February 24, 1969 – Newsfront – National Educational Television Audio – Gordon Skene Sound Collection –
February 24, 1969 – News on this day centered around Richard Nixon’s first visit to Europe as President. The intention was to bolster NATO allies – which included mending fences and making promises.
In the midst of the nuclear arms race, Nixon was aware of the risks nuclear proliferation and the dangers of nuclear war between the United States versus the Soviet Union would bring to Europe caught in the crossfire. In 1969, the limitations of nuclear arms through deterrence and détente, therefore, took center stage in the international debate.
On February 6, 1969, during President Nixon’s second Press Conference in the East Room of the White House, Nixon announced his plans to travel to Europe. During his eight-day trip, he planned to visit Brussels, London, Bonn, Berlin, Rome, and Paris. Nixon stated,
“The purpose of this trip is to underline my commitment to the closest relationship between our friends in Western Europe and the United States. I would like to lift these relationships from a concern for tactical problems of the day to a definition of our common purposes. The Alliance, held together in its first two decades by a common fear, needs now the sense of cohesiveness supplied by common purpose. I am eager for an early exchange of views on all the important issues that concern us. I favor intimate and frank consultations, and I am delighted that it has proved possible to make this journey so early in my administration. I am going to discuss, not to propose; for work, not for ceremony.”
As the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) was meeting its twentieth year anniversary, the original intent of NATO was at risk of becoming obsolete in a changing world. The system in place did not adequately satisfy the needs of the day as NATO’s original intent was to defend and assist in the event of an attack.
In other news, and interview with journalist Michael J. Arlen on how the Vietnam war was being covered by American Television and whether or not it wasn’t doing more harm than good to the Administration’s stand on the war and how the public was quickly turning away from support to what had been deemed an unpopular war. Arlen was the author of Living Room War.
And James McFadden commented on the spread of Pornographic literature in the American city and if President Nixon was planning on making good his campaign promise to do something about the uncontrolled spread of pornography in America.
All that, and a lot more for this February 24th, 1969 as presented by NET’s Newsfront.
As you know, we’ve suspended indefinitely our ads in order to make Past Daily a better experience for you without all the distractions and pop-ups. Because of that, we’re relying more on your support through Patreon to keep us up and running every day. For as little as $5.00 a month you can make a huge difference as well as be able to download all of our posts for free (news, history, music). You’ll see a banner just below. Click on that and become a subscriber – it’s easy, painless and does a world of good.
