News stories from Saturday August 11, 1979

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

Vietnam refused to allow American consular officials to enter the country to deal with the thousands of requests from Vietnamese seeking to join relatives in the United States. Foreign Minister Nguyen Co Thach said that the officials would be barred so long as the United States refused to "normalize relations with Vietnam." [New York Times] President Carter strongly affirmed his opposition to a Palestinian state and pledged, in an effort to assuage Israel's fears of a change in United States policy, that there would be no change In the United States position toward the Palestine Liberation Organization. [New York Times] The White House's management will be getting professional principles, according to Alonzo McDonald, the new staff director, who has been a key executive of a management consultants' firm. His job is to reduce what he described in an interview as the "frustration intensity" that inhibits presidential decision-making. [New York Times] Elephant seals are thriving on the California coast, safe from the hunters who nearly annihilated them in the last century. The seals, believed to be the descendants of a few survivors, have reproduced prolifically under a protected species designation. Their population is estimated at 65,000. Conservationists face a difficult question: Should the huge seals be allowed to proliferate indefinitely? [New York Times] The counterculture's effect on American society is apparent in subtle ways 10 years after the nation was startled by the extraordinary gathering of youth at the Woodstock rock music festival in Bethel, N.Y. The spirit of openness and tolerance that marked the counterculture era has lingered, filtering through all social classes around the country, including typical Middle West cities like Des Moines. [New York Times] Compensation for damage to Texas from the Mexican oil spill that threatens it is being sought by the Center for Law and Social Policy in Washington, a public-interest group specializing in international issues. It has asked the State Department to seek a "just settlement" from Mexico. [New York Times] Sites for gambling casinos in New York state were recommended by the Casino Gambling Study Panel in four areas: New York City, including the West Side of Manhattan, Coney Island and Rockaway; Long Beach, Long Island; the Catskill resort region, and the Buffalo-Niagara area. An amendment to the state Constitution would be needed. A maximum of 40 in the state was proposed. [New York Times] The whereabouts of Michele Sindona was still unknown despite a telephoned threat to an Italian news agency in Manhattan that he would be executed at dawn today, to carry out "proletarian justice." The 59-year-old financier, facing trial on fraud charges, disappeared Aug. 2 after leaving his Manhattan apartment. [New York Times] Efforts to prevent Pakistan from developing nuclear weapons and setting off an arms race in the Indian subcontinent are being stepped up by the Carter administration. The administration's nuclear advisers were said to be discussing what were described as extraordinary steps aimed at dissuading Pakistan from developing an atomic device, ranging from new offers of advanced conventional arms to harsh economic sanctions. [New York Times]