The Pessimism That Was 1966 – Past Daily Reference Room.

Click on the link here for Audio Player: CBS – Correspondents Report – 1966

Since we’re coming up on the end of our first week of the new year, I thought I would get one last “Thousand Yard Stare” at previous years before we packed it up until next December.

This one comes from CBS Radio and features a stellar panel of Correspondents, moderated by the venerable Walter Cronkite. Rather than a look backward, it’s a look forward with speculation and opinion on what the new year (in this case, 1966) had in store for us.

Needless to say, the Vietnam War was foremost on everyone’s minds. The longer we were in it, the more difficult it was going to become to get out.  The voices of dissent were gaining in number and world opinion was turning against U.S. Foreign Policy.

In this hour long broadcast, first aired on January 1, 1966 – Cronkite, along with Mike Wallace, Charles Collingwood, Eric Sevareid, Roger Mudd, and Morley  Safer discuss the events of the past year and how they will impact on the coming year.

Fascinating and ominous stuff, all at the same time.

History is often times something else. Especially when viewed in hindsight.