. . . or click on the link here for Audio Player – CBS World News Roundup – March 16, 1985 – Gordon Skene Sound Collection
News for this day in March, 30 years ago had much to do with another kidnapping in Beirut; the third in as many days.
This time it was Associated Press’ Middle East correspondent Terry Anderson, abducted by three gunmen armed with pistols. They forced Anderson into a Green Mercedes and sped off. As of this broadcast, there were no claims of responsibility, no statement either from Anderson or the kidnappers and no indication as to where Anderson was taken.
The wave of kidnappings was of major concern to Americans working in Beirut. Many Press offices were closed, or reduced to skeleton staffs out of fear of being targets for abductions. Prior to this latest incident, it wasn’t clearly known if Journalists were targets of the kidnappers, and many including Anderson considered they weren’t. This latest incident, along with the exodus of American diplomats in the face of a rebellion by Christian militias of the government of Amin Gemayel, cast deeper concerns over the volatile nature of Lebanon at the moment.
Further evidence of the potentially explosive situation came as Syrian troops and tanks moved to the edge of Lebanon’s Christian areas as a show of assistance to President Gemayel against the pro-Israeli militias in the rebellion.
And further east, the on-going Iraq-Iran War took an eye-for-an-eye turn, as a powerful bomb went off, leveling a residential building in Baghdad. The incident sent Iraqi planes on a reprisal bombing-run of Iran – they hit 6 cities and rumors of an attack on Tehran were coming in as this broadcast was going on-air.
And an explosion of unknown origin destroyed a ski lodge in Utah, killing one and injuring 6. One remained missing and officials were on the scene attempting to determine the cause of the blast. Some thought it was leaking Propane – others drifted towards a conspiracy. The Farmers Daughter Ski Lodge in Alta Utah said it would survive.
All this, and a lot more for March 16, 1985 as reported by The CBS World News Roundup.