News stories from Sunday October 14, 1973
Summaries of the stories the major media outlets considered to be of particular importance on this date:
- A special Gallup Poll conducted for The New York Times showed that Americans generally approved of President Nixon's choice of Representative Gerald Ford to be Vice President, but it also showed that the events that led to his nomination had caused a further erosion of public confidence in the Nixon administration. [New York Times]
- Mrs. Gerald Ford says she does not want her husband to run for national office in 1976, but added that he was the boss. In an interview, she said she and her family had decided not to move out of their suburban Virginia home if her husband was confirmed as Vice President. As Second Lady, the former Martha Graham dancer said she would "like to do something for the arts, if they need me anywhere." [New York Times]
- A second instance in which a "national security" wiretap authorized by President Nixon on a former National Security Council staff member remained in effect after the man, Anthony Lake, had left the government and joined the presidential campaign of Senator Edmund Muskie. According to sources, the wiretap was not discontinued until two months after Mr. Lake had joined Mr. Muskie's staff. [New York Times]
- Representative Jack Brooks, chairman of the House Government Activities subcommittee, said that an investigation into the use of government funds at President Nixon's Florida and California homes had unearthed evidence that raised "serious questions of propriety." [New York Times]
- Representative Gerald Ford said that he hoped the hearings on his confirmation as Vice President would be "the most open and in-depth" ever held. He said that he stood ready to answer all questions, including the allegations made in a book that he, among others, had taken money from business interests in exchange for favors. [New York Times]
- Egyptian communiques said that Egyptian forces had destroyed 150 Israeli tanks and shot down at least 44 Israeli aircraft in an all-day offensive along the Sinai front. the communiques claimed that large areas of the desert had been occupied. The offensive came after a three-day lull in the fighting during which large amounts of men and equipment were moved across the Suez Canal.
The Israeli command said that its forces in Sinai repulsed an Egyptian offensive along the entire 100-mile front. Spokesmen said that the Egyptians had failed to break through the line at any point and had lost more than 200 tanks. The Israelis also said that their forces on the northern front in Syria were advancing, but only slowly, in rough, rocky terrain.
[New York Times] - Syrian military and diplomatic sources reported than Syrian forces were battling the Israelis to a near standstill in the Golan heights and in the air over Damascus. A Syrian military spokesman described "fierce battles" in the northern sector of the heights. Some long-range Israeli artillery could be heard in Damascus and was answered by Syrian guns. [New York Times]
- American officials have concluded after eight days of efforts that a diplomatic solution to the Middle East conflict will have to wait until the fighting stops. So far, the officials said, none of the combatants have shown any wish for a cease-fire and the Soviet Union has refused to endorse a truce as long as the Egyptians feel they can gain more by fighting. [New York Times]