News stories from Saturday June 5, 1976

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

Three days before the crucial California primary, President Ford's campaign managers switched tactics and replaced a new advertising campaign with radio and television political commercials depicting Ronald Reagan as a threat to world peace. The commercials sought to capitalize on some ambiguous remarks Mr. Reagan made last week about the possible use of American troops in Rhodesia. [New York Times] Jimmy Carter has eagerly been seeking the Jewish vote in the North and seems to be getting support. Several Jewish leaders detected a small but definite pro-Carter movement in recent weeks. There is still considerable coolness among Jews toward Mr. Carter, but political, religious and organizational leaders predict that he will get a substantial majority of Jewish votes if he wins the Democratic presidential nomination. Mr. Carter's evangelical Christianity and a general impression that he is "fuzzy" on such issues as the security of Israel are among the reasons why he has to work extra hard to win Jewish support. [New York Times] Carl Albert, Speaker of the House, announced that he will retire when his term expires at the end of the year. Mr. Albert, Democrat of Oklahoma, is 68 years old. He became Speaker five and a half years ago. Representative Tip O'Neill, a liberal Democrat of Massachusetts, who has been the House majority leader since 1971, is expected to succeed Mr. Albert, perhaps without opposition, assuming the Democrats retain control of the House. But many Democrats believe there will be a bitter three-way fight for the majority leader post. The Senate leadership also will be replaced next year. [New York Times] The controversial new Teton Dam in eastern Idaho burst shortly before noon, sending a 15-foot wall of water into the upper Snake River Valley and flooding the towns of Sugar City and Teton. Moving at 15 miles an hour, the flood forced the evacuation of 30,000 people from the towns of Ririe, Teton. Rexburg, Menan, St. Anthony and Sugar City. A 10-foot wave of mud and water crested at Rexburg. The authorities ordered the evacuation of an area near the Snake River in downtown Idaho Falls. [New York Times] The New York City Department of Affairs, seeking to protect the many visitors attracted by the Democratic National Convention and the Bicentennial celebrations next month, has begun a law enforcement campaign against dishonest souvenir gift shops that are concentrated in the Times Square area and on Fifth Avenue. The agency especially will crackdown on fictitious prices that are actually the starting point for sharp bargaining, bogus sales prices and false discounts. [New York Times] Syria's military intervention in Lebanon was endorsed by Lebanon's right-wing Christian leadership. Syrian armored forces meanwhile reportedly remained in an uneasy standoff with Palestinian guerrillas and their leftist allies in eastern Lebanon. President Suleiman Franjieh, who has moved his headquarters to the small village of Zouk Mikhael, issued a statement that said in part that "it is only natural that we should support any measure that would lead to the stability of Lebanon." He had the support of the other right-wing leaders: Interior Minister Camille Chamoun, the Phalangist party chief, Pierre Gemayel, and the Rev. Charbel Kassis, head of the Order of Maronite Monks. [New York Times] A restricted study on violations of human rights in Chile prepared by the human rights commission of the Organization of American States, which is meeting in Santiago, described torture, prison deaths and widespread arrests without warrants by security agencies. Jamaica's Foreign Minister, Dudley Thompson, one of the delegates at the O.A.S. meeting, said of the commission's study that "absolutely bloodcurdling charges have been made." "If these are true we should denounce it before the world and do something to stop it. If they are a lie, we should clear Chile's name." [New York Times] What is hoped will be the definitive search for the Loch Ness monster has begun in Scotland by a scientific expedition sponsored by the Academy of Applied Science of Boston and the New York Times. One underwater camera has already obtained 8,000 color photographs. The film will be processed this week. [New York Times]