Click on the link here for Audio Player – CBS Radio – The Washington Week – June 5, 1976 – Gordon Skene Sound Collection
News around Washington, for the week ending June 5th in 1976.
House Speaker Carl Albert announced his retirement this week, expressing a desire to get off Capitol Hill and back to his hometown of Bugtussle Oklahoma. becoming the third member of Congress that week to announce stepping down. The others were Mike Mansfield and Hugh Scott.
And while Congressional members were stepping down, some were getting grilled – most notably Wayne Hayes, over allegations he put his mistress, Elizabeth Ray on the payroll as his secretary. The sex scandal threatened Hayes’ political career and already cost him one Committee Chairmanship and threatening to cost him another. Speculation was rife that Hayes would eventually be forced to resign. Hayes was adamant he would be found innocent of putting Ray on the payroll in exchange solely for sex. But there was that thing about typing.
Meanwhile, Albert’s heir apparent Thomas P. “tip” O’Neil was busy lining up ducks and polishing trick-shots to step into the Speakership.
And since it was an election year, former vice-President Hubert Humphrey tossed his name into the ring as a possible Democratic Presidential contender if front-runner Jimmy Carter doesn’t come up with a substantial delegate total in the upcoming primaries.
President Ford admitted the possibility he might not emerge from the GOP Convention with a first-ballot nomination, since he was coming up short in recent primaries, losing out to Ronald Reagan.
And gearing for the upcoming Bicentennial celebrations, Spain’s new King Juan Carlos paid a visit to Washington. Much as it was said about Christopher Columbus and the discovery of the New World in 1492, much was being speculated about the transition Spain was undertaking – from General Francisco Franco to King Juan Carlos. The future for Spain seemed more interesting than the past for many in Washington.
That’s how the week went, the one ending this June 5th in 1976 as reported on The Washington Week for CBS Radio.
