This Day In 1970's History: Tuesday February 10, 1976
- President Ford ordered a review of bribery and other illegal activities by American corporations and executives in foreign countries. This could lead to sanctions against offenders. The White House press secretary said Mr. Ford was leaning toward creation of a cabinet-level committee to investigate such practices. One possible sanction, he added, could be to disqualify offenders from bidding for federal contracts. Senate subcommittee documents show millions of dollars in agents' fees were paid to accounts in Liechtenstein and Switzerland for the sale of Lockheed aircraft to South Africa, Nigeria and Spain. [New York Times]
- The Lockheed Aircraft Corporation has lost a $1.3 billion Japanese order for new airplanes because of its involvement in a payoff scandal, Japanese government officials said. As a result, they said, the anti-submarine-warfare buildup urged on Japan by the United States has been set back a year or more. [New York Times]
- President Ford signed a $112.3 billion defense appropriation bill while saying that Congress had "lost their guts" by including in it a ban on further aid to the forces in the Angola civil war opposing the faction supported by the Soviet Union and Cuba. He said that while Soviet-American detente had not worked with Angola, it might work in the case of the strategic arms limitation negotiations. [New York Times]
- At a hearing out of the jury's presence to help the court to decide the admissibility of certain evidence about Patricia Hearst's behavior in the months following the bank robbery for which she is on trial, testimony came from a witness who was held captive by Miss Hearst and William and Emily Harris following a later shooting incident. He testified that after she freed the other two with a blast of gunfire as they faced arrest, she said it was a good feeling to see her comrades running across the street. [New York Times]
- Senator Lloyd Bentsen withdrew from the presidential race after his poor showing in the early caucuses. The Texas Democrat said he would attempt to lead a favorite-son delegation to the convention. He blamed political "polarization" for his failure. [New York Times]
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