News stories from Friday March 28, 1975

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

North Vietnamese troops, closing in on the northern city of Da Nang, seized a city only 15 miles away, a Saigon government spokesman said early today. He termed the situation in Da Nang, the last remaining government-held area in the northern part of South Vietnam, "very serious," and said both the city and its principal airport were shelled. [New York Times] The Ford administration was trying to decide how far the United States could and should go in evacuating civilian refugees and possibly troops from the surrounded South Vietnamese port city of Da Nang. Once the United States is involved in a large-scale evacuation, State and Defense Department officials say there is an eventual possibility that President Ford might have to decide whether to send troops to protect the refugees as they are evacuated, and to preserve order. [New York Times] The South Vietnamese have lost more than $1 billion in American weapons and equipment over the last two weeks, according to qualified Vietnamese sources. The abandonment of the equipment, including artillery pieces, trucks, tanks and planes, coupled with the rapid retreat of army units is viewed by Vietnamese and Western sources as a stunning and possibly irreversible military and psychological blow for South Vietnam. [New York Times] With the collapse of the Saigon government's authority in Da Nang, a tiny volcanic island in the South China sea assumed a vital importance to the American pilots and officials who had been maintaining a tenuous eleventh-hour hold in Da Nang. The crisis came suddenly. Mobs fought viciously to board any aircraft leaving Da Nang airport, overwhelming military police. Four persons reportedly were shot dead. [New York Times] President Ford will announce in a televised speech at 7:30 tomorrow whether he will veto or sign the $24.8 billion tax-cutting bill passed by Congress this week. The White House press secretary said that Mr. Ford would also make "a statement on economic policy." The President reportedly was having an extremely difficult time making up his mind and has had sharply conflicting advice from his counselors. [New York Times] Many of the nation's banks and savings institutions have money for home mortgage loans again. Mortgage money, which was all but unavailable a few months ago and often cost upwards of 10 percent in annual interest charges when it was available, is now plentiful and is getting cheaper to borrow. This, however, has had little effect on sales of new homes so far. [New York Times] The Civil Aeronautics Board gave National Airlines the go-ahead for a "no frills" service that will slash many fares 35 percent for passengers willing to forgo meals and liquor, avoid flying on weekends and buy tickets a week in advance. The reduction will become effective April 14 on National, and on four other airlines, which have proposed similar service, if the expected board approval is forthcoming. [New York Times] The assassination of King Faisal of Saudi Arabia may have been carefully planned, not an unreasoned act of a lunatic, according to evidence gathered in an official investigation. There were indications that the accused killer, Prince Faisal lbn Musad Abdel Aziz, a nephew of King Faisal, had political aspects and motives. The Prince has a record of mental illness and drug abuse. [New York Times]