News stories from Monday March 30, 1981
Summaries of the stories the major media outlets considered to be of particular importance on this date:
- President Reagan was shot in the chest by a gunman, apparently acting alone, as Mr. Reagan walked to his limousine after addressing a labor meeting at the Washington Hilton Hotel. James Brady, the White House press secretary, and two law enforcement officers were also wounded by a series of shots. The President was reported in "good" and "stable" condition after undergoing two hours of surgery at George Washington University Hospital.
Mr. Reagan's prognosis is "excellent," a top hospital official said, adding that the President "is alert and should be able to make decisions by tomorrow." Earlier, doctors removed a .22 caliber bullet from the President's partly-collapsed left lung, but said that the bullet did not do much further damage and that neither Mr. Reagan's heart nor vital blood vessels were affected. The emergency surgical procedures found no bleeding or damage in the abdominal area, and the President's vital signs were stable throughout his ordeal.
[New York Times] - Vice President Bush cut short a trip to Texas and returned to the White House under unusually heavy security to take charge of the crisis in the government. Mr. Bush presided over a half-hour cabinet meeting and declared later that, "I can reassure this nation and the watching world that the American government is functioning fully and effectively." [New York Times]
- A 25-year-old man was arrested in the shootings and assassination attempt. Police officers and Secret Service agents seized John W. Hinckley, the son of a Denver oil executive. The suspect, who was recently under psychiatric care, was arrested for possession of concealed weapons in Nashville last year during a visit there by President Carter.
"He looked fidgety, agitated, a little strange," according to one of the witnesses who had noticed the unusual behavior of the accused gunman. A television cameraman said the man had "penetrated the press corps" that was awaiting President Reagan as he left the Washington hotel.
[New York Times] - Members of Congress were stunned by the attempted assassination of the President. They gathered silently around television sets on Capitol Hill and spoke in halting whispers of their outrage and despair. Many recalled the slaying of President Kennedy in 1963 and questioned what such acts of violence said about the nation. Washington reacted with fears that the attempt on President Reagan's life might also shatter a slowly returning national self-confidence rekindled lately by the release of the American hostages in Iran and the start of a new administration. [New York Times]
- A budget debate along party lines continued in the Senate. Democrats and Republicans accused one another of cruelty and hypocrisy as the majority rejected a Democratic effort to restore $800 million for Social Security benefits. The Repubican-dominated Senate then rejected a bipartisan attempt to restore half of $3 billion that had been cut from the budget for the strategic oil reserve. [New York Times]
- Many miners have angrily reacted to explanations of a proposed new contract by Sam Church, president of the United Mine Workers union, during his five-day campaign to win a rank-and-file ratification. The vote tomorrow could end the coal miners' strike on Thursday. [New York Times]
- Harrison Williams went on trial on bribery and conspiracy charges arising from the government's Abscam investigation of political corruption. The chief prosecutor said he had unsuccessfully asked a publisher to delay distribution of a book about the investigation until after the trial of the Senator from New Jersey. [New York Times]
- Fifty-five hostages were freed by Thai and Indonesian commandos who rushed a hijacked Indonesian airliner in Bangkok. The commandos killed four of the five hijackers who had held the plane since Saturday. A Thai spokesman said a member of the assault force and the chief pilot were wounded in the gun battle. [New York Times]
- Polish union leaders reached an accord with the government in seven hours of negotiations and left tomorrow's general strike in abeyance. The agreement advanced the union's cause in a number of areas, and the union's governing commission is generally expected to ratify it.
An easing of tension about Poland was anticipated by State Department officials. They expressed relief over the decision by the independent union Solidarity to put aside the general strike it had scheduled for today and said it appeared to reduce the chances for an internal crackdown or Soviet intervention.
[New York Times]
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Stock Market Report
Dow Jones Industrial Average: 992.16 (-2.62, -0.26%)
Arms Index is the ratio of volume per declining issue to volume per advancing issue; a figure below 1.0 is bullish. | |||||||||||||||
| Market Index Trends | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Date | DJIA | S&P | Volume* |
| March 27, 1981 | 994.78 | 134.65 | 46.93 |
| March 26, 1981 | 1005.76 | 136.27 | 60.37 |
| March 25, 1981 | 1015.22 | 137.11 | 56.34 |
| March 24, 1981 | 996.13 | 134.67 | 66.40 |
| March 23, 1981 | 1004.23 | 135.69 | 57.87 |
| March 20, 1981 | 992.80 | 134.08 | 61.97 |
| March 19, 1981 | 986.58 | 133.46 | 62.44 |
| March 18, 1981 | 994.06 | 134.22 | 55.74 |
| March 17, 1981 | 992.53 | 133.92 | 65.92 |
| March 16, 1981 | 1002.79 | 134.68 | 49.94 |