News stories from Sunday December 25, 1977
Summaries of the stories the major media outlets considered to be of particular importance on this date:
- President Carter cut the funds requested by the Pentagon for full-scale development of a new mobile missile system, the largest and most costly missile program ever undertaken by this country. Development will continue despite the President's decision, but its pace will be slower, The Office of Management and Budget had told Mr. Carter that full-scale development of the missile should be delayed until further research was made on the "basing mode" for the nation's missiles. [New York Times]
- Charlie Chaplin died at the age of 88 at his home in Switzerland. He had lived there since 1952 after leaving the United States. The family physician said he died of "old age," and that his death "was peaceful and calm." He was surrounded at the end by members of his family. [New York Times]
- Farmers cut back plantings of winter wheat 14 percent in response to the weak market prices and the Agriculture Department's new set-aside requirements. Winter wheat, planted in the fall, accounts for three-fourths of the United States total wheat production. On the basis of the reduced plantings and the possibility that more farmers will participate in the set-aside pro-gram, the Agriculture Department estimates that the 1978 winter wheat crop will total 1.3 million bushels, 13 percent below the 1977 bumper harvest. [New York Times]
- The C.I.A., seeking to shape world opinion, became heavily involved in the publishing business, owning, subsidizing or influencing in some way dozens of English and foreign language publications around the world, an inquiry has found. The agency has employed dozens of American journalists working abroad, but an inquiry also concluded that, with a few notable exceptions, they were not used to further the agency's worldwide propaganda campaign. [New York Times]
- Full settlement of the lawsuits brought by utilities against Westinghouse Electric when it canceled uranium-supply contracts more than two years ago seems to be near. The case of the utilities against Westinghouse was one of the biggest private suits ever filed. Full settlement will cost Westinghouse probably more than $300 million, a lot less than some observers believed. Westinghouse in the meantime is suing 29 uranium producers, charging they had conspired with an international cartel to fix domestic uranium prices. Those prices, Westinghouse said, made it impossible to supply the uranium. 65 million pounds, it had contracted for. [New York Times]
- Canada faces a bleak New Year economically. On top of persistent inflation, now approaching the crippling double-digit pace of two years ago, and an unemployment rate that keeps setting post-Depression records, Canadians are being further squeezed by a drastic decline in the international value of their dollar. The dailies steep slide, which began 13 months ago, is linked to the country's unity crisis. [New York Times]
- New Jersey will be affected by a vote Congress is expected to take early in 1978 on offshore oil-drilling legislation. A Senate version of the regulations has been passed, but the House bill has been sidetracked for several months. Representative William Hughes, Democrat of Ocean City, says that the success of the major oil companies in holding the House action on its bill was "disgraceful." [New York Times]
- The first word from Ismailia, where President Anwar Sadat of Egypt received Israel's Prime Minister Menachem Begin, was that they would need more time than had been planned for negotiation at the request of Egypt. Mr. Begin was to remain overnight instead of returning to Israel and their joint press conference was postponed until tomorrow morning. Conference officials said this was decided after the Israelis submitted their plans for a Sinai agreement and for a declaration of intent on an overall Middle East settlement. They indicated the negotiations were tough and difficult. [New York Times]
- An Israeli cabinet member said he had been told that President Sadat had substantially agreed with Israel on terms of an Egyptian-Israeli peace settlement. Finance Minister Simcha Ehrlich said he had agreed that after peace was concluded there would be diplomatic, economic and cultural exchanges and open borders, including tourism. A central issue was Israel's plan for a two-stage withdrawal from Sinai while Mr. Sadat demanded a pullout in one move, the minister said. [New York Times]
- President Carter said that most major issues in the Begin-Sadat talks could be settled without Syria, which refused to participate in the negotiations. He seemed hopeful that Syria would join the talks, but his words seemed to indicate that Syria would be bypassed by events, and its territorial claim to the Golan Heights unresolved while other Middle East issues had been settled, at least in principle. [New York Times]
- Poland's Roman Catholic primate, Stefan Cardinal Wyszynski, praised the "enlightened" attitude of Poland's Communist authorities in a Christmas Day message that appeared to continue the rapprochement between church and state in the overwhelmingly Catholic country. He said he would give further explanation in a report on Jan. 6 on his recent visit to the Vatican and the Dec. 1 meeting there between Edward Gierek, the Communist Party leader, and Pope Paul VI. [New York Times]