– February 7, 1990 – CBS Radio – The World Tonight – Gordon Skene Sound Collection –
February 7, 1990 – A day of triumph for Soviet President Mikhail Gorbachev and a day the course of Soviet history took a dramatic turn. It was the day the Soviet Union repudiated everything it once seemed to stand for; the supreme dominance of the Communist Party. In a momentous and highly dramatic vote, the Central Plenum put its stamp of approval on Gorbachev’s call for multiple parties. And also discussed, the private ownership of things like businesses and farms.
Some delegates were clearly pleased by the decision, while others left the session in a sullen and unhappy mood. There were a few formalities before the deal was done, Both the Supreme Soviet and the recently elected Congress of Peoples Deputies needed to okay the decision, and both were expected to do just that.
it came as no surprise – Gorbachev said he was ready to see multiple parties – the real question was whether or not the Soviet Union was ready as Gorbachev to turn its own history upside down.
Secretary of State James Baker arrived in Moscow for a round of talks with Gorbachev and Foreign Minister Eduard Shevardnadze. Shevardnadze made a surprise announcement; West German Chancellor Helmut Kohl, whose government this day had just approved talks with East Germany on unifying their currencies, was scheduled to pay a visit to Moscow this upcoming weekend. The White House said that Kohl and President Bush would be meeting at Camp David later on in the month.
Meanwhile, the White House was keeping tabs on the Moscow developments while continuing his tour of defense facilities in California. Mr. Bush said he was encouraged by the change taking place in Moscow, but also said that it had not changed his proposal to increase spending for the Strategic Defense Initiative (Star Wars).
And that’s a small slice of the news for this momentous day in history, as provided by CBS Radio’s The World Tonight.
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