News stories from Thursday December 14, 1972
Summaries of the stories the major media outlets considered to be of particular importance on this date:
- Apollo 17 lifted off from the moon with astronauts Cernan and Schmitt. [CBS]
- No agreement has been reached on a Vietnam peace settlement, said U.S. deputy negotiator Heyward Isham. At a regular session of the Paris Peace Talks, Saigon Ambassador Lam put forward South Vietnam's proposal for a Christmas cease-fire. Hanoi's Nguyen Minh Vy claimed that an agreement was reached nearly two months ago and should have been signed on October 31. The Viet Cong's Madame Binh rejected Saigon's offer completely, as did North Vietnam's Vy. Tomorrow, Xuan Thuy and U.S. Ambassador Porter will resume private technical talks, and Le Duc Tho heads home to North Vietnam.
Henry Kissinger returned to the U.S. to talk with President Nixon. The main difficulty in reaching a settlement is South Vietnam's demand that North Vietnamese troops leave South Vietnam. The Viet Cong now insists, for the first time, that Thieu sign the U.S.-North Vietnam settlement.
[CBS] - The U.S. had one dead, four MIA and eight wounded in Vietnam this past week. South Vietnamese dead numbered 378 and 1,734 enemy were reportedly killed. [CBS]
- The condition of former President Harry Truman has worsened. Truman's vital signs are normal, but Dr. Wallace Graham called his condition very serious. Research Hospital spokesman John Dreves said that Truman's kidneys are failing. [CBS]
- The federal judge in the Watergate case ordered the Los Angeles Times to turn over unpublished parts of its five-hour interview with the prosecution's star witness. The interview was with Alfred Baldwin, a former FBI agent who monitored the bug in the Democratic national headquarters. The Times will resist the judge's order. [CBS]
- The state commission appointed to investigate the killing of two black students at Southern University in Baton Rouge, Louisiana, released its preliminary report. A month ago, two students were killed in a confrontation between students and police. The state investigating committee today reported that:
(1) Police fired tear gas first and this started the confusion,
(2) Both officers and students were confused by the tear gas, and
(3) The two students died from a single shotgun blast which came from an area where six sheriff's deputies were standing.Attorney General William Guste, who served as committee chairman, recommends that the district attorney consider criminal prosecution. The committee concluded that no students had firearms, tear gas, grenades or any other weapons. The University may reopen in January. Louisiana Governor Edwin Edwards had no comment officially. Personally, he believes that a student fired the first tear gas canister.
[CBS] - Arnold Miller widened his lead over incumbent Tony Boyle in the United Mine Workers election. [CBS]
- The Federal Trade Commission ordered the 12 biggest auto makers to submit evidence supporting their advertising claims. Volkswagen, Volvo and Toyota as well as all Detroit car manufacturers were contacted. [CBS]
- The Price Commission is considering Chrysler's request for a price increase of 3% on its 1973 cars. [CBS]
- A Quebec Air jet was hijacked by a man with a rifle at a small airport in Wabush, Canada; the passengers were released at Montreal. The plane was bound for Vancouver but turned around and headed back towards Montreal again. The hijacking is still in progress. [CBS]
- The Senate hearing on prescription drugs heard testimony with regard to obesity; Americans are getting fatter. White House Conference on Food and Health representative Jean Mayer stated that sex appeal rather than health is the main worry of fat people. Mayer told Senator Gaylord Nelson that anti-fat pills are ineffective and dangerous. Dr. J. Tepperman of the State University of New York said that ads in medical journals push doctors into prescribing pills instead of recommending willpower. Tepperman also said that food ads cause people to overeat. [CBS]
- Ten years ago, hundreds of pregnant women in Britain took the sedative Thalidomide, as a result of which they had deformed children. Distillers is the company that marketed Thalidomide. Distillers has a monopoly in the manufacture and export of scotch and gin, but it is no longer involved in drugs and claims to have no legal liability for Thalidomide victims. Yet in 1968 the company settled out of court with 62 families for $36,000 per child, and agreed to set up an $8 million trust fund for the other 370 families if all would drop charges. A few families refused. [CBS]
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Stock Market Report
Dow Jones Industrial Average: 1025.06 (-5.42, -0.53%)
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* |
| December 13, 1972 | 1030.48 | 118.56 | 16.54 |
| December 12, 1972 | 1033.19 | 118.66 | 17.04 |
| December 11, 1972 | 1036.27 | 119.12 | 17.23 |
| December 8, 1972 | 1033.19 | 118.86 | 18.03 |
| December 7, 1972 | 1033.26 | 118.60 | 19.32 |
| December 6, 1972 | 1027.54 | 118.01 | 18.61 |
| December 5, 1972 | 1022.95 | 117.58 | 17.80 |
| December 4, 1972 | 1025.21 | 117.77 | 19.73 |
| December 1, 1972 | 1023.93 | 117.38 | 22.57 |
| November 30, 1972 | 1018.21 | 116.67 | 19.34 |