News stories from Sunday July 15, 1973
Summaries of the stories the major media outlets considered to be of particular importance on this date:
- President Nixon is resting fairly well and continues to recover from viral pneumonia. Doctors' chief concern is that the President may push himself too fast. At the Bethesda Naval Hospital, President Nixon remains tired and listless, but performed some White House business. He met with press secretary Ron Ziegler for 15 minutes and chief of staff Alexander Haig for 20 minutes. Dr. Walter Tkach said that his chief concern is for the President to slow down to prevent a relapse.
A reporter asked if doctors have explained that it is the duty of the President to the American people to recover quickly and fully so that government may carry on. Tkach stated that the President listens to doctors' suggestions, but then continues on his same course. Doctors say that Nixon will remain in the hospital until at least Friday.
[NBC] - Secretary of State William Rogers arrived in Tokyo for a meeting on money and trade with Japanese leaders. Japan is angry about U.S. trade policies and worried about devaluation of the dollar. Other questions awaited Rogers on his arrival as well.
Rogers had no comment on possibly being replaced by Henry Kissinger in the fall. Rogers received a cool welcome from foreign minister Ohira, and explained why Agriculture Secretary Earl Butz and Treasury Secretary George Shultz were not present. The Japanese feel that these annual economic talks are relegated to a lower level of importance when only two U.S. cabinet members attend (Secretary of Commerce Frederick Dent is also here). Since the soybean embargo, relations between the U.S. and Japan have cooled, and this last upset may permanently damage relations.
Rogers will visit South Korea before returning to the United States.
[NBC] - Senate Watergate Committee member Lowell Weicker stated that he is against subpoenaing any papers sent to the President or signed by him, as that would violate the separation of powers between Congress and the President. However, the committee wants access to White House papers to determine the truth in the Watergate scandal, and is considering a subpoena for those papers if President Nixon continues to deny access. [NBC]
- Chief Watergate counsel Sam Dash stated why he thinks the committee should see the White House papers. Dash said that all documents relating to Watergate are needed to compare with witnesses' testimony. Dash believes that the White House has decided to cooperate no further on the matter, adding that if there is nothing to hide then all of the facts should be allowed to come out. [NBC]
- Julius Steiner, a West German member of Parliament, is the main character in West Germany's version of the Watergate affair. Steiner admitted accepting a bribe from Willy Brandt's party to help Brandt survive a no-confidence vote. Chancellor Brandt himself is not implicated in the Steiner affair, but it could lead to the downfall of Brandt's reputation and hurt his political career. [NBC]
- UAW representatives will begin negotiations with General Motors on a new contract. Neither side predicts a strike. UAW workers are among the best-paid, but assembly line work is boring and tedious. Contract demands include voluntary overtime, early retirement and free dental services. UAW president Leonard Woodcock says that complaints from wives about their husbands having to work 5, 6 or 7 days a week are numerous. G.M. vice president George Morris pointed out that if key men on an assembly line don't want to work, then the whole line must be closed down. Woodcock stated that workers feel they deserve early retirement, among other demands, but wage increases are not a big issue this year. [NBC]
- Canada has persuaded Vietnam to release two Canadians who were captured in a jungle near Saigon. The reason for their presence in the area was unclear. [NBC]
- Canada plans to pull completely out of Vietnam; the mission in Vietnam is regarded as a total failure. At Cat Lai, Canadian observers made an effort to inspect ammunition supplies. But no other International Control Commission members bothered to show up, so the inspection was a fake one. At Hong Ngu, Canadians also had nothing to do, and efforts to learn of cease-fire violations are termed meaningless. [NBC]
- There was heavy fighting all around the capitol city of Phnom Penh in Cambodia. American war planes have increased bombing to support government troops. [NBC]
- A former Air Force major reportedly told congressional investigators that American B-52's secretly bombed Cambodia in early 1970. The U.S. made no official announcement of any Cambodian bombing until May of that year. Former major Hal Knight claims that he helped falsify reports. [NBC]