Wearing Black For The Man In Black – September 12, 2003

On top of everything else; the loss of an icon. (photo: Jan Olofsson)

Click on the link here for Audio Player: BBC Radio 4 – PM – September 12, 2003

News for this day ten years ago had much to do with a world in turmoil, but the loss of an American Music icon added a poignancy to September 12th.

On this September 12th in 2003, news of the lifting of UN sanctions against Libya, in place since the terrorist bombing of PanAm Flight 103 over Lacherbie Scotland and the killing of 243 passengers and 16 crew had many in the White House skeptical over the vote. Libya was still considered a major player in the “War on Terror” and aides to Bush were quick to point out the sanctions lift didn’t really change all that much with respect to the U.S. position on the Khadafi regime.

And the situation in Iraq dragged on with news from Fallujah that 8 Iraqi security personnel were mistakenly killed by U.S. troops. And new agitation was going along with the anxiety over the allegations of an Iranian Nuclear program and what that would mean for the region.

Since the newscast for this day comes via the BBC, much news was spent on the comings and goings of the Green Party in the UK, and their plans for the rest of Europe in the coming elections. Also, the economic situation with the EU and the problems with some member nations.

But the sad news came from Baptist Hospital in Nashville, with word that American music legend Johnny Cash had died at the age of 71 from complications associated with Diabetes.

The tributes poured in and this episode of PM offered a heartfelt tribute to the legendary Man In Black who was extremely popular in the UK.

And that’s part of what went on in the world this day, as reported by BBC Radio  4’s PM program for September 12, 2003.

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Cold War Tinderbox – March 19, 1948

Roman Spring – 1948. Weather is here – wish you were beautiful.

Click on the link here for Audio Player: News for March 19, 1948

Characterized as a tinderbox by the State Department, Turkey, Italy, Greece and the Balkan region were hot in the grips of rioting on this March 19th in 1948. Telling too, were reports of Turkish diplomats leaving Hungary and Hungarian diplomats leaving Ankara as a sign of worsening relations between the U.S. backed Turkey and the Soviet-backed Hungary. Greece claimed the Russian army was poised at the Greek border with reports that Communist guerillas were planning attacks on Salonika within the next few days. And reports of heavy Russian military traffic on the move in Albania and Rumania.

In Rome, riots broke out ahead of the general elections slated for April 18th. European Union leaders were concerned the amount of disruption going on would make it impossible to build an alliance strong enough and soon enough to ward off the Communist influence so prevalent in Eastern Europe. In a speech in Berkeley California, Secretary of State George C. Marshall warned that Communist encroachments in Europe could no longer go unchecked. He compared these encroachments to the same planned by the Nazi regime years earlier. He pinned the responsibility of the European recovery on the U.S., saying we had to take a postion of leadership in order to prevent the communist influence from taking hold and we couldn’t allow these influences to take hold because of our inaction.

As a result, Congress voted to approve a $5 billion Foreign Aid package. with nearly $300 million in military aid for Greece and Turkey and $500 million in economic aid to China.

Also heading for debate was the question of reinstating the Military Draft with various bills under consideration including one that advocated drafting military aged men, but not veterans. It was all promising to become a hot-button topic in the coming weeks.

At the UN, the U.S. dropped the Palestine Partition Plan, killing it dead in the water, saying instead that UN trusteeship control be imposed over the Palestine region and that another special Assembly meeting be convened to decide Palestine’s future. The irony was the U.S. was one of the prime architects in the Partition Plan the previous year. The fear was, with no resolution, the region would be reduced to turmoil with endless fighting between Arabs and Jews.

In other news – weather for this March 19th wasn’t good. With tornadoes cutting a swatch across 9 states, leaving some 39 dead and millions in destruction. Adding to that, heavy rains and flooding bringing the damage totals up. The worst however, was said to be over.

On top of all that – the Coal strike continued – meat prices continued to climb and the grain market was tossed into uncertainty.

Not a good day to get out of bed, it sounded like – via this edition of News Of The World for March 19, 1948.

Years Of Crisis – 1958 – Past Daily Reference Room: Through A Glass Darkly Edition

Rome 1958 – Cold War grumblings seemingly everywhere.

Click on the link here for Audio Player: Years of Crisis – 1958

In 1958 we were knee-deep in the Cold War with grumblings from Europe about a Common Market, or European Union. But on this edition of the year-end Reporters Roundup from CBS Radio; Years Of Crisis, the emphasis was on “is the world better off now than it was ten years ago?” – since the program began in 1948, during another chaotic year. The answer wasn’t entirely clear, as the world was continuing its upheaval as the result of the end of World War 2. There were independence movements going on all over the world. The old Colonial powers were weakening and losing their grip and new nations were emerging. The Middle East was a hot-spot and Arab unity was a matter of concern. And so was Soviet influence in every region from France and Italy to the continent of Africa in general.

So on this edition of Years of Crisis, a group of reporters, moderated by Edward R. Murrow, discuss and speculate over the coming year, how things evolved or didn’t evolve the previous ten years and how the U.S. fitting was into the scheme of things.

It’s interesting to hear that the problems of the Middle East region have more or less continued, even some 54 years later. The names have changed – there is no more Soviet Union, having been replaced by Radical Islamic factions. But the fears are still there, as is the oil.

It gives irony to the phrase “As much as things change is as much as they remain the same”.

Here is that installment of Years Of Crisis from CBS Radio, first aired at the end of December 1958.

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