News stories from Monday March 26, 1973
Summaries of the stories the major media outlets considered to be of particular importance on this date:
- Communists have agreed to free the remaining American POWs, including the nine being held in Laos. All prisoners are due to be released by Thursday. 308 Americans remain missing in Laos. The Pathet Lao in Vientiane may know what happened to them, but is unlikely to say until an agreement on a coalition government for Laos is reached. Over the weekend, South Vietnam released all of its remaining Communist POWs, but many have chosen to stay in South Vietnam; 210 of the 401 Communist POWs decided to remain in South Vietnam rather than return to the North Vietnamese army.
Truong Dinh Dzu, who opposed President Thieu in 1967 and was later imprisoned for suggesting negotiations with the Viet Cong, has been freed from jail.
[CBS] - The Senate Watergate Committee held its first meeting today amid reports that James McCord has implicated men close to the President. The Los Angeles Times reported that McCord named White House attorney John Dean and deputy campaign director Jeb Magruder as knowing about the Watergate bugging in advance.
In Key Biscayne, Florida, White House press secretary Ron Ziegler stated that Dean had no prior knowledge of the bugging. Ziegler was also critical of the procedures of the Senate committee headed by Sam Ervin. Although asked by Ziegler to retract his remarks concerning Dean's lying to the FBI, L. Patrick Gray refused to do so. President Nixon is more concerned with protecting Dean than with backing Gray at present.
The Senate investigating committee met to hear chief counsel Sam Dash's account of his meetings with James McCord. Senator Lowell Weicker said that he believes White House officials were involved in the bugging. Attorney General Richard Kleindienst told a reporter that he sent a letter to Judge John Sirica requesting Sirica to inform him of any new factual information disclosed by McCord regarding the bugging, and he stated that President Nixon has always wanted the incident to be fully investigated.
In court, G. Gordon Liddy refused to answer most grand jury inquiries and took the fifth amendment. Prosecutor Seymour Glanzer asked Judge Sirica to grant Liddy immunity from prosecution that might grow out of his testimony, thus forcing Liddy to answer questions.
[CBS] - Cost of Living Council director John Dunlop says that steps are being taken to control rising lumber costs. The government has ordered that more timber be cut on federal lands, and talks are going on to limit log exports to Japan. The council is considering reimposing wage-price controls on lumber. [CBS]
- High beef prices are resulting in a higher demand for horse meat. [CBS]
- Darrell Trent, acting chief of the Office of Emergency Preparedness, suggested having 50 mph speed limits on highways everywhere in order to save gas and help avert a possible shortage. [CBS]
- Transportation Secretary Claude Brinegar proposed that six bankrupt Northeast railroads be consolidated into one private corporation on a for-profit basis. [CBS]
- CBS recently reported that former UMW president Tony Boyle's car had a bar installed in the back seat. This was a false story and CBS apologizes. Boyle doesn't drink. [CBS]
- Actor-writer Noel Coward died today of a heart attack at age 73. Coward was knighted by Queen Elizabeth in 1969. [CBS]
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Stock Market Report
Dow Jones Industrial Average: 927.90 (+5.19, +0.56%)
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* |
| March 23, 1973 | 922.71 | 108.88 | 18.47 |
| March 22, 1973 | 925.20 | 108.84 | 17.13 |
| March 21, 1973 | 938.37 | 110.49 | 16.08 |
| March 20, 1973 | 949.43 | 111.95 | 13.25 |
| March 19, 1973 | 952.06 | 112.17 | 12.46 |
| March 16, 1973 | 963.05 | 113.54 | 15.13 |
| March 15, 1973 | 969.82 | 114.12 | 14.45 |
| March 14, 1973 | 978.85 | 114.98 | 14.46 |
| March 13, 1973 | 976.07 | 114.48 | 14.21 |
| March 12, 1973 | 969.75 | 113.86 | 12.81 |