– The World Tonight – July 27, 1979 – CBS Radio – Gordon Skene Sound Collection –
News for this day in 1979 had much to do with the Carter Cabinet shakeup, and the ongoing replacements heading to Washington. Latest and last in his choices for appointments were former New Orleans Mayor Maurice “Moon” Landrieu, slated to be Secretary of HUD and Neil Goldschmidt, mayor of Portland Oregon, slated to be Secretary of Transportation. Both were considered progressive choices, and some on Capitol Hill hailed the appointments as the best in 20 years. President Carter left for Camp David for a few days to savor the accolades.
Meanwhile, it was learned there was a surprising increase in Gasoline stocks, making things rosy for August travelers. Energy Secretary Schlesinger said the situation was improving, saying August gasoline supplies would be up to 96% of levels a year earlier and that home heating oil supplies would be sufficient for the coming Winter. He went on to say this latest turn did not mean Congress should abandon President Carter’s Energy proposals; a short-term windfall was not a solution for the long-term.
The infamous Shetleymobile was in the news – Inventor Michael Shetley, who combined a Mercury Capri, powered by a turbo-charged 4-cylinder diesel engine, claimed a whopping 120 miles to the gallon of gas as the result. The EPA did tests and no, the 120 miles a gallon was off a bit – measuring instead some 34 miles per gallon in the city and 52 miles per gallon on the highway – it was a long way from claims, but it was at least a step in the right direction. Shetley was slated to be on hand for a press conference, but left town the day before after getting a sneak-peek at the test results. Back to the drawing board.
And G. William Miller was back on Capitol Hill, continuing hearings on his confirmation as Secretary of the Treasury. Miller wanted to assure the Finance Committee that he would not permit the U.S. Dollar to sink any lower on world money markets. Acknowledging a “mild recession” was underway, Miller insisted that inflation was the real enemy and said it was not the time for increased federal spending or a general across-the-board tax cut. He also was grilled regarding allegations of millions of dollars in questionable payments in connection with overseas sales by the company Miller formerly headed; Textron Corporation. Miller reiterated that he did not know about or condone such practices. The issue was no expected to prevent Miller from getting easy approval for the Treasury job sometime in the following week.
And that’s how it went – this July 27, 1979 as reported on The World Tonight from CBS News.
