News stories from Friday April 9, 1971

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

Total U.S. deaths for the Vietnam war have surpassed the figure for the Korean War: 54,246 were killed in Korea, 54,284 so far in Vietnam. U.S. helicopter losses in Indochina are reportedly greater than what's being admitted because salvageable copters are not reported as "shot down" in official figures; 103 helicopters were destroyed in the Laos operation, but 500 were actually shot down. The Communist siege of Fire Base No. 6 continued for a tenth day. [CBS] Reid Kennedy, the judge in Lt. William Calley's trial, said that he would have released Calley from the stockade if President Nixon hadn't. [CBS] Retired General Carl Turner pleaded guilty to illegally obtaining guns from the Chicago police. [CBS] Imprisoned Teamsters' union president James Hoffa is being allowed a one-week furlough from prison to visit his sick wife. [CBS] The West Pakistan army captured Jessore, East Pakistan. [CBS] A 24-hour curfew is in effect in Ceylon, where the government is fighting a Marxist student rebellion. [CBS] The U.S. and Israel reportedly disagree on the details of Israel's proposal to pull back from the Suez Canal. The U.S. is pressuring Israel to pull back 25 miles; Israel is only willing to consider withdrawing 10 miles. Jordan, Syria and the Palestinian guerrillas have agreed to form a joint peace supervisory committee. [CBS] British beaches have been damaged from oil spills in the English Channel. The tanker "Texaco Caribbean" sank on January 11 after a collision. A German freighter sank after colliding with the submerged hulk of the Texaco tanker. The area is marked off with lightships and buoys, but many ships continue to sail through despite the warnings. Divers are setting off explosives to clear the wrecks. Many feel that it will take a major disaster to get ships to take proper care in navigating the English Channel. [CBS] The State Department ordered oil companies to stop looking for oil in disputed ocean areas near Red China. The U.S. ping-pong team flew from Japan to Hong Kong en route to China, where their visit begins tomorrow. [CBS] The Soviet Politburo was expanded from 11 to 15 members; the new members are all supporters of party leader Leonid Brezhnev. Brezhnev, Premier Kosygin and President Podgorny were all re-elected as the Communist Party congress ended. [CBS] Pentagon spokesman Jerry Friedheim says that CBS's "The Selling of the Pentagon" has resulted in some changes in public relations practices. Films and speeches are being reviewed to be sure that they are current and consistent with U.S. policy. [CBS] ABC agreed to give the Democratic party equal time to respond to President Nixon's Vietnam report. NBC and CBS have yet to reply to the Democrats' request. [CBS] Fifteen-year-old David Williams was attacked by wolves in an enclosure at the San Diego Zoo; two men beat the wolves off with tree branches. Williams is in satisfactory condition. [CBS]