January 8, 1972

BLS repts unemployment rate rose 0.1% to 6.1%, Dec, but notes jobless situation remained essentially unchanged because total employment also increased; says unemployment stabilized in ‘71 after rising all through ‘70 but did not decline, resulting in avg jobless rate of 5.9%, highest since 6.7% rate in ‘61; Labor Sec Hodgson asserts figures demonstrate need for employment stimulating measures proposed by Nixon in Aug and not acted upon by Cong until Dec; contends that as measures, chiefly tax reduction, take hold improvements will occur; Dem Natl Chmn O'Brien charges that Nixon's ‘very good yr’ in ‘72 has gotten off to very bad start; declares ‘72 must be Nixon's last yr in White House for the sake of livelihoods and dignity of millions of Amer families; AFL‐CIO sec‐treas Kirkland deplores continuing high joblessness; BLS puts total employment, based on household sample survey, at 80,133,000, 111,000 above Nov level, and total unemployment at 5,216,000, up 66,000 from Nov; notes jobless rate for black workers rose to 10% in 1st 6 mos of yr and remained there, level 1.8 times that for whites; says avg period of unemployment for person out of work rose to 11.4 wks, compared to 8.8 wks in ‘70; repts number out of work for 15 wks or more averaged 1,181,000, up sharply from 662,000 in ‘70; illus of BLS Comr Moore preparing to testify before Cong Joint Econ Com; graph shows fluctuation in unemployment rate, Dec ‘70‐Dec ‘71

Pres Nixon formally announces he will seek 2d term; affirms he wants name left on NH Repub Pres primary ballot, lr to NH State Sec Stark

D Paulino, B Fradkin, B Stern and R Comfort arrested in connection with Pierre Hotel robbery; NYC police and FBI agents recover almost $250,000 worth of stolen jewelry; Daley claims case has been solved but repts 4 men have been booked only on charge of possessing stolen property pending further investigation; police rept Paulino and Fradkin were arrested in Summit Hotel, Manhattan, as they were engaged in selling some of stolen jewelry; say Stern was taken into custody on st near Summit and Comfort at nearby Royal Manhattan Hotel; Fradkin identified as jeweler; Murphy holds there is ‘strong possibility’ that organized crime was involved in robbery; Daley says tip by FBI led to surveillance of 3 of arrested men; Lindsay lauds ‘outstanding’ work by police and FBI; police also recover 14 pairs of handcuffs used in robbery; illus of Murphy, Daley and J Malone of FBI with recovered jewels and handcuffs

L F Powell Jr and W H Rehnquist sworn in as the 99th and 100th members of the Sup Ct, 2d double ceremony in Ct's history; Chief Justice Burger administers oaths, Atty Gen Mitchell introduces appointees; audience includes Repub Sens Thurmond, Tower and Poff; Powell and Rehnquist illus prior to being sworn in

Natl Indus Trade Unions Orgn pres Lasky is shot to death in Queens, NYC