April 3, 1976 – NBC News On The Hour – Gordon Skene Sound Collection –
April 3, 1976 – A busy news day everywhere – Beginning with news that Egypt’s Anwar Sadat was in Paris to meeting with French President d’Estaing in search of military support and hardware in Europe. It comes on the heels of news that Sadat withdrew Soviet Navy access to Egyptian ports. It followed the recent cancellation of a friendship pact with Russia. At the heart of Sadat’s talks was the issue of Lebanon. Reports said Sadat gave French leaders a complete briefing on the Middle-East situation, reiterating his opposition to Syrian intervention in Lebanon. Just the past week, France reaffirmed its willingness to assist working out a diplomatic solution to get Lebanon back on its feet. Despite news of a ceasefire, fighting was continuing in the hills east of Beirut and between Christian and Muslim gunmen in the Capital city.
A group of dissident Teamsters said they would fight for rejection of the new National Freight contract which had been worked out with the Trucking industry. Union leaders recommended acceptance of the contract, ending a three-day strike.
And Spanish Police arrested more than 200 in Madrid in an attempt to quell growing unrest against the government. In Barcelona, reports were claiming the Police were “playing favorites” in breaking up outlawed demonstrations there. Riot police clashed with leftist students after the government issued an order banning a planned demonstration by the Socialist and Communist parties. Police spent several hours chasing small groups of students who were trying to get together for a mass rally. There were a number of scuffles between students and police, with police scattering the demonstrators by firing rubber bullets. A few blocks away, a right wing Nationalist Party was holding a counter-demonstration, but Police made no attempt with that demonstration which was in support of the government.
And that’s a small slice of what went on, this April 3rd 1976 as presented by NBC Radio’s News On The Hour.
