News stories from Saturday May 4, 1974
Summaries of the stories the major media outlets considered to be of particular importance on this date:
- The White House, stepping up its campaign to discredit John Dean, made public a 32-page memorandum charging the President's former counsel with "misstatements" in his testimony before the Senate Watergate committee. The memorandum, which had been circulated privately, maintains that transcripts of White House conversations released last week demonstrate hat Mr. Dean did not tell the Senate committee the truth last year about several of his talks with Mr. Nixon. [New York Times]
- President Nixon's televised appeal on Watergate last Monday night left 42 percent of the people who watched it or read about it with a less favorable opinion of the President, and only 17 percent with a more favorable opinion, the Gallup poll reported. A telephone survey of nearly 700 adults found that those interviewed believed by a narrow 44 percent to 41 percent margin, there is now enough evidence against the President to vote impeachment and thus produce a trial in the Senate. [New York Times]
- In Spokane. Wash., President Nixon opened Expo '74, a world's fair dedicated to the environment, with an appeal for international cooperation to achieve world peace and "a fresh new environment" for all nations. There were a few boos mixed with cheers when the President made his appearance before more than 50,000 persons, but in general he was warmly, if not tumultuously, received in Spokane, a conservative, usually Republican and pro-Nixon city. [New York Times]
- President Nixon decided against any further reduction of Lieut. William Calley's 10-year sentence for the massacre of Vietnamese civilians at My Lai. The Army released a memorandum from Mr. Nixon in which he said that he had decided "that no further action by me in this case is necessary or appropriate." At the same time, the Secretary of the Army ordered Lieutenant Calley dismissed from the Army. [New York Times]
- Secretary of State Kissinger arrived in Tel Aviv in order to begin the second round of his Middle East shuttle diplomacy with expectations that Syria and Israel would soon curb their military activity on the Golan Heights. He is seeking to conclude a troop separation agreement between the two countries. Then, under conditions of heavy security, he was driven to Jerusalem for talks with Premier Golda Meir and other Israeli officials. [New York Times]
- Portugal's military junta, struggling against a growing trend toward economic and political anarchy, warned that "mini revolutions" by workers could hinder economic development. The coup that overthrew the dictatorship that had been entrenched for almost half a century has led to a clear breakdown of authority as hundreds of thousands of Portuguese have rushed to assert their suddenly won freedoms. Both the junta and the business community are showing signs of alarm at losing political and economic control. [New York Times]
- A final opinion poll published in France on the eve of the presidential election gave a strong lead to Francois Mitterrand, the candidate of the Socialist-Communist alliance. With the poll giving him 45 percent of the vote, Mr. Mitterrand did not appear to have enough to avoid a runoff contest with Finance Minister Valery Giscard d'Estaing, the candidate of the Independent Republicans. Mr. Giscard, with 30 percent, slipped back a point from last week's poll, but he kept his overwhelming lead over the third major candidate, Jacques Chaban-Delmas, a Gaullist. [New York Times]
- Nineteen paintings, valued at $19.2 million, that were stolen from the home of Sir Alfred Beit near Dublin eight days ago were recovered undamaged by the Irish police in a cottage outside Glamdore, a fishing port and resort 50 miles from Cork. [New York Times]