News stories from Saturday April 9, 1977

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

The factual basis of "Roots," Alex Haley's acclaimed book about his African ancestors was "more tenuous than anyone had thought," according to an article in the Sunday Times of London. Mr. Haley apparently was mistaken or misled, the article said, in concluding that he had actually traced his genealogy back to Kunta Kinte in the village of Juffure, Gambia. In an interview in New York today, Mr. Haley said that "there are dozens of errors in the book 'Roots.'" But he contended that he made no errors knowingly and said that his intention had been to write "a symbolic history of a people" that would convey a larger truth. [New York Times] Grudging approval was given to a new three-year contract by the local leaders of the United Steel Workers union, whose president-elect said the contract was "a start" toward lifetime security for all steel workers. The agreement, which was first rejected, provides a basic 80-cents-an-hour wage increase over the life of the contract, plus increments that bring it to about 94 cents an hour. The median basic wage in the industry is now about $5.50 an hour, but the average wage, including cost of living and overtime allowances, but not benefits, is $8.11 an hour. Opposition to the contract was reportedly led by Edward Sadlowsky, who recently lost the union's presidency to Lloyd McBride in a bitterly contested election. [New York Times] Evangelism is being renewed by America's major Protestant churches to reverse recent declines in membership. The missionary appeal, which the churches have long neglected or even shunned, could be the most dramatic shift in emphasis since these churches took part in the social activism of the 1960's. [New York Times] The restaurant business is thriving. Because so many more Americans are eating out and spending more money for food away from home -- one of every three food dollars is being spent in restaurants and fast-food shops -- supermarket sales are down and are expected to decline further. A decade ago $1 of every $5 went for eating out and restaurant trade experts believe that the ratio may be $1 of every $2 a decade from now. Meanwhile, most of the big grocery chains are selling no more food than they did five years ago and are looking desperately for new merchandising methods. [New York Times] Defense Minister Shimon Peres of Israel was virtually assured of the Labor Party's nomination for Prime Minister when Foreign Minister Yigal Allon announced that he would not seek the nomination. Each was considered a potential successor to Prime Minister Yitzhak Rabin, who withdrew his candidacy Thursday. The party's Central Committee will meet tomorrow to select its nominee. [New York Times] Spain's Communist Party was legalized after a four-decade ban imposed by Franco. The party had pressed for legalization in time to run candidates in the national elections this spring, the first democratic elections in Spain since Franco's military uprising in 1936. [New York Times] An attack by Palestinian forces on Merj 'Uyun, one of the largest Christian-held military towns in southern Lebanon, was reported imminent. Right-wing Christian leaders asked for intervention by the Syrian peacekeeping force. Ground fighting was reported on the approaches to Merj 'Uyun from Khiam, a village near the Israeli border that the Palestinians captured a few days ago. [New York Times]