– CBS World News Roundup – April 6, 1979 – Gordon Skene Sound Collection –
A year jammed with crisis, only four months in. Once again, our dependence on OPEC bit us where it hurt most. The night before, President Carter went before the American people in what was dubbed the Crisis of Confidence Speech, but mostly it was a matter of biting the bullet and getting ready for bad times at the gas pump. His solution was a gradual decontrol of domestic oil prices, beginning June 1st and continue for the next 29 months. The decontrol, Carter estimated, would increase domestic production of gas and oil. In turn an increase of windfall profits taxes on Domestic oil and in turn redistribute the tax revenue to those hardest hit by the rapidly rising prices. Such a move would require cooperation of Congress which is was doubted Carter would get. What he was sure to get was some of the blame for the inflation that would arise out of this move, since it was almost a fait accompli those rising prices would skyrocket just around Primary time in 1980. Views on Capitol Hill ranged from a price rise from 2 cents to 20 cents a gallon. It was also felt by some that it would raise prices at the pump without raising much oil and that profits from Oil Companies would be borderline obscene. Compounding the problem was a movement afoot to scrap the Windfall Profits tax. And the crisis just kept on spiraling.
Meanwhile – the crisis at Three Mile Island wasn’t quite over yet as one of the remaining reactors hadn’t been fully shut down and that it was completely out of control during the early stages of the accident, despite assurances from the Power Company it was under control. President Carter, during his address the previous night said he was appointing an independent commission to fully investigate the accident.
News from Kampala Uganda was mixed with reports that Tanzanian troops had taken over the city, while other reports claimed Ugandan troops were still in control. Other reports said Tanzanian troops and Ugandan guerrillas had encircled the city but hadn’t moved in. The subsequent lull in fighting left most people in Kampala confused.
And executions resumed in Iran after a temporary halt was lifted by the Ayatollah. Three convicted prisoners were shot while others were awaiting trial.
And that’s just a little of what was going on during this crisis filled April 6th, 1979 as reported by The CBS World News Roundup.
