News stories from Sunday December 8, 1974

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

The Democratic party completed its mid-term conference in Kansas City with the adoption of a party charter, the first by major political party in American politics. The document was happily embraced by most of the party's delegates -- from Southern state chairmen and leaders of the more liberal industrial unions to the mass of Democratic governors and the half-dozen presidential aspirants already competing for the 1976 nomination under rules affirmed in the charter. [New York Times] A special committee of the Republican party, at a meeting in Washington, proposed measures that would encourage states to select women, young people and members of minority groups as delegates to the party's national convention. The committee also approved a proposal that would give party officials more control over the financing of Republican presidential campaigns. The proposals are subject to the approval of the Republican National Committee. [New York Times] Two tape-recorded allusions by Richard Nixon to an apparent "slush fund" gathered from campaign contributions has been described by Watergate investigators as central piece of evidence in the government's inquiry into the affairs of Charles "Bebe" Rebozo, Mr. Nixon's closest friend. [New York Times] President Ford will be asked this week to approve a budget increase for foreign food assistance and to settle an inter-agency fight over how much aid individual countries would get. Government sources said that the proposals would be forwarded to the President by Roy Ash, director of the Office of Management and Budget. [New York Times] Mayor Beame of New York, feeling that the Democrats in Kansas City had overlooked many of the problems of cities, said that he and other Democratic mayors would begin a concentrated drive for a strong urban program in the party's 1976 presidential convention platform. He said he would lead regional meetings of the Northeastern Democratic mayors, with the first in Wilmington, Del., next month. [New York Times] Greece voted decisively to become a republic and to eliminate her monarchy that was established in 1832. The votes were running about 2 to 1 in favor of "uncrowned democracy," as it was designated on the ballot. This means that King Constantine, who has been in exile for seven years, will be stripped of his title. He was the sixth member of his dynasty to reign as King of the Hellenes. [New York Times] In a pessimistic appraisal of the effect of President Makarios's return to Cyprus, Rauf Denktash, leader of the Turkish Cypriote community, said that the President's speech gave only "very, very slight hope" for a settlement between the Greek Cypriotes and the Turkish Cypriotes. [New York Times] The long-divided black Rhodesian liberation movement signed an agreement in Lusaka, Zambia, to unite and to prepare for "any conference for the transfer of power to the majority that might be called" with the white minority Rhodesian government of Prime Minister Ian Smith. [New York Times]