October 5, 1984 – CBS World News Roundup – Gordon Skene Sound Collection –
October 5, 1984 – a relatively slow and somewhat uneventful newsday (for a change). News regarding the $120 million libel suit filed by U.S. Army Chief Of Staff William Westmoreland over an episode of CBS Reports which alleged that Westmoreland had contributed to the public reaction to Tet by manipulating intelligence about enemy strength in order to create the impression of progress. Westmoreland contended that politics had not influenced the intelligence reports of his command. Intelligence officers working under Westmoreland and contemporaneous classified documents supported the documentary’s contention that Army intelligence in Westmoreland’s command had been manipulated for political purposes. Other officers denied any such manipulation.
CBS defended the documentary as true and called the military officers in question as witnesses at trial. They testified both at deposition and at trial that their criticisms of Westmoreland had been fairly represented in the documentary and they stood by them. Major General Joseph McChristian, Assistant Chief of Staff for Intelligence under Westmoreland, testified at trial that when he had presented new increased enemy strength estimates, Westmoreland had responded that sending these figures to Washington would “create a political bombshell” and would “embarrass my commander in chief [President Johnson].” General McChristian testified that, in withholding these figures, Westmoreland, “in being loyal to the President, was disloyal to his country.”
In other news – A proposed demonstration to be held in Manila was purported to be going directly against Philippine President Ferdinand Marcos and his regime. Marcos went on national television to warn Cardinal Jaime Sin, the Catholic Bishop of Manila that he was fanning the flames of rebellion by calling for demonstrations against the government. Marcos reminded the Archdiocese that they needed a permit in order to stage a demonstration and none were issued.
And the Pentagon issued an off-limits to Tijuana as a solution to the growing problem of too many military personnel winding up in jail across the border. The decision comes after reports that an increasing number of service men and women were partying a bit too hard and winding up being extorted and robbed by Tijuana police while on leave.
And that’s a little of what happened on this October 5, 1984 as reported by The CBS World News Roundup.
