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The Daily News - March 1981

[NOTE: Some of the events described in a day's news may have occurred on the previous day.] Sunday, 1 March 1981 Black members of National League of Cities say President Reagan's proposed budget cuts will harm blacks.....Organizer of Save the Youth demonstration in Atlanta says killing of black children there an aspect of widespread violence against blacks.....Milwaukee firefighters strike despite court order; National Guard called in to replace firefighters.....Lack of funds causes shutdown of Birmingham, AL transit system.....Fighting reported between government troops and leftist guerrillas in El Salvador; guerrillas said to be planning new offensive.....State Dept. says aid to Nicaragua suspended due to that country's military aid to Salvadoran guerrillas.....Univ. of California-Berkeley researchers' discovery of four new galaxies announced.....Search continues for missing crewmen following last night's sinking of Korean freighter off Alaskan coast.....Israeli cabinet split over Reagan administration decision to sell Sidewinder missiles to Saudi Arabia. Monday, 2 March 1981 President Reagan criticizes special interest groups and their opposition to his economic plan at National League of Cities convention.....Labor Dept. to impose firing freeze on CETA jobs.....State Dept. announces increased military aid and more military advisers for El Salvador; Reagan receives telegram from representatives protesting decision to send American soldiers.....Secretary of State Alexander Haig meets with UN Secretary Kurt Waldheim, presenting evidence that Cuba is supplying arms to Salvadoran guerrillas.....Four prominent members of Britain's Labour Party to form new social-democratic party.....New Orleans police officer said to be responsible for shooting during yesterday's Mardi Gras parade.....Interior Secretary James Watt calls for opening public lands to mineral exploration.....National Commission on Air Quality, headed by Sen. Gary Hart, recommends dropping certain regulations when expiring Clean Air Act is renewed.....KKK and American Nazi members arrested in Greensboro, SC, accused of conspiracy to commit terrorist acts.....Religious fundamentalists challenge evolution theory in case involving California public school system; judge denies deputy attorney general's request to dismiss case.....Communist Party newspaper announces Poland's food shortage worsening.....South Africa expelled from UN General Assembly.....Egyptian defense minister dies in helicopter crash, western Egypt.....Sen. Robert Packwood says Congress may delay approval of Reagan's proposed tax cut. Tuesday, 3 March 1981 U.S. reportedly selling wheat to Iran as trade between two countries resume after hostage crisis.....Explosion occurs on bridge linking Florida mainland with the keys.....Wedding of Prince Charles and Lady Diana Spencer in London's St. Paul Cathedral set for July.....Communist Party Congress ends with reelection of President Leonid Brezhnev.....Federal Reserve Board Chairman Paul Volcker calls for additional budget cuts.....Additional funds requested from Congress by Defense Secretary Caspar Weinberger.....State Dept. announces postponement of arms control talks between U.S. and USSR.....President Reagan says U.S. involvement in El Salvador not similar to Vietnam situation.....UCLA scientists announce development of breath test for marijuana.....Chun Doo Hwan is officially sworn in as president of South Korea. Wednesday, 4 March 1981 U.S. official blames terrorist attack on American embassy in San Salvador on rightists.....U.S. Catholic Church opposed to American military aid for El Salvador; Salvadoran President Jose Napoleon Duarte says American military advisers will be restricted to noncombatant role.....Secretary of State Alexander Haig meets privately with senators to set record straight re: El Salvador.....President Reagan has breakfast with Republican freshman congressmen; 50 endorse his economic plan.....Sen. Ted Kennedy holding hearings on effects of proposed budget cuts on education, health and labor.....FBI psychological profile of killer of black children in Atlanta is made public.....Supreme Court rules employers don't have to prove one applicant more qualified than another to refute discrimination charges.....Polish Communist Party boss Stanislaw Kania assures Soviet President Leonid Brezhnev of Poland's stability during Moscow meeting.....U.S. diplomats expelled from Mozambique on espionage charges.....Senate Agriculture Committee rejects Carter-proposed increase in milk price support.....GM sales for last week of February said to be best ever.....Americans and Vietnamese refugee fishermen clash on Gulf Coast.....Earthquake reported in Athens, Greece.....Armenian Secret Army claims responsibility for shooting death of Turkish embassy aide in Paris.....Navy Secretary John Lehman calls for abandonment of SALT I agreement. Thursday, 5 March 1981 Attempted hijacking of Continental Airlines flight in Los Angeles reported.....Conservative House Democrats endorse President Reagan's budget cuts.....More earthquakes occur in Greece.....Winter storm batters Atlantic seaboard.....Authorities seek death penalty for Joseph Paul Franklin, convicted of murder and suspect in last year's shooting of National Urban League President Vernon Jordan.....USSR to hold military maneuvers in Poland later this month despite Polish objections.....Canadian Prime Minister Pierre Trudeau criticizes U.S. involvement in El Salvador, Australian Prime Minister John Malcolm Fraser supports it.....Reagan administration wants to eliminate Legal Services Corporation.....Reagan announces federal funds to help investigation of child murders in Atlanta.....Male panda Chia-Chia enroute from London to DC for mating with National Zoo female panda Ling-Ling. Friday, 6 March 1981 President Reagan defends policy re: El Salvador in news conference; Sen. Ted Kennedy says he will introduce legislation to halt military aid to Salvadoran government.....Body of another black child discovered in Atlanta.....Polish government cracks down on dissidents; Lech Walesa calls emergency meeting of Solidarity leadership.....Pakistani hostage murdered by terrorist aboard Pakistani airliner hijacked to Afghanistan.....Governors of auto industry states call for Reagan to limit Japanese imports.....UN General Assembly wants sanctions against South Africa.....Reagan administration announces decision to sell arms to Saudi Arabia.....Walter Cronkite anchors CBS evening news for last time. Saturday, 7 March 1981 American, Chester Bitterman, shot by M-19 terrorists in Bogota, Columbia.....Two American women among four hostages released by hijackers of Pakistani airliner in Afghanistan.....Reagan administration recommends setting aside controversial fishing agreement portion of U.S.-Canada treaty under consideration in Senate.....Hospital workers in Lodz, Poland fired due to their membership in union.....Two Palestinian terrorists attempt attack on Israel using hang gliders.....Anti-war protester Peter DeMott on trial in New London, CT for ramming boat into rudder of Trident nuclear sub.....Reagan administration easing pollution controls for new plant construction.....Budget Director David Stockman orders spending freeze in some federal agencies.....Salvadoran defense minister says military will guarantee free elections in El Salvador.....Eight teenagers die in auto accident in Scranton, PA.....Three earthquakes shake Athens, Greece. Sunday, 8 March 1981 U.S. helicopters given to Salvadoran army arrive in El Salvador.....Mexican government says it disapproves of American policy re: El Salvador.....Soviets urge European nations to encourage President Reagan to agree to U.S.-USSR summit conference.....Hijacked Pakistani airliner believed enroute from Afghanistan to Syria with three Americans still aboard.....Bomb scare results in evacuation of Caesars Boardwalk Regency Hotel.....Bad weather hampers efforts to rescue crewmen of sunken Israeli freighter near Bermuda.....New cuts reported coming in Agriculture, Interior, Commerce, Education, HHS and VA departments.....Coal miners plan nationwide protest of changes in black lung eligibility requirements......Georgia governor declares a statewide day of prayer re: murders of black children in Atlanta.....Atlanta Journal & Constitution prints letter from man claiming to be serial killer who says he will kill again.....Congress considering constitutional amendment requiring balanced federal budget.....Speaker of Iranian parliament accuses brother of Ayatollah Khomeini of plotting against government, calls for dismissal and trial of President Abolhassan Bani-Sadr.....Worldwatch Institute predicts 1980s will be decade of refugees.....Philadelphia Phillies reportedly for sale. Monday, 9 March 1981 President Reagan expresses willingness to arm Afghan rebels fighting Soviet occupation.....Anti-death demonstrators protest outside Indiana prison where convicted murderer Steven Judy is executed.....Several New York labor officials indicted due to FBI racketeering and extortion probe.....U.S. delegate to UN human rights commission equates Soviet violations of human rights with those of Hitler.....Hijacked Pakistani airliner now in Syria.....Reagan signs revised economic package to be sent to Congress.....Senate Labor Committee refuses to accept Health & Human Services budget cuts for 1982.....Coal miners march in Washington to protest proposed cuts in black lung benefits program; United Mine Workers proposes 2-day walkout.....British civil servants go on strike.....Prince Charles and Lady Diana Spencer make first public appearance since engagement announcement.....EPA calls for changes in Clean Air Act.....Stanford Univ. surgeons perform heart and lung transplant on Mary Gohlke.....Reagan administration dismisses team working on Law of the Sea treaty. Tuesday, 10 March 1981 President Reagan travels to Canada for meeting with Prime Minister Pierre Trudeau.....House agrees on timetable for consideration of budget and tax cut proposals as Reagan economic package reaches Congress; Reagan insists budget cuts won't hurt truly needy.....Anti-Hunger Coalition demonstrators protest cuts in nutrition programs.....Reagan's final proposed tax cut plan announced.....Postage rate increase to go into effect this month.....Sammy Davis, Jr. and Frank Sinatra give benefit concert in Atlanta to raise funds to help investigation of child murders.....United Auto Workers to rejoin AFL-CIO.....Citibank leads cutting of prime lending rate.....Leftist guerrillas seize town of San Lorenzo, El Salvador.....One-hour strike occurs in Lodz, Poland to protest firing of union hospital workers.....Attack made on U.S. Ambassador John Gunther Dean in Beirut.....More earthquakes reported in Greece. Paula Parkinson Wednesday, 11 March 1981 President Reagan addresses Canadian parliament.....National Aquarium reportedly may close due to budget cuts.....Rep. Patricia Schroeder says rich will get richer and the poor, poorer as result of Reagan economic plan.....Actress Jane Russell lobbies on behalf of children against proposed budget cuts.....Union members at Braniff vote a pay cut for themselves to help ailing airline.....Andrew "Rube" Foster, founder of Negro National League, named to baseball hall of fame.....El Salvador rejects OAS offer to mediate its civil war.....UN Human Rights Commission approves investigation into murders of Americans in El Salvador.....Possible link between coffee and pancreatic cancer announced by Harvard scientists.....Atlanta Mayor Maynard Jackson calls for congressional legislation to fund investigation into child murders. Thursday, 12 March 1981 Terrorists aboard hijacked Pakistani airliner in Damascus, Syria threaten to kill American hostages; government of Pakistan concedes to terrorist demands.....Bolshoi defector Yuri Stepanov returns to USSR; his arrest denied by KGB.....In Spain, Maj. Gen. Alfonso Armada arrested re: last month's attempted military coup.....Federal "Operation Grouper" culminates in largest drug bust in U.S. history, involving marijuana smuggling in several major cities.....Coal miners return to work after two-day protest of proposed cuts in black lung benefits.....Proposed executive order could increase CIA covert powers.....Congress votes down federal pay raise recommended by President Carter.....Price of orange juice jumps due to recent freeze in Florida.....Census Bureau reports Medicare is single largest federal benefits program.....New York's Chemical Bank reduces prime lending rate.....California supreme court upholds antibusing legislation.....In Poland, Solidarity threatens strike as government continues to harass dissidents.....Scandal allegedly involves some House members with lobbyist Paula Parkinson, recently featured in Playboy. Friday, 13 March 1981 President Reagan commits federal funds to help Atlanta in investigation of child murders.....Another missing child reported in Atlanta.....VP George Bush leaves for Atlanta tomorrow.....Reagan in New York City to watch son Ron's performance with Joffrey II ballet company.....Congressional delegation set to visit El Salvador cancels trip.....Salvadoran President Jose Napoleon Duarte accuses exiles living in Miami of financing right-wing terrorists.....Arrival of Green Berets soon to arrive in El Salvador.....Soyuz spacecraft docks with Salyut space station.....Former Bolshoi defector Yuri Stepanov released by secret police in Moscow.....Prince Charles suffers fall from horse.....Mary Pickford memorabilia auctioned off.....Teachers' strike in Ravenna, OH said to be longest in history. Saturday, 14 March 1981 Hijacking of Pakistani airliner ends in Damascus, Syria with surrender of terrorists; hostages released after Pakistan accedes to terrorist demands.....Fire consumes Chicago transient hotel.....VP George Bush arrives in Atlanta to meet child murders task force.....Ford Motor Co. steelworkers vote themselves a pay cut.....Coast Guard suspends search-and-rescue mission for crewmen of Japanese ship that sank off Aleutian Island.....President Reagan said to be considering arms shipment to Pakistan.....State Dept. protests presence of military officers at South Africa's Washington embassy who entered U.S. fraudulently.....Polish Communist leader Stanislaw Kania issues warning to Solidarity, which threatens to strike.....Speaker of Iranian parliament, Ayatollah Rafsanjani, agrees to televised debate with President Abolhassan Bani-Sadr. Sunday, 15 March 1981 Coretta Scott King and Ben Vereen lead march in Atlanta re: recent spate of child murders.....Rep. Clarence Long departs on fact-finding trip to El Salvador.....Sen. Robert Byrd calls on President Reagan to act re: Japanese auto imports; presidential task force may ask Japan to impose voluntary restraints.....In Philadelphia, transit workers strike.....Former American hostage on hijacked Pakistani plane wanted on drug charges in U.S......Budget Director David Stockman defends proposed budget cuts, predicts economic recovery.....Georgia eliminates Medicaid funding for abortion.....Reagan administration and mining lobby opposed to Law of the Sea Treaty provision that would establish international agency to control ocean mining.....Reported mobster Philip Testa slain in car bombing in Philadelphia.....A failed coup reported in Suriname. Monday, 16 March 1981 State Dept. accuses USSR of cooperating with hijackers of Pakistani airliner; former hostage traveling as American said to be Canadian fugitive; former hostage wanted on drug smuggling charges in U.S. held under house arrest in Damascus, Syria; Libyan and Soviet spies among those freed from Pakistani jails as per deal struck with hijackers.....Senate Budget Committee begins hearings on President Reagan's proposed budget cuts; Reagan says poor won't be hurt.....White House responds to criticisms from educators of proposed budget cuts.....Man is shot trying to defect to East Germany at Berlin Wall.....Solidarity leader Lech Walesa succeeds in canceling strike in Polish town.....Contractors' convention names Reagan "man of the year".....Rep. Clarence Long meets with President Jose Napoleon Duarte in San Salvador.....Sen. Dennis DeConcini reportedly receives assassination threat after 60 Minutes interview re: alleged cocaine smuggling by Bolivian government official. Tuesday, 17 March 1981 Contract negotiations between coal companies and United Mine Workers called off.....Carol Burnett testifies in libel suit against National Enquirer.....Los Angeles school board ends mandatory busing.....Community vigilante movement in Atlanta attributed to child murders there.....Terrorists bomb embassy car containing U.S. Marines in Costa Rica.....Massive demonstration by unemployed occurs in Naples, Italy.....U.S.embassy in San Salvador attacked by terrorists.....Sen. Alan Cranston claims Iraq and Pakistan are on verge of having nuclear weapons.....Prince Charles falls off horse again during attempt to qualify as steeplechase jockey.....Warsaw Pact begins military exercises in Poland.....Education Secretary Terrel Bell announces freeze on consideration of college aid applications.....President Reagan attends St. Patrick's Day activities at Irish embassy along with Sen. Ted Kennedy and House Speaker Tip O'Neill. Wednesday, 18 March 1981 Soviet Union warns against U.S. military involvement in Afghanistan.....Secretary of State Alexander Haig testifies before House Foreign Affairs Committee re: Soviet adventurism and role in international terrorism.....New York's Chemical Bank lowers prime lending rate.....Congressional subcommittee opens hearings on MIAs in Southeast Asia.....Mt. Etna volcano erupts in Sicily.....Japanese trade minister calls for voluntary restraint on auto exports.....Defense Secretary Caspar Weinberger calls for income tax exemption for some military personnel.....Some jurors in Carol Burnett/National Enquirer trial dismissed dur to remarks made last night by Johnny Carson on Tonight Show; Enquirer attorney calls for mistrial.....Coal miners stage wildcat walkouts.....Former President Jimmy Carter gives guest lecture at Princeton.....National Hockey League record of 9 goals in one period set by the Buffalo Sabres. Thursday, 19 March 1981 Technician dies during countdown test of space shuttle Columbia.....Police brutality against Solidarity members in Polish city is alleged.....Carol Burnett's libel case against National Enquirer goes to jury.....Tornados reported in and around Orlando, FL; forest fire raging near Jacksonville, FL.....Senate Budget Committee recommends budget cuts exceeding those proposed by Reagan administration.....Actors John Amos and Liv Ullman appear before House subcommittee in support of foreign aid to East Africa.....Sicily's Mt. Etna continues to erupt.....State of Massachusetts closes oil deal with Venezuela. Friday, 20 March 1981 President Reagan warns USSR to stay out of Polish affairs; police brutality against Solidarity members in Bydgoszcz leads to growing labor unrest.....Jean Harris sentenced to 15-years-to-life for murder of "Scarsdale Diet" Dr. Herman Tarnower.....Armed paramilitary group arrested near Florida's Crystal River nuclear power plant.....Forest fire forces evacuation of residents near Jacksonville, FL.....Reagan expresses opposition to abortion in speech to Conservative Political Action conference.....USSR attacks U.S. policy towards South Africa.....Nigerian president criticizes proposed U.S. military support of Angolan rebels.....Reagan discusses auto exports during White House meeting with former Japanese Prime Minister Takeo Fukuda.....Jacob Javits offered ambassadorship to UN European Office in Geneva.....White House releases list of contributors for refurbishing of private quarters; list includes Walter Annenberg, Alfred Bloomingdale, Armand Hammer.....Former President Isabel Peron sentenced to 8 years in prison in Argentina. John Hinckey subdued seconds after shooting at President Reagan Saturday, 21 March 1981 VP George Bush guest of honor at launching of new nuclear sub, USS Houston in Newport News, VA.....U.S. and Egypt sign nuclear cooperation agreement.....President Reagan's key policy advisers address Conservative Political Action conference this weekend....Reagan announces a council on integrity and efficiency in government.....Blacks in Meriden, CT protest shooting death of local black by white policeman; KKK organizes counter demonstration.....Forest fires continue to rage near Jacksonville, FL; suspected arsonist arrested.....Highrise fire reported in Santiago, Chile.....Government launches military offensive in El Salvador.....Honduras says death squads from El Salvador are attacking Salvadoran refugee camps.....Sen. Robert Byrd criticizes Reagan administration for lack of coherent foreign policy.....Protesters against arrest of vigilantes yetserday demonstrate in Atlanta.....Firefighters strike ends in Milwaukee, WI.....United Mine Workers spokesman says miners' strike imminent.....First class postage raised to 18 cents. Sunday, 22 March 1981 USSR extends Warsaw Pact maneuvers in Poland; Lech Walesa meets with Polish government officials in effort to avert nationwide strike; Solidarity cancels strikes to protest police beatings of union members.....Japanese auto industry said willing to voluntarily curb exports to U.S......Gerald Ford arrives in Peking, China with message from President Reagan re: American.-Chinese relations.....Chicago Mayor Jane Byrne moves temporarily into housing project to draw attention to inner city needs.....Soyuz 39, carrying Soviet and Mongolian cosmonauts, is launched.....Green Berets arrive in El Salvador.....Attack on U.S. embassy in Beirut reported.....U.S. will not attend SALT I compliance meeting in Geneva.....Egypt calls on UN to form international peacekeeping force to police Sinai following Israel's withdrawal.....Budget Director David Stockman calls for more federal budget cuts. Monday, 23 March 1981 Solidarity said to be still considering nationwide strike to protest police beatings of union members.....European Common Market conference opens in The Netherlands; chief topic to be Europe's economy.....United Mine Workers and coal companies reach possible accord in contract negotiations.....Japan's foreign minister meets with Secretary of State Alexander Haig and Trade Representative Bill Brock re: Japanese auto exports to U.S......Sen. Ernest Hollings introduces legislation that would allow President Reagan to end voluntary military draft.....Soviet dissident Andrei Sakharov accuses KGB of stealing his scientific papers.....Carol Burnett's libel suit against National Enquirer goes to jury.....British Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher calls for investigation into possibility that former MI-5 chief was Soviet spy, based on allegations made in London Daily Mail.....Colombia suspends diplomatic relations with Cuba.....Reagan invites March of Dimes poster children to White House to honor UN's Year of Disable Persons.....State Dept. confirms UN Ambassador Jeane Kirkpatrick met with South African military intelligence chief, contrary to U.S. policy. Tuesday, 24 March 1981 European Common Market conference in The Netherlands ends with promise of continued aid to Poland.....Japanese foreign minister visits White House.....Reagan administration requests increased economic and military aid to El Salvador.....West German police raids target neo-Nazis.....Reagan administration calls for lower minimum wage for teenagers.....Demonstration in Des Moine, IA in protest of administration's planned cutbacks in job training programs.....Secretary of State Alexander Haig objects to naming of VP George Bush as head of crisis management team.....Treasury Secretary Don Regan calls for eliminating air bags as part of auto industry deregulation.....Reagan administration calls for elimination of Conrail.....Great Train Robber, Ronald Biggs, arrested in Barbados after having been kidnapped in Brazil by British special forces.....Senate votes in favor of Reagan proposal to eliminate dairy price supports. Wednesday, 25 March 1981 Polish government and Solidarity unsuccessful in attempt to avert nationwide strike.....Electric Boat Co. calls for reversal of Navy decision to award submarine construction contract to a competitor.....Fuel test of space shuttle Columbia conducted.....Terrorists attack U.S. embassy in San Salvador.....London Daily Mail alleges former Labour Party chairman was KGB and MI-5 double agent.....Black man reportedly lynched by three whites in Mobile, AL.....Black leaders call for end of vigilante groups in Atlanta.....Selective Service director announces investigation of those who failed to register for military draft last year. Thursday, 26 March 1981 U.S. repeats warning to USSR as Polish unions say they will proceed with scheduled nationwide strike tomorrow.....Carol Burnett wins libel suit against National Enquirer.....FBI Director William Webster says progress being made in investigation of Atlanta child murders, believes there is more than one killer.....Congressional Black Caucus calls for dismissal of UN Ambassador Jeane Kirkpatrick following her meeting with South African military officials.....British Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher criticizes London Daily Mail for claiming former MI-5 chief Sir Roger Hollis was Soviet spy.....Barbados court delays decision on extradition of train robber Ronald Biggs to Britain.....Rep. Tom Lantos introduces legislation to make Raoul Wallenberg, who helped Lantos and many other escape Nazis in World War II, an honorary U.S. citizen. Friday, 27 March 1981 Polish government and Solidarity resume negotiations as temporary strike occurs.....Building under construction in Cocoa Beach, FL collapses.....Plane hijacked in Honduras flown to Nicaragua, hijackers demand release of Salvadoran prisoners held in Honduran jails.....Senate debates proposed budget cuts in school lunch program.....Coal miners begin general strike.....Egypt said to be selling Soviet weapons to Iraq.....State Dept. involved in cancellation of planned visit to U.S. by Angolan rebel leader Jonas Savimbi.....Queen Elizabeth gives formal consent to marriage of Prince Charles to Lady Diana Spencer.....Test of space shuttle Columbia described as successful.....More terrorist bombings in San Salvador reported.....Reagan administration said to be reviewing current auto industry regulations. Saturday, 28 March 1981 Search and rescue crews find no more survivors in collapsed Cocoa Beach, FL building.....Demonstrations in Harrisburg, PA marks second anniversary of Three Mile Island nuclear plant accident.....Demonstration in front of White House in protest of administration's proposed cuts in CETA job program.....Hijacked Honduran airliner leaves Nicaragua.....Negotiations continue in Poland between government and Solidarity to avert general strike set for Tuesday.....United Mine Workers President Sam Church tries to gain support of miners for recently negotiated contract.....Phil Mahre becomes first American to win men's world ski championship in Switzerland. Sunday, 29 March 1981 Reports that Poland's Politburo has resigned en masse not yet confirmed.....American hostage wounded by terrorists and British hostage escapes from hijacked Indonesian airliner in Bangkok, Thailand.....Hijackers of Honduran airliner surrender in Panama.....London Sunday Times claims Lord Mountbatten was involved in plot to overthrow government of Harold Wilson; Wilson confirms 1968 plot.....Dick Beardsley and Inge Simenson win London Marathon.....Defense Secretary Caspar Weinberger says he and President Reagan are opposed to military draft on ABC's Issues & Answers.....Final fuel tests for space shuttle Columbia are successful. Monday, 30 March 1981 Assassination attempt on President Reagan reported; John Hinckley, Jr. in custody; Secret Service agent Timothy McCarty, policeman Thomas Delahanty and White House press secretary James Brady shot; Reports of Brady's death prove to be untrue; Reagan goes into emergency surgery with bullet in chest; Secretary of State Alexander Haig says he is in control at White House pending arrival of VP George Bush, enroute from Texas.....Academy Awards postponed until tomorrow night due to shooting.....Polish government and Solidarity reach agreement, averting strike scheduled for tomorrow.....Hijacking of Indonesian airliner ends in Thailand with commando assault on plane.....DeWitt Wallace, founder of Reader's Digest, dies at 91. Tuesday, 31 March 1981 Link between assassination attempt and John Hinckley's obession with actress Jody Foster reported; Hinckley held at Marine base at Quantico, VA, undergoes psychiatric examination.....Attorney General William French Smith brief Congressional leaders on shooting; French says Reagan's opposition to gun control unchanged after assassination attempt.....Dr. Dennis O'Leary says President Reagan is doing well in aftermath of surgery; Reagan signs dairy price support legislation from hospital bed.....Controversy arises over Secretary of State Alexander Haig's incorrect pronouncement of line of presidential succession yesterday.....Reagan's videotaped message aired at Academy Award ceremonies.....Most recent murdered child, discovered yesterday in Atlanta, is identified.....Striking coal miners vote on new contract.....Military coup in Thailand overthrows government of Prime Minister Prem Tinsulanonda.....Ordinary People wins Best Picture at 53rd Academy Awards.....National Velvet author Enid Bagnold dies.