Rule is capable of handling his former job. [CBS]
- Funeral services were held today for New Orleans deputy police superintendent Louis Sirgo, who was killed during a two-day shootout with a sniper. The sniper, who was shot to death by police, was identified as Mark Essex. Essex's former landlady said that he was polite and nice. The father of one of Essex's friends said his son told him that Essex was a very nice boy, he never recalled Essex having a gun or knowing how to shoot, and Essex was not in any militant black organizations. While in the Navy, Essex was trained as a dental assistant at a base near San Diego. His colleagues said that Essex was friendly at the office but got into fights at clubs and wouldn't take orders. Essex was eventually discharged from the Navy for general unsuitability.
In Emporia, Kansas, Essex's family spoke with reporters. Essex's mother said that her son changed while he was in the Navy. He said that he wanted to be a free man, and that white America should wake up to the fact that young blacks are not going to take bad treatment.
[CBS] - Teachers are on strike in Philadelphia and Chicago. In Chicago all 650 city schools are closed. [CBS]
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Stock Market Report
Dow Jones Industrial Average: 1046.06 (-1.05, -0.10%)
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 9, 1973 | 1047.11 | 119.73 | 16.83 |
| January 8, 1973 | 1047.86 | 119.85 | 16.84 |
| January 5, 1973 | 1047.49 | 119.87 | 19.33 |
| January 4, 1973 | 1039.81 | 119.40 | 20.23 |
| 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 |