News stories from Saturday July 15, 1978
Summaries of the stories the major media outlets considered to be of particular importance on this date:
- The Senate Intelligence Committee has concluded that Henry Kissinger and William Colby misled Congress about the extent of the C.I.A.'s activities in the 1975 civil war in Angola, according to sources with first-hand knowledge. The committee's year-long study of C.I.A. documents is said to have found that more than $1 million was allocated to recruit mercenaries and that C.I.A. agents helped train military units in the West African country, contrary to assertions by Mr. Kissinger and Mr. Colby. [New York Times]
- Gov. Jerry Brown appears to have weathered the political upheaval of California's tax revolt. He has moved from a position of opposing Proposition 13 to one of leadership in making it work, and although state employees and labor leaders criticized his veto of pay raises for state workers, he later won a roaring endorsement for re-election from a convention of the California A.F.L.-C.I.O. [New York Times]
- Federal payments to New York rose by $7.7 billion to a total of $34 billion in fiscal 1977, the largest gain in all the 50 states. The figures were released by Senator Daniel Patrick Moynihan, who called the increase a "mixed blessing" because nearly $1 billion was used for welfare and Medicaid payments, which have to be matched by state and local governments. [New York Times]
- President Carter held a town meeting in West Berlin, answering questions for nearly an hour on subjects ranging from West Berlin's security to the size of his daughter's weekly allowance. The polite audience of 1,000 Berliners seemed delighted by the candor of the President's replies and applauded when he pledged "Whatever may be, Berlin stays free."
Germans welcomed President Carter with applause and swelling crowds, but without the emotional response that his predecessors stirred on visits after World War II. The personalities and international pressures have changed, and so, apparently, has the self-confidence of the West Germans.
[New York Times] - Reports of possible terrorist action induced Prime Minister James Callaghan to ask the United States, Egypt and Israel to call off a meeting of foreign ministers in London next week and to find a more secure site. Mr. Callaghan's message was received by Secretary of State Cyrus Vance in Frankfurt. [New York Times]
- President Carter told Andrew Young that he was "very unhappy" with his statement last week that the United States has "hundreds, maybe thousands of political prisoners." Jody Powell, the White House press secretary, told reporters accompanying the President on his trip to West Germany that Mr. Young "agreed that it was a mistake, and an unfortunate one, and that he apologized for the problems he caused." [New York Times]
- Efforts to free Anatoly Sharansky or reduce his sentence seem to be favored by the United States in its consideration of ways it could react to his conviction. Secretary of State Cyrus Vance is reported to prefer behind-the-scenes diplomacy in seeking a trade for Mr. Sharansky or a reduction of his prison sentence. [New York Times]