News stories from Wednesday February 14, 1973

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

The first group of American POWs arrived on U.S. soil. At Honolulu, Navy Capt. Jeremiah Denton thanked the American people for a great Valentine's Day. The 20 POWs on the flight were greeted by Admiral Bernard Clary, General Lucius Clay and Sgt. Billy Wright. Travis Air Force Base in California is the next stop for the POWs. Earlier, Maj. Glen Perkins and Commander Brian Woods arrived in San Diego. Both have mothers who are critically ill. [CBS] The former POWs at Clark Air Force Base in the Philippines are happy. Before his departure, Capt. Jeremiah Denton and two other POWs visited schoolchildren who had sent them cards and valentines. Denton thanked the children for their cards and prisoners-of-war bracelets. The POWs also went on a shopping spree at the base exchange.One International Control Commission member described the camp in Hanoi where American POWs were held as "grim", but except for the confinement it was about the same as the conditions under which most Vietnamese live. [CBS] South Vietnam's POWs are getting little welcome home. Most of them are sick or injured. About half the soldiers who were captured died. The POWs have been taken to a re-indoctrination center, and after a month's stay there they must go back into the army. Former prisoner Nguyen Van Tung said that being a prisoner was like living in hell. Freed North Vietnamese POWs wrote signs in their own blood saying "freedom" and "independence" as they crossed the river to freedom. [CBS] A tear gas grenade was thrown at the living quarters of the Communist members of the Joint Military Commission at Tan Son Nhut AFB. [CBS] A communique issued by the U.S. and North Vietnam stated that a joint commission is being set up to rebuild North Vietnam. The plan will be completed by Henry Kissinger and North Vietnamese officials in talks in Hanoi this week. Aid will be given to all of Indochina by several countries including Russia, China, Japan and Western Europe. Hanoi in turn agreed to try to trace the 1,300 Americans who are still listed as missing in action. [CBS] Henry Kissinger is leaving Hong Kong for Peking. U.S.-Chinese relations are improving more rapidly than expected. China is anxious to buy Western goods such as aircraft and grains. The U.S. is arranging to sell $75 million worth of cotton to China. [CBS] A Veterans Administration proposal to cut back benefits to veterans was blocked by the White House and Congress. [CBS] President Nixon urged Congress to act on 19 environmental bills that are left over from the last session. [CBS] Many money markets opened today for the first time since the dollar was devalued.U.S. soldiers stationed in West Germany are unhappy about devaluation. Some wives are getting jobs; other families won't be able to make ends meet at all. Sgt. Robert Sosenick said that his wife and baby will have to go home now because there just isn't enough money. The Pentagon estimates that devaluation means $80 million more in expenses this year and $200 million more next year because of the higher costs of overseas operations. The government reported that the trade deficit for October through December was $1.4 billion and is the main factor responsible for the devaluation. The deficit for the year was over $10 billion. [CBS] The Census Bureau reported that there was an increase of racially mixed marriages during the 1960's. In 1970 there were 41,200 black men married to white women; there were only 25,500 such marriages in 1960. There was a decline in the number of white men married to black women during the decade, however. [CBS] Wyn Sargent, the female scientist who married a cannibal tribal chief in Indonesia, was ordered out of the country by the government. [CBS] Another British soldier was killed in Northern Ireland. A British platoon which has been in Northern Ireland since December has had one killed and 16 wounded out of a group of 28 men. The soldiers are bitter about the IRA. Pvt. Edward Weston told a reporter that British soldiers have to take abuse from the Irish and can't fight back because the enemy is invisible. Soon after the interview Weston was shot and killed by a sniper. [CBS]

Stock Market Report

Dow Jones Industrial Average: 979.91 (-16.85, -1.69%)
S&P Composite: 115.10 (-1.68, -1.44%)
Arms Index: 1.51

	Issues	Volume*
Advances	306	2.22
Declines	1,202	13.15
Unchanged	299	1.15
Total Volume		16.52

* in millions of shares

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*
February 13, 1973	996.76	116.78	25.32
February 12, 1973	991.57	116.06	16.13
February 9, 1973	979.46	114.68	19.26
February 8, 1973	967.19	113.16	18.44
February 7, 1973	968.32	113.66	17.96
February 6, 1973	979.91	114.45	15.72
February 5, 1973	978.40	114.23	14.58
February 2, 1973	980.81	114.35	17.47
February 1, 1973	985.78	114.76	20.67
January 31, 1973	999.02	116.03	14.87