– CBS Radio – The World Tonight – October 11, 1973 – Gordon Skene Sound Collection –
October 11, 1973 – very busy news day – with Capitol Hill scrambling to find a replacement for the outgoing and disgraced vice-President Spiro Agnew. The list of likely candidates was not overflowing but the prevailing message was “anyone but Connally” – since John Connally, a former Democrat, jumped sides to join the GOP, much to the consternation of his Democratic colleagues but also the suspicions of his newly found Republican colleagues. Seems the replacement for Agnew was leaning in the direction of Nelson Rockefeller, ironically himself a former Democrat but also emerging as one of the last Moderate/Liberal Republicans left standing since 1964.
Meanwhile, the Middle-East conflict was continuing with the Yom Kippur War showing no signs of letting up. Israel claimed its ground forces pierced Syrian’s. Golan Heights defenses Thursday and advanced six. miles beyond the 1967 cease-fire lines to battle retreating Syrian troops on the road to Damascus. The Middle East News Agency claimed U.S. Phantom jet fighters based on a U.S.
aircraft carrier in the Mediterranean Sea have joined in Israeli raids on Egyptian positions. The United States denied the charge as a “mischieveous lie.” Arab diplomatic sources were named as sources for the report. The military command said the breakthrough came after a day-long tank and Infantrv offensive backed by massive air support that pounded Syrian armor. But Damascus reported its Golan defenses were holding firm in fierce fighting. Moshe Dayan said some Syrian troops were falling back and “others are running away.” “I think that in 24 hours, Damascus will be in real danger,” Dayan said. Jews throughout Israel hailed the Golan Heights claim as a great victory. Communiques from Cairo and Damascus.
And aside from the continuing Agnew kerfuffle on Capitol Hill, that’s just a little of what was going on, this Eleventh day of October in 1973 as presented by The World Tonight from CBS Radio.
