Kidnappers in Italy freed J. Paul Getty III, the 17-year-old grandson of the person who was, at the time, the wealthiest man in the world. The teenager, whose captors had cut off his ear while he was held hostage, was found on the side of a country road near the town of Lagonegro, almost 100 miles (160 km) south of Naples, after payment of a $2.9 million ransom. Getty was found at a deserted service station in southern Italy, more than five months after he had disappeared from Rome. “My kidnappers cut my ear off,” the youth told a police captain who found him. An agent of the Getty family gave a huge ransom to bandits somewhere in southern Italy. Sources close to the family said that the equivalent of $2.8 million, presumably in Italian banknotes, had been paid.
Britons began the weekend facing renewed power cuts and a complete suspension of Sunday train service. Tomorrow, the Chancellor of the Exchequer, Anthony Barber, will announce a series of economic restrictions complementing the cuts in energy use and in the work week announced by Prime Minister Heath last week. His message is likely to involve tax increases and other restrictions on spending money.
Paul Erdman, key American figure in Switzerland’s biggest bank scandal, was found guilty of fraud, forgery and dishonest business practices and sentenced to nine years’ imprisonment, a $25,000 fine and 15 years’ expulsion from Switzerland. This had no practical effect because Erdman was in the United States after jumping $100,000 bail. He was the sole American among eight accused executives of the defunct United California Bank of Basel A.G., which closed three years ago with a total loss of $53.4 million. The other defendants drew lighter sentences. After the scandal broke, United California Bank in Los Angeles, which owned 59% of the Swiss bank, fully reimbursed. clients, taking the entire loss.
A young American soldier shot and killed three other GIs with a submachine gun and wounded a fourth in a barracks at an anti-aircraft missile base 37 miles east of Heidelberg, West Germany, a spokesman for the U.S. Army in Europe said. The soldier is being held, but the Army provided no names or further details of the shooting at the town of Dallau.
Amnesty International, the organization dedicated to assisting political prisoners, has charged that torture as a systematic weapon of control is being used by almost half the world’s governments and is spreading rapidly. This was the central theme of a two‐day conference called by the organization here this week. Its aim was to arouse public opinion to charges, documented in varying degrees, that at least 64 nations, democracies as well as police states, are engaging in physical and mental torture for political ends. The conference source materials presented a harrowing catalogue of methods used to neutralize opposition and maintain power. Increasingly sophisticated techniques include unbearable noise pitches as well as the obliteration of sight, sound and touch stimuli to break victims without leaving physical evidence of brutality.
Pope Paul VI will celebrate this year’s midnight Christmas Mass in St. Peter’s Basilica before a general congregation, the Vatican announced. It will be the first time the Mass will be said for the general public.
The heads of the nine Common Market countries, meeting in Copenhagen, managed after a long and bitter argument to agree to face the oil crisis together, but only at the price of a new statement on the Middle East that they hoped would please the Arabs. West German Chancellor Willy Brandt said that the leaders had succeeded in speaking with “a single European voice,” but “a very difficult period lay ahead.”
A senior American official traveling with Secretary of State Kissinger in the Middle East said that the start of the Middle East peace conference in Geneva would probably be delayed about three days, to Friday. The conference had been expected to begin Tuesday. He said that because of continuing disagreement over procedural questions, it had been agreed to delay the opening to allow time for the problems to be ironed out. Formal announcement of the new starting date is not expected until after Mr. Kissinger discusses the situation with Israeli officials.
Captain Richard Morgan Rees serving with Field Team 6, Control Team B, Headquarters, Joint Casualty Resolution Center was killed when Viet Cong forces ambushed a joint U.S.-South Vietnamese team engaged on an MIA recovery mission 15 miles (24 km) southwest of Saigon. A South Vietnamese pilot was also killed in the attack and another four Americans were wounded. As a result of this attack all U.S. MIA field recovery efforts were indefinitely suspended.
Waves of Cambodian troops backed by rocket-firing armor attacked Communist positions about 10 miles northwest of Phnom Penh in an effort to reopen Highway 5, the capital’s link to the nation’s rice-producing area. In four hours of hard fighting the government troops blew up 20 enemy bunkers and huts and had lost two men killed and 11 wounded, field reports said. Shelling and skirmishing was also reported in other areas around the capital.
The Soviet Union accused the United States of maintaining about 24,000 troops in South Vietnam disguised as civilians in violation of the Paris peace agreement. The charge was made in the Tass news agency and in Moscow newspapers. Tass said the U.S. troops were directing operations by government police and armed forces. The charges were made as part of Moscow’s first major commentary on the meeting between Secretary of State Henry A. Kissinger and Hanoi’s Le Duc Tho in Paris this coming Thursday.
Lo Hsing-han, known as the “opium king of the Golden Triangle,” has gone on trial on charges of high treason in Rangoon, Burma. The prosecution also charged that Lo, a 38-year-old Chinese from Burma, had taken up arms against the Burmese armed forces and had attempted to “destroy socialist economic construction” in the country. Lo also faces charges of smuggling opium, jade and other precious stones to Thailand.
Turkish President Fahri Koruturk asked caretaker Premier Naim Talu to form a coalition government to lead Turkey to new elections. The decision came after a two-month government crisis following general elections in October in which no party got a majority in the Assembly. The two leading parties are expected to discuss the coalition and the elections this week.
Rain-clogged mountain streams overflowed in Port Alice, British Columbia, isolating the pulp mill town 2,500 on the northern end of Vancouver Island. No injuries were reported, but authorities ordered the evacuation of residents to a logging camp five miles away. About two inches of rain fell during the day. Rampaging waters carried away one house, damaged several others and damaged the only road link between the town and other parts of the island.
Kenya celebrated 10 years of independence this week, a decade that has seen the East African republic emerge as a model of a pragmatic, conservative stategy of development. Bunting, flags and the shield with crossed spears that symbolizes independent Kenya covered almost every downtown building in Nairobi and in other towns from the Indian Ocean coast to the shores of Lake, Victoria. There was a full week of ceremonies, receptions and speeches to mark the anniversary of uhuru, or independence from Britain, which came Dec. 12, 1963. As the patriarchal President, Jomo Kenyatta, had for 10 years, he reiterated in his speeches his exhortations to the 12 million Kenyans to work hard, not to expect something for nothing and to preserve “peace, unity and stability.”
U.S. President Nixon signed the Emergency Daylight Saving Time Energy Conservation Act, a bill providing for daylight saving time year round, into law. With clocks to be set forward one hour to standard time on January 6, rather than on the last Sunday in April. President Nixon called on Congress to complete action before Christmas on legislation providing emergency powers to conserve energy as he signed a bill putting the nation on year-round daylight saving time on Sunday, January 6. He urged Congress to act on other energy-saving measures submitted by him, even though they might “require inconvenience and sacrifice.”
President Nixon’s intended gift to the American people of his estate in San Clemente, California, will give him another big tax deduction right about the time the one for his pre-Presidential papers is running out. Tax lawyers who have been looking at the President’s financial disclosures calculate that the deduction for the gift of the estate will be somewhat smaller year by year than the one Mr. Nixon has been taking for the disputed gift to the National Archives of his papers. Since the President and Mrs. Nixon intend to use the San Clemente estate throughout their lives and will give it to the nation only after both are dead, they will be eligible for an immediate tax deduction, but not for the estate’s full value.
A steady 10-year decline in high school students’ scores on the Scholastic Aptitude Test, underlined by a drop for this year’s graduates, puzzles educators who thought students were getting smarter. The S.A.T. is the principal admissions examination used by many of the country’s institutions of higher education, especially the private ones. It is sponsored by the College Entrance Examination Board.
Americans who have come to take mobility for granted are facing this holiday season the most choked system of transportation that the nation has experienced in years, possibly since World War II. Cancellation of hundreds of airline flights because of jet fuel shortages has made seats unavailable on scores of routes over the holidays, and uncertain gasoline supplies have made families wary of driving very far on holiday trips.
The Trustees of the American Psychiatric Association (APA) voted, 13 to 0, to remove homosexuality from the APA’s list of mental illnesses described in its upcoming edition of Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM-II). The resolution, introduced by Dr. Robert L. Spitzer and endorsed by APA President Alfred Freedman, declared that “by itself, homosexuality does not meet the criteria for being a psychiatric disorder” and resolved that the APA “will no longer insist on a label of sickness for individuals who insist that they are well and demonstrate no generalized impairment in social effectiveness.” The American Psychological Association had revised its own works in 1972, removing homosexuality from being identified as a form of “abnormal psychology.”
A Lockheed L-1049 Super Constellation cargo plane crashed into a neighborhood shortly after taking off from the Miami International Airport, killing six people on the ground and all three of the crew. The leased aircraft was carrying a cargo of Christmas trees to Venezuela, and impacted on the 3100 block of NW 30th Street at 11:53 p.m.
A three-judge federal court in Newark, New Jersey, ruled that a widower could collect Social Security benefits. The court said a law that provided benefits to widows but prohibited payments to widowers was unconstitutional because it discriminated. The judges ordered the federal government to stop rejecting requests from men who sought to collect benefits earned by their late wives. The ruling was in the case of Stephen Weisenfeld, whose wife, Paula, a teacher, died in childbirth in June, 1972. The child survived and is cared for by Weisenfeld, who is unemployed.
Governor John J. Gilligan of Ohio is expected to name businessman-lawyer Howard Metzenbaum to fill the unexpired term of Sen. William B. Saxbe, who is awaiting confirmation as U.S. attorney general. Metzenbaum, a 56-year-old, rags-to-riches millionaire and a liberal, is seeking the Democratic nomination for the U.S. Senate in 1974. The only other announced candidate in the race is former astronaut John Glenn Jr.
John P. Lomenzo, New York secretary of state, will resign December 31, Governor Nelson A. Rockefeller announced. Earlier this year, Lomenzo was questioned by investigators from the state’s Organized Crime Task Force in connection with alleged intervention in the awarding of a state construction contract to a friend. He insisted then that he was innocent of any wrongdoing and he received support from Rockefeller. The printed announcement of the resignation included copies of letters between Rockefeller and Lomenzo. Neither of the letters mentioned the investigation.
Veterans who hold World War I and World War II GI insurance will receive another record dividend next year, the Veterans Administration announced. The 3.75 million holders of World War II National Service Life Insurance policies will receive an average of $75 a policy. The 138,000 World War I veterans who hold U.S. government life insurance policies will receive an average of $156 a policy. The increased dividends result chiefly from higher interest earnings in the funds for the two types of policies.
A judge in Deland, Florida, sentenced a teen-ager to life in prison in the torture-slaying of a California youth. The sentence was imposed on Kenneth Francis, 17, by Volusia County Circuit Judge Uriel Blount after the jury returned a verdict of guilty and recommended mercy. Under state legislation passed last December, Francis could have been ordered executed. He is the second youth to be given a life sentence in the April 27 killing of Michael Cochran, 17, of Fresno.
The Memphis, Tennessee, police department disciplined 39 officers for sexual involvement with a 19-year-old girl arrested for prostitution. Police director Jay W. Hubbard said there was evidence that 24 officers had relations with Charlotte Tyler of Paris, Arkansas. In two instances, he said, the involvement occurred “on duty and in a police vehicle.” Discipline ranged from reprimands to 45-day suspensions. Mrs. Tyler was arrested in October and was found to have venereal disease. When told of the disease, she said a number of officers might also be infected. When the investigation began, some police sources said as many as 200 officers might be involved.
The Pirates of the Caribbean ride opens at Disneyland.
Dundee defeated Celtic, 1 to 0, to win the Scottish League Cup before almost 28,000 spectators at Hampden Park in Glasgow.
Sandy Hawley becomes 1st jockey to win 500 races in 1 year.
Tennessee beats Temple 11-6 in low scoring NCAA basketball game.
NFL Football:
The Pittsburgh Steelers assured themselves of a National Football League playoff berth by beating the San Francisco 49ers, 37—14, today, and kept alive their chance to win the championship of the Central Division of the American Conference. The Steelers took command of the game after 49ers quarterback John Brodie, making the final appearance of a 17‐year career, had to retire with a sore arm after the first quarter, which ended 7—7. A touchdown from inches out by Preston Pearson gave the Steelers a 14—7 lead shortly before halftime, and two 27‐yard field goals by Roy Gerela and a 50‐yard touchdown pass play from Terry Bradshaw to Frank Lewis opened up things in the third quarter. Thus the Steelers completed their schedule with a 10‐4 won‐lost record. If Cincinnati loses or ties at Houston tomorrow, the Steelers will finish first in the division and face Miami next Sunday in the first round of the playoffs. But if Cincinnati wins, and becomes the division champion (on the strength of a better intraconference record), the Steelers will be the wild ‐ card team, with the best record of the conference’s second.) place teams. In that case, they will play the winner of tomorrow’s Oakland‐Denver game in the first round next Saturday. The Steelers’ victory greatly diminished the faint playoff hopes retained by Cleveland and Buffalo. Both will be eliminated if Cincinnati wins or ties. But if Cincinnati loses, Cleveland can move ahead by winning its game at Los Angeles, because Cleveland would have a better record within the division.
Bob Griese and Paul Warfield, tuning up for their American Conference playoff test on December 23, hooked up on four touchdown passes in the first half today and the Miami Dolphins posted a 34—7 victory over the Detroit Lions. Griese, the quarterback, hit Warfield on touchdown throws of 21 and, 7 yards in the first quarter and with passes of 16 and 4 yards in the second period. The pair played only the first half of their final National Football Conference regular season game. Griese completed 15 passes for a total of 141 yards. Warfield, a wide receiver, caught six of them for 103 yards. Garo Yepremian kicked the four extra points and a field goal of 27 yards in the second period to give Miami a 31—0 half‐time lead. The victory gave Miami, the Eastern Division champions a 12‐2 regular season won-lost record to carry into the first playoff game against Cincinnati or Pittsburgh.
Detroit did not cross midfield, until eight minutes into the third period. The Lions never threatened to score until the final quarter when they got a first down on the Miami 1‐yard line. They lost the ball on an interception by Henry Stuckey. Detroit finally did score with. 36 seconds left. Steve Owens burst over the middle from 5 yards out, capping a 61‐yard, eight‐play drive. The big play was a 35‐yard pass from Mickey Zofko, a halfback, to Ron Jessie. The Lions finished the season 6–7‐1 under Don McCafferty, a new coach. Detroit made it easy for the Dolphins, who played the game with six regulars held out because of injuries. On the second play of the game, Mel Farr fumbled and Vern Den. Herder, an end, recovered for Miami at the Detroit 21. Griese hit Warfield for the score on the next play. The fourth Warfield touchdown came after Larry Ball of Miami intercepted a pass by Bill Munson at the Detroit 33. The Dolphins drove 82 yards in 10 plays and 64 yards in eight plays for their second and third touchdowns.
Pittsburgh Steelers 37, San Francisco 49ers 14
Detroit Lions 7, Miami Dolphins 34
Born:
Surya Bonaly, French-born figure skater with five consecutive European ladies’ singles championships from 1991 to 1995; in Nice, France.
Mike Cherry, NFL quarterback (New York Giants), in Texarkana, Arkansas.
History Diaries 