CBS World News Roundup – WCBS-AM New York – November 9,1978 – Gordon Skene Sound Collection –
The world on a hopeful, confused and determined November in 1978.
Beginning with news from Iran – Iran’s new military government has begun cracking down on the shah’s opponents by reimposing newspaper censorship arresting political activists and apparently breaking up an airline strike.From Paris, Iranian opposition Ayatollah Khomeini who was in exile there said the shah had proposed a four-point compromise with opposition forces that was rejected by the 78- year-old Mr Khomeini a Shiite Moslem clergyman. According to Khomeni,the shah offered to go into exile if his opponents would agree to four conditions: That a regency be established with the monarch’s wife the Empress arah ruling until Crown Prince Reza 18 reaches the age of 21 — That a Royal Council appointed by the shah direct Iran’s military affairs — That free elections be held the next year but that the exiled shah appoint 60 percent of the members of the parliament —That parties to the compromise agree that the shah’s 37-year-rule and his family not be criticized in the political campaigns for the freely-contested seats in the legislature massive. State Department spokesman Jill Schuker remarked: “The shah moved to appoint a military government under his authority when it became apparent that another civilian government could not be formed to restore public order “We see the establishment of a military government as an interim step. As the shah emphasized it is only temporary and we hope and trust that it will be that” she said. The gravity of US concern was underscored by the formation Sunday of an Iran working group at the State Department to monitor events there on a 24-hour basis. US officials feared the ouster of the shah and his replacement by a pro-Soviet government-could have a ripple effect extending well beyond Iran’s borders or one thing it could force Saudi Arabia’s staunchly pro-Western government to reassess its foreign policy.
In other news: The peace treaty between Egypt and Israel was snarled in a final struggle over the question of a “linkage” between that project and the future of the West Bank and East Jerusalem. Israel had practical reasons for wanting an entirely separate peace with Egypt. Egypt had equally practical reasons for making its own peace with Israel conditional on the linkage to the West Bank and East Jerusalem. A purely “separate” peace between Israel and Egypt would leave Israel free to deal at its own leisure with the Palestinian Arabs of the West Bank and Gaza and negotiate in its own good time with Jordan over any possible future role that Jordan might play in the evolution of the three-cornered relationship between Israel, Jordan and the Palestinian Arabs. Such a situation would be of enormous advantage to Israel Jordan is the smallest neighboring Arab state and the weakest in military power hence in diplomatic bargaining power.
And a former London police inspector testified today that James Earl Hay boasted in rambling jailhouse conversations of participating in a conspiracy to assassinate civil rights leader Martin Luther King Jr. Alexander A. Eist told the House assassinations committee that Kay repeatedly expressed hatred against black people and said he might “get into Africa at some stage to kill some more.” But Eist testified that Ray gave him no clear account of King’s assassination and never described his own part any further than throwing the rifle away after King was shot. Eist was the lead-off witness as the committee began a month-long series of public hearings into the slaying of King in Memphis, Tenn., on April 4, 1968.
And along with the developing story on Iran, that’s just a little of what happened, this November 9, 1978 as reported by The CBS World News Roundup.
