News stories from Thursday September 21, 1972
Summaries of the stories the major media outlets considered to be of particular importance on this date:
- Weekly casualty figures for the Vietnam war were first announced in 1965. Last week was the first ever with no American casualties in action, but four are MIA and could be dead or captured; seven U.S. soldiers were wounded. 409 South Vietnamese troops were killed and there were 4,625 North Vietnamese and Viet Cong casualties. [CBS]
- President Thieu visited the front today at Quang Ngai city. Yesterday Thieu visited Quang Tri city. North Vietnamese troops are still in the area and fired rounds as Thieu's motorcade arrived. Thieu left quickly and went to Hai Lang where he visited a military hospital visited and praised the men. Retaking the 12 miles from Quang Tri to the demilitarized zone is now the objective. [CBS]
- Yesterday three U.S. POW's were released by North Vietnam. In Hanoi, Lt. Norris Charles and Lt. Mark Gartley were greeted by relatives; Maj. Edward Elias was not. Elias's father said that a trip to Hanoi would not be in the best interests of the United States. Elias's wife stayed home in Valdosta, Georgia, on the advice of her doctor and father-in-law; she said that she believes her husband will understand her not going to Hanoi to meet him. [CBS]
- Britain announced a major concession to try to bring peace to Northern Ireland. William Whitelaw ordered an end to internment without trial. Special courts will handle suspected terrorists. [CBS]
- More booby-trapped parcels addressed to Israeli officials were discovered today in Jerusalem, Buenos Aires and Karazhar.
In Jerusalem, police nabbed an industrialist who is a former saboteur for an underground Jewish group, to question him regarding the smuggling of arms to Europe. A number of members of the Jewish Defense League were arrested and a crate of weapons was seized.
[CBS] - George McGovern presented an expert panel to defend his proposed military cutbacks. The panel of 92 military-trained and experienced people stated that McGovern's plan is sound, and they accused the Nixon administration of spending tax dollars on military boondoggles. McGovern would cancel the B-1 bomber program and the Trident nuclear submarine, reduce the number of American troops in NATO nations, pull out all U.S. forces from Korea and withdraw totally from Indochina within 90 days. The White House intended to fire its big guns at McGovern's national security program but instead limited the administration's response to a brief handout by Secretary of Defense Laird, charging McGovern's plan as being a "white flag surrender." [CBS]
- There are doubts that the Watergate bugging case will be aired in court before the November election; the criminal case is in recess and the civil trial has been halted. A district court judge said that the Democrats' $3 million damage suit and the Republican countersuits cannot be tried before the election. So as not to prejudice the criminal trial, all depositions are halted. The GOP is pleased; Democrats are disappointed.
Democratic party attorney Joseph Califano urged an independent investigation by a bipartisan commission, and said that the House Banking Committee and the Senate Administration of Justice Committee will make studies of the issue; Califano also criticized the Justice Department and the Nixon administration. Rep. Wright Patman is seeking to launch an investigation by the House Banking Committee to determine the bank routes for Republican campaign money to and from Mexico. Democrats admit that they need to keep this issue alive during the 1972 campaign.
[CBS] - Senator Lowell Weicker questioned the omission of George McGovern's name from the bill banning the DES hormone in cattle feed; the GOP suspects that the reason was pressure from the South Dakota cattle industry. [CBS]
- The candidates for First Lady are also on the campaign trail. At Yellowstone National Park a good crowd greeted Pat Nixon, but few potential voters were on the Yellowstone tour; Mrs. Nixon later attended a rally at campaign headquarters in Idaho Falls and visited a senior citizens' home.
Eleanor McGovern is campaigning hard in Missouri. Local politicos are still miffed over the Thomas Eagleton affair and the omission of the Democratic gubernatorial candidate from a McGovern speech. In Council Bluffs, Iowa, Mrs. McGovern toured a senior citizen center and spoke about the rights of older citizens. Later she flew home to Washington, DC and will resume campaigning in the east.
[CBS] - The Senate passed an anti-hijacking bill that would establish a new airport security police force, require passenger screening, give the President the authority to suspend U.S. air service to nations harboring hijackers, and give juries the option of the death penalty for air pirates. Senator Harold Hughes voted "no" due to the death penalty provision. [CBS]
- Five years ago Congress passed a public "right-to-know" bill, lifting government secrecy. Bureaucratic foot-dragging has nullified the law's effectiveness, however. [CBS]
- Ford is recalling 900,000 cars due to power steering problems in some of them. [CBS]
- The presidential limousine collided with a bicycle; the limousine was damaged, the bicycle was not. Orville Jackson, the cyclist, will contest the ticket he received. [CBS]
- As a follow-up to President Nixon's trip to Russia, the two nations have agreed to cooperative ecological studies. The San Andreas fault and a Soviet fault will be studied for purposes of earthquake predictions. St. Louis and Leningrad will be paired for an air pollution study. U.S and Soviet lakes and rivers will be paired for pollution studies as well. [CBS]
- The Chesapeake Bay Bridge, a major bridge on the New York to Florida route, will be closed for one month to repair damage caused by a drifting barge. [CBS]
- Police are seeking a couple who traded their ill infant for a Chevrolet. Migrant workers Eugene and Jennifer Fire are being sought, and the couple who received the child as payment have been arrested; the child has been hospitalized due to malnutrition. The parents are believed to be heading from Florida to Alabama. [CBS]
- Wesley Grapp, the head of the Los Angeles FBI office, asked for and has received early retirement after a clash with acting FBI director L. Patrick Gray. The dress code for FBI employees, especially regarding mustaches, was an issue. [CBS]
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Stock Market Report
Dow Jones Industrial Average: 939.49 (-0.76, -0.08%)
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* |
| September 20, 1972 | 940.25 | 108.60 | 11.98 |
| September 19, 1972 | 943.18 | 108.55 | 13.33 |
| September 18, 1972 | 945.36 | 108.61 | 8.80 |
| September 15, 1972 | 947.32 | 108.81 | 11.69 |
| September 14, 1972 | 947.55 | 108.93 | 12.50 |
| September 13, 1972 | 949.88 | 108.90 | 13.07 |
| September 12, 1972 | 946.04 | 108.47 | 13.56 |
| September 11, 1972 | 955.00 | 109.51 | 10.71 |
| September 8, 1972 | 961.24 | 110.15 | 10.98 |
| September 7, 1972 | 962.45 | 110.29 | 11.09 |