News stories from Saturday November 2, 1974
Summaries of the stories the major media outlets considered to be of particular importance on this date:
- Two years after a sweeping presidential victory, the Republican party is braced for another harsh consequence of Watergate in in the elections Tuesday. At stake are all 435 House seats, 34 Senate seats and 35 governorships. In each of these categories, Democrats are now favored to win somewhat more than the normal midterm gains for the party out of the White House. The prospect is all the more unusual because in each category the Democrats would be broadening big majorities that survived President Nixon's landslide re-election. [New York Times]
- Voters who will be going to the polls Tuesday are angry. They have been telling politicians and reporters and poll-takers for weeks that they are angry -- about high prices, about Watergate, about the presidential pardon, about the loss of their jobs. Senator Walter Mondale, Minnesota Democrat, who has been touring the country on behalf of his party, says that he has "never heard as much resentment and frustration." [New York Times]
- Negotiators for the coal industry and the miners' union labored haltingly in Washington over a new contract to prevent a potentially disruptive strike, now believed only days away. A breakdown in talks Friday night brought stronger intervention by federal mediators, and bargaining talks resumed this afternoon. [New York Times]
- The latest bulletin from former President Richard Nixon's physician sounded more encouraging, but the physician, Dr. John Lungren, said Mr. Nixon still remained "under critical care" for complications resulting from surgery for phlebitis last Tuesday. Mr. Nixon has begun eating again, his bleeding seems to have stopped and his vital signs "are stable and satisfactory," Dr. Lungren said. [New York Times]
- Voters in New Jersey will be asked to vote yes or no in a referendum proposing legalized casino gambling in the state. Those for and against casino gambling will begin a last-ditch effort tomorrow to convince undecided voters of the relative merits of their positions, with law enforcement officials sharply divided on how organized crime might affect or be affected by legalized gambling. Opponents of the proposal are hoping for strong opposition to be generated by church sermons across the state, while those in favor of are starting an intensive radio advertising campaign. [New York Times]
- Goaded by the publication of unauthorized editions of his early, previously uncollected stories, J.D. Salinger, the reclusive author who is obsessed with maintaining his privacy, broke a silence of more than 20 years to denounce the publication of "The Complete Uncollected Short Stories of Salinger, Vols. 1-2." Mr. Salinger, who became the object of cultish devotion following publication of "The Catcher in the Rye" in 1950, said in a telephone interview that he was at work on other books that may never be published in his lifetime. [New York Times]
- Yasir Abed Rabbo, information chief of the Palestinian Liberation Organization, said in Beirut that the "primary duty" of the Arab states was to prepare themselves militarily and economically to face a new war with Israel. He said there was no hope for a peaceful settlement of the Arab-Israeli conflict so long as Israel and the United States refused to include the Palestinian national movement in negotiations. [New York Times]
- Shah Mohammed Reza Pahlavi of Iran and Secretary of State Kissinger discussed the oil crisis for more than four hours in Teheran and agreed that the oil-producing countries and the industrialized consumer nations must cooperate to prevent world disorder stemming from inflation. They hinted that Iran would seek to keep prices from rising again next month when the Organization of Petroleum Exporting Countries meets in Vienna. [New York Times]
- When Secretary of State Kissinger arrives in Rome Tuesday for the opening of the World Food Conference, he is expected to propose the establishment of a world food council working directly for the Secretary General of the United Nations. A draft of his speech indicates that Mr. Kissinger is not expected to propose much authority for such a council beyond overseeing the activities of four groups of technical experts dealing with food aid, trade, production and reserves. Whether Mr. Kissinger's proposal will provide the leadership for the Rome conference is a matter of disagreement within the Ford administration. [New York Times]
- The Rev. Tran Huu Thanh, the Roman Catholic priest in the vanguard of the opposition to President Nguyen Van Thieu, said that his supporters were planning a week of protests throughout South Vietnam against the "hooligan" tactics of the government. Father Thanh, who was roughed up during street fighting last week, said the protests would begin tomorrow. [New York Times]