News stories from Sunday January 6, 1974

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

The London Sunday Times reported that the American CIA and other intelligence groups believe that many terrorist attacks are imminent throughout Europe. British troops are on guard at London's airport; Scotland Yard continues to hold three persons, including American Allison Thompson. The three have been charged with importing guns and ammunition illegally on behalf of Arab terrorists. Another American believed to have been involved, Robin Orbin, returned to New York City today. In California, Theodore Dean Brown, who is suspected of shipping guns and ammunition to England, will be arraigned tomorrow. [NBC] For a second day, troops, tanks and armored cars surrounded London's Heathrow Airport in a full-scale alert ordered after reports that Arab terrorists planned to shoot down airliners with Soviet-built surface-to-air missiles. Informed sources said that a "mixture" of intelligence reports about plans of Arab guerrillas had led the government to put into effect contingency plans for protecting the airport. [New York Times] Vice President Ford said in a television interview on "Meet the Press" that some compromise might be possible between the White House and the Senate Watergate Committee on the new confrontation over presidential tape recordings and documents. He backed the President's refusal to yield the materials, but suggested compromise rather than confrontation. [New York Times] The Roper survey organization revealed that President Nixon has only a tenuous hold on the presidency. A slim majority is against impeachment proceedings at this time, however. [NBC] President Nixon attended church services in what was only his second announced departure from his San Clemente estate Since his arrival there Dec. 26. The President's attendance at church called attention to the fact that his only other announced activity outside the estate during his post-Christmas vacation was on Dec. 28, when he attended the wedding of the White House physician, Maj. Gen. Walter Tkach of the Air Force. Except for Secretary of State Kissinger, who spent three days at San Clemente, no member of the cabinet has been in touch with Mr. Nixon since before Christmas. [New York Times] Special counsel John Doar will meet privately with senior members of the House Judiciary Committee; presidential impeachment proceedings will be the topic. [NBC] William E. Simon, director of the Federal Energy Office, called for a rollback of foreign crude oil prices within months. He said that a rollback "should definitely be a major item on the agenda" of the international oil conference sought by President Nixon and Secretary of State Kissinger. [New York Times] Simon also said that gasoline prices will level off soon. No need for formal gasoline rationing is likely. [NBC] Dr. Ashraf Ghorbal, Egypt's Ambassador designate to the United States, said in a television interview in Washington that if Egypt and Israel reached an agreement in Geneva on the separation of their military forces, "then I can say that we are on the right road" for lifting the Arab oil embargo against the United States. [New York Times] Defense Minister Moshe Dayan of Israel gave a 90-minute report to the Israeli cabinet on his two days of talks in Washington with Secretary of State Kissinger. A strict news blackout was imposed on the specifics of his remarks. [New York Times] The United Nations Emergency Force headquarters in Cairo reported that the shooting along the Egyptian-Israeli lines east and west of the Suez Canal declined in the last few days, but the threat of serious disruptions was said to persist in one area east of the canal. [New York Times] President Anwar Sadat, clearly confident that Egypt will achieve a settlement with Israel, is believed to be preparing a major shake-up in the country's political structure and economic policies to open the way for industrial and social development. The key element would be a liberalization of Egypt's rigid socialist doctrine to attract foreign investment, particularly from the Arab oil-producing countries. [New York Times]