March 15, 1979 – CBS World News Roundup – Gordon Skene Sound Collection –
March 15, 1979 – a busy and hopeful news day with Egypt and Israel and the much anticipated peace settlement at the center.
Moving closer to a final agreement, Egypt’s Anwar Sadat at an informal news conference beamed the imminent good news by making what was probably the first official announcement of the treaty, adding the credit went to “Jimmy”, in reference to President Carter. Meanwhile, Israeli Defense Minister Ezer Weizman left for Washington on what was called “the $4 billion mission” – the amount Israel was hoping to get as a one-time grant for the withdrawal of Israeli troops from the Sinai and the construction of new air bases in Southern Israel. The White House had already agreed to the request, but Congress still needed to approve. Weizman was also scheduled to meet with his Egyptian counterpart, Gen. Kamal Hassan Ali to discuss the treaty and more generally what peace would be like – a prospect both admitted was new territory.
Meanwhile, anti-peace treaty demonstrations broke out in the West Bank region. Israeli troops fired on demonstrators, killing two. The incident was under investigation.
And from the Vatican; Pope John Paul II issued the first Encyclical of his Papacy. The 18,000 word document, originally written in Polish by John Paul, outlined his personal philosophy and concerns over the problems facing Man, with the major emphasis on Human Rights. The Pontiff expressed concern over the widening gap between the rich countries and the poor – a gap which he said perpetuates unjust social situations and contributes to moral disorder – his suggestion was to create a wider and more immediate re-distribution of riches to help satisfy the essential needs of people in developing countries.
And that’s a small slice of what went on, this March 15, 1979 as reported by The CBS World News Roundup.
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