News stories from Thursday July 4, 1974

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

In the "heartland of America" -- such places as Sleepy Eye, Minn., Creston, Iowa and Fairborn, Ohio, were treated to Fourth of July speeches by their congressional representatives who had returned home to politick, picnic, parade and talk about anything except impeachment. The Congressmen who have the backing of conservative groups such as the National Association of Businessmen, Americans for Constitutional Action and the American Security Council, unlike liberals and moderates in both parties who have made their position clear, are still considering, with their constituency in mind, whether they should come out for or against impeachment. In an election year, the answer is to evade the subject. [New York Times] The Federal Trade Commission announced that it would undertake a nationwide investigation of the development and management of residential condominiums to determine whether companies that build, sell or operate condominiums "have been or are engaging in unfair or deceptive practices." The agency has been conducting an exploratory investigation of condominium abuses in Florida. Its announcement indicates that it believes a more general investigation involving other states is necessary. [New York Times] Politicians who have been observing Malcolm Wilson since he became Governor of New York six months ago believe that he has demonstrated a talent for dispensing patronage more to the liking of Republican party leaders than his predecessor, Nelson Rockefeller. Party officials no longer find comparative strangers presenting i.o.u.'s for jobs that were promised them outside the patronage channel in some brief enthusiastic chat with Mr. Rockefeller. [New York Times] Secretary of State Kissinger said in Brussels after a meeting with the Atlantic alliance council, that the key obstacle to an agreement at the Nixon-Brezhnev talks on nuclear offensive arms was the difficulty of agreeing upon how to balance missile totals and warhead totals. With the Soviet Union holding a substantial advantage in the number of missiles and the United States a 3-to-1 advantage in warheads, Mr. Nixon and Mr. Brezhnev committed their countries to trying to negotiate a new interim accord that would extend until 1985. The aim is to complete it before the present interim accord expires in 1977. [New York Times] Two Soviet astronauts orbited the earth, preparing for a rendezvous with a Salyut orbital station to demonstrate techniques they will use for a space linkup with American astronauts next year. Tass, the Soviet news agency, announced that Soyuz 14, a two-man spacecraft, had been launched at 2:51 P.M. Eastern daylight time Wednesday and by last evening had completed more than 13 orbits. [New York Times] A leader of the Argentine military acted quickly to stifle rumors that the armed forces would never accept the presidency of the politically inexperienced Mrs. Peron, who is legally empowered to complete the three years and three months of her husband's four-year term as President. The Commander in Chief of the Argentine army vowed at the bier of Gen. Juan Peron that the armed forces would be loyal to his widow. The funeral service for General Peron was held in the Chamber of Deputies in Buenos Aires. The United States delegation was led by Secretary of Commerce Frederick Dent. [New York Times] The British government issued a white paper on Northern Ireland in which it ordered new elections for members of a "constitutional convention" that would have at least six months to draft proposals for a new political structure in the province. The proposals would have to be approved by Parliament in London. [New York Times]