News stories from Sunday June 2, 1974
Summaries of the stories the major media outlets considered to be of particular importance on this date:
- The annual National Governor's Conference, which is being held this year in Seattle, opened with a panel of six governors -- four Democrats and two Republicans -- unanimously expressing the opinion that President Nixon should give the House Judiciary Committee all the tape recordings and documents it has asked for in its impeachment inquiry. Watergate and the fate of Mr. Nixon's presidency were generally the first topics of conversation, and there was an almost euphoric feeling that the Watergate case and the slow response of congressional investigations have made the governors' state houses look good by comparison. [New York Times]
- Many more people than in the past are planning highway trips to relatively close-in resorts, within 100 to 300 miles of their home, a trend that promises to bring crowding at many places near urban areas and plenty of room at more distant spots. This was typical of the opinions of people in the travel industry on the eve of the nation's annual summer vacation. Rising inflation, 60-cents-a-gallon gasoline and fresh memories of the gasoline shortage all may contribute to what may be the biggest change in vacations since World War II. [New York Times]
- Nearly 1,000 Frenchmen are coming to the United States bringing personal messages of gratitude and friendship to Americans 30 years after Allied troops swept down the coast of France to help liberate the continent from Nazi occupation. On Thursday, the visitors will meet in New York for a celebration. [New York Times]
- The Palestine Liberation Organization's leadership presented a political platform in Cairo that bars participation by a Palestinian delegation on the Middle East peace conference in Geneva if the issue of "legitimate rights of the Palestinian people" is not considered. This was one of 10 points in the platform that was submitted to the Palestine National Council, the 151-member group that serves as a parliament for the liberation group. [New York Times]
- At the insistence of Saudi Arabia, the Arab oil ministers, at their meeting in Cairo, decided to keep their embargo against the Netherlands and to set up a special fund to offset deficits for higher oil payments by Arab countries which do not produce oil. As a condition for ending the Netherlands embargo, the ministers have been insisting on a clear statement of support for withdrawal of Israeli troops from Arab territory. Their embargo against Denmark is being continued for the same reason. No change in their attitude is expected before another meeting on July 10. [New York Times]
- Shah Mohammed Reza Pahlavi of Iran has had plans to rebuild his country for at least a dozen years and with oil revenues pouring into the national treasury, he apparently now has the money to get them under way. The authoritarian Shah has begun a radical revision of his government and of the scope of the ambitious programs for his rich but underdeveloped country. [New York Times]
- The Soviet press, in its first significant comment on President Nixon's summit meeting in the Soviet Union since the opening date, June 27, was announced Friday, stressed that the meeting enjoyed the backing of Democrats as well as Republicans in Congress. The commentary in Pravda, following several other recent articles, indicated that the Russians had taken a view more favorable to the Democratic opposition because of a reassessment of the Watergate case. [New York Times]