News stories from Sunday December 21, 1975
Summaries of the stories the major media outlets considered to be of particular importance on this date:
- The budget and tax policies advocated by President Ford would cause the economic recovery to "sputter out" by 1977, leaving the unemployment rate at 7.5 percent, according to a congressional staff study. The study, prepared by the staff of the Joint Economic Committee, also said that policies aimed at reducing unemployment more quickly would lessen inflation rather than increase it, as the administration has argued. [New York Times]
- The United States Postal Service faces an increased deficit in the coming year and, adding to its troubles, a federal judge blocked indefinitely last week another increase in first class mail rates, which would have gone up to 13 cents from 10 cents an ounce next Sunday. [New York Times]
- Under a proposal to be submitted to President Ford, the military services will continue to obtain billions of dollars of atomic weapons free of charge from a civilian agency. The proposal by the new Energy Research and Development Administration, which absorbed the former Atomic Energy Commission, is expected to receive presidential endorsement. It calls for the atomic weapons to be produced and paid for by the energy agency, which would then turn them over to the Defense Department. The agency is spending $1.3 billion a year on development and production of atomic weapons. Defense officials acknowledge that the services have been getting "a free ride." [New York Times]
- Despite intense opposition led by the three television networks, a White House study group is continuing to consider changes in the communications law that could enable pay cable television to compete more effectively with the big networks. The panel will decide whether to recommend changes in regulations of the Federal Communications Commission that restrict cable TV from bidding on major movies and sports events and limit the number of signals cable TV may import from other cities. [New York Times]
- Bernard Meyer, a special New York state investigator, has found that "serious errors in judgment" were made in the state inquiry into the 1971 Attica prison riot and, following his recommendation, a new special prosecutor was named to determine if indictments should be brought against law enforcement officers who took part in the retaking of the prison. Governor Carey and Attorney General Louis Lefkowitz appointed Alfred Scotti, former chief assistant district attorney in Manhattan, as the special prosecutor. Mr. Meyer is a former state Supreme Court justice. [New York Times]
- Two persons were shot to death and at least 60 people were held as hostages by terrorists who burst into a meeting of the Organization of Petroleum Exporting Countries in the Texaco Building on the Ringstrasse in Vienna this morning. Among the hostages were 11 delegates to the conference, including Sheik Ahmed Zaki Yamani, Saudi Arabia's Minister of Petroleum Affairs. Later, Chancellor Bruno Kreisky announced that his government had agreed to allow the terrorists to fly out of Austria with 10 of the delegates. The terrorists and 33 of their hostages left the Texaco Building in a bus for Vienna's airport. They flew from there presumably for Algiers. [New York Times]
- Rebel air force officers demanding the overthrow of President Isabel Martinez de Peron refused to surrender at an isolated air base. A mediation effort by Archbishop Adolf Tortolo, vicar general of the armed forces, was unable to obtain their surrender. The rebels had evidently failed to spark a military revolt against the Peronist government. [New York Times]