May 6, 1972

N Amdur, NY Times correspondent and passenger aboard craft, describes ordeal

White House speechwriter P J Buchanan suggests that Nixon Adm consider antitrust legis against ABC, CBS and NBC because of what he terms their 'monopoly' on news presentation, int on WNET; denounces what he calls liberal bias of networks and says if they continue to 'freeze out' opposing points of view and opposing information they are 'going to find something done in the area of antitrust type action'; tells interviewer E Drew that statements are 'personal' view and that he is certain that Adm is not drafting legis at present time; White House press sec G L Warren says he does not know what Nixon's views are on subject Buchanan discussed

Alitalia (Italian Airlines): Alitalia DC-8 on Rome-Palermo flight crashes into mountainside, May 6, during landing approach to Palermo's Punta Raisi Airport, killing all 115 aboard; map

Pres Nixon on May 5 rejects 2 proposals of his Comm on Population Growth, which recommend that all states greatly liberalize abortions laws to permit elective abortions and to make contraceptive devices and other family planning services widely available to teen-agers; issues statement after formally receiving rept from 24-member Comm on Population Growth and Amer Future, whose chmn is J D Rockefeller 3d; says he still regards abortion as 'unacceptable means of population control' and that he does not support so-called 'unrestricted abortion policies'; says that widespread distribution of contraceptives to minors will 'do nothing to preserve and strengthen close family relations'; says he places his trust in Amer people themselves to make judgments conducive to public interest and to family goals; reaffirmation of 'right' of married couples to determine family size seen ironic as comm bases this right on contention that abortion rules should be liberalized; Nixon says that comm's findings will be valuable to govts at all levels of public policy; does not elaborate on which provisions are valuable; does not comment on comm's basic proposal that US should slow and gradually stop growth of its population or suggestion that continuing migration out of rural areas be diverted away from larger cities into economically healthier smaller cities; Nixon's opposition to comm's recommendations on abortion and contraceptive devices is not unexpected as Pres revised liberalized abortion rules in mil hosps on Apr 3, '71, stating that he regards abortion as 'unacceptable' means of enlarging individual freedom

May 6: illus of US tanks being unloaded at Danang and US aircraft carrier Midway in Gulf of Tonkin; tanks will replace those lost by S Vietnamese