News stories from Saturday January 24, 1970

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

A congressional staff study of President Nixon's welfare reform proposal reported that it may break up poor working families, put some college students on welfare and indirectly finance the purchase of color television sets. The analysis says that, by extending welfare to working families, the government would be saying that the father could not support his family and thereby destroy what initiative he had. [New York Times] Agents of the Federal Bureau of Investigation continued their search for the person or group believed to have paid a large sum of money for the murder of Joseph Yablonski and his wife and daughter. There were indications, however, that the FBI was trying to enlarge its evidence of a "contract" before making arrests. [New York Times] After years of little progress in gaining jobs for minority groups, the government seems on the verge of possible breakthroughs in several areas. Among these are the Philadelphia Plan and the extension of some features of the plan, such as goals for minority jobs, to almost all work done under federal contracts. [New York Times] Although they are theoretically still at war, Greece and Albania have agreed to reestablish trade relations that were broken 30 years ago. Details of the agreement were not disclosed. Albania, the only European ally of Communist China, has a surplus of oil and minerals. [New York Times] After a six-year delay, the directors of the John F. Kennedy Presidential Library are starting to come to grips with the problem of raising the money to build the library. A major roadblock was removed when the Massachusetts Bay Transit Authority agreed to vacate its subway-train yards from the proposed construction site. [New York Times] A proposal that federal agents be allowed to break into a building during a drug raid without notice if they believe that a warning would result in their injury or destruction of the drugs has divided the Senate. The proposal has the endorsement of the Justice Department but Senator Sam Ervin charged that approval would make it possible for agents to behave like burglars. [New York Times] A huge explosion in an army truck which was carrying munitions killed 18 Israeli soldiers and injured 42 others in the Israeli port of Elath. An army spokesman in Tel Aviv said that an investigation had been started to determine if the explosion was the work of saboteurs. Army authorities said that nothing had been discovered so far to indicate sabotage. [New York Times] A survey of race relations in the Army has led to the conclusion that racial tensions are increasing and that unless immediate action is taken to identify problem areas, an increase in racial confrontations can be expected. The survey indicated, however, that the Black Panther party had not gained a foothold and did not pose any threat. [New York Times] Incidents of pillaging, brutality and indiscipline among Nigerian troops in the southern portion of the former Biafran enclave had reached such proportions that they are becoming a serious problem to the Nigerian government. The government, embarrassed by the stories of criminal activity, is using savage punishments in an attempt to halt the rampaging troops. [New York Times]