– ABC Information Network Hourly News – August 5, 1990 – Gordon Skene Sound Collection –
Aside from the bigger news just looming to the east, the news regarding the Iraqi occupation of Kuwait and the nervous anticipation of further moves and wrangling, there was news of Civil War breaking out in the African nation of Liberia.
On this August 5th in 1990, a rifle company of U.S. Marines landed in the capitol city of Monrovia to evacuate U.S. citizens, in danger of getting stuck in the crossfire between rival factions. Pentagon sources said 11 U.S. Navy helicopters began evacuating Americans from the U.S. Embassy in Monrovia at around 5:00 in the morning Eastern time supported by 4 Cobra gunships and 2 Harrier jump jets were providing security along with 225 Marines, who had taken up position on the U.S. Embassy compound. Within two hours some 60 Americans were evacuated to the Amphibious carrier Saipan from three Monrovia locations. The White House reported the first phase of the evacuation went smoothly.
News from Iraq and sources reported the Iraqi Army was withdrawing from Kuwait as promised . . .sort of. The Iraqi Army force being left behind was larger than the invading force, which Iraq called “The new volunteer Kuwaiti Army“. In addition, Iraq installed a puppet government soon after the invasion. Called a “new provisional government”, it was alleged to represent the Kuwaiti people, but no Kuwaitis have heard of any of the officials – they appeared to be entirely made up of Iraqi Army officers, including a rumor that Saddam Hussein’s son-in-law was the President. Whether it was true or not didn’t really matter since the Kuwaiti Provisional government would be operated by Saddam Hussein.
On the weather front – Tropical Storm Diana was grabbing the attention of Hurricane forecasters who said Diana had 40 mph winds and could threaten parts of Belize and Mexico’s Yucatan peninsula. Everything would hinge on what happened over the next 18-24 hours.
And the FDA reported it found 8 more bottles of a cocaine-laced beverage imported from Colombia and turning up in Miami-Ft. Lauderdale. Consumers were asked to turn in all unopened bottles of Pony Malta de Bavaria which had been imported to Miami from the U.S. – so far, one death had been reported as the result of drinking only half a bottle of the heavily dosed adult beverage.
And that’s a small slice of what went on this busy August 5th in 1990 as reported by ABC-Information Network’s Hourly newscast.
