NBC Nightly News - 1983-05-30

Channel: malgent

Transcript

Language: English (original, YouTube automatic captions)

[0:00] I'm Roger Mud, NBC News, Williamsburg.

[0:03] I'm Tom Bro, NBC News, New York.

[0:07] The ninth economic summit ended here

[0:09] today and the final statement sounded

[0:11] very familiar. It sounded very much like

[0:13] a Ronald Reagan State of the Union

[0:15] speech. In fact, the US delegation was

[0:18] so pleased with its work that Secretary

[0:20] of State George Schulz showed up early

[0:23] at the press center and wandered around,

[0:25] obviously hoping to be questioned.

[0:27] President Reagan, flanked by his summit

[0:29] colleagues, read the Williamsburg

[0:31] declaration on economic recovery. They

[0:34] said, "We must all focus on achieving

[0:36] and maintaining low inflation and

[0:38] reducing interest rates from their

[0:40] present too high levels.

[0:43] We renew our commitment to reduce

[0:44] structural budget deficits, in

[0:47] particular by limiting the growth of

[0:49] expenditures." on trade policy.

[0:52] >> We commit ourselves to halt

[0:53] protectionism

[0:55] and as recovery proceeds to reverse it

[0:58] by dismantling trade barriers

[1:01] >> on trade with the Soviets.

[1:03] >> East West economic relations should be

[1:06] compatible with our security interests

[1:09] on stabilizing currencies. We have

[1:11] invited ministers of finance in

[1:13] consultation with the managing director

[1:15] of the IMF to define the conditions for

[1:18] improving the international monetary

[1:20] system and to consider the part which

[1:23] might in due course be played in this

[1:25] process by a high level international

[1:28] monetary conference. This last point, an

[1:31] international monetary conference that

[1:33] might stabilize currencies was demanded

[1:35] by France and appears to be the only

[1:38] major concession made by the United

[1:40] States. But late this afternoon, the

[1:42] Chancellor of West Germany, Helmet Cole,

[1:44] said the United States had been,

[1:46] contrary to impressions, isolated on the

[1:48] issue of deficits. Cole said there is no

[1:50] point in beating around the bush that

[1:53] big US deficits do lead to high interest

[1:55] rates around the world. This was Ronald

[1:58] Reagan's third economic summit. The

[1:59] first was in Ottawa, the second in

[2:01] Versailles, but this was the first time

[2:02] he was the host, the moderator, and the

[2:05] chairman. And the White House came

[2:07] determined to see to it that he got

[2:08] through this one smoothly and without

[2:10] stumbling. For a report on the

[2:12] president's performance, here's Chris

[2:13] Wallace.

[2:15] >> Rean struggled for superlatives to

[2:17] describe the president's performance

[2:19] here. One senior official settled for

[2:21] magnificent. No American president has

[2:23] done as well at a summit.

[2:27] In terms of style, that praise may be

[2:29] justified. Reanades got just the

[2:31] pictures they wanted to show him as a

[2:33] world leader, taking charge and clearly

[2:35] relishing the role.

[2:37] But on matters of substance, the reviews

[2:39] are mixed. Foreign sources say the

[2:41] president seemed more knowledgeable than

[2:42] at previous summits. At dinner Sunday

[2:44] night, they say he dominated a

[2:46] discussion of the Middle East. But

[2:48] Sunday morning, European officials say

[2:49] Mr. Reagan faltered during a heated

[2:51] session on big US deficits. Still, he

[2:54] came away with a final statement. AIDS

[2:56] claim backs up Reagan policies

[2:58] >> and we now clearly can see signs of

[3:01] recovery.

[3:02] >> American officials are also pleased with

[3:04] yesterday's statement backing up

[3:05] deployment of US missiles in Europe. As

[3:08] the leaders walked to lunch, differences

[3:09] among them were serious, but they worked

[3:11] out a compromise and foreign officials

[3:13] praised Mr. Reagan for being flexible.

[3:16] The president was willing to risk an

[3:17] unstructured summit and apparently

[3:19] carried it off. According to friend,

[3:21] >> he was a very forceful chairman indeed

[3:25] >> and occasional critic.

[3:26] >> I had to congratulate him for having won

[3:29] that gamble.

[3:30] >> Administration officials guessed that on

[3:32] this holiday weekend, many people

[3:34] ignored world economics. When asked

[3:36] about this summit, one senior official

[3:38] pretended to fall asleep and snore. But

[3:40] for those who stayed awake, rean say

[3:42] that the president was downright

[3:44] presidential. Chris Wallace, NBC News

[3:47] with the president in Williamsburg.

[3:49] Margaret Thatcher, who returned to

[3:51] England last night to campaign, will be

[3:53] the hostess of next year's summit

[3:54] meeting, provided she's still in office.

[3:56] And the choice is between Lancaster

[3:58] House in London or Leeds Castle in Kent.

[4:01] I'll be back later in the broadcast with

[4:02] more from Williamsburg. Tom, Roger.

[4:05] Today, the Soviet Union reacted to a

[4:07] joint statement from the Williamsburg

[4:09] summit that called on Moscow to

[4:11] negotiate constructively on the

[4:12] reduction of nuclear arms. The seven

[4:15] leaders also warned they could not be

[4:17] divided by the Soviets on this nuclear

[4:19] issue. Well, today the Soviets said the

[4:22] United States forced the allies to make

[4:23] that statement because it worried there

[4:25] would be disagreements on the economic

[4:27] issues. And defense secretary Casper

[4:29] Weinberger today tried to knock down

[4:31] fears in West Germany that President

[4:33] Reagan is not committed to an arms

[4:35] control agreement with the Soviets.

[4:37] Weinberger told a foreign policy group

[4:39] in Bon that he brought with him a

[4:41] personal pledge from the president that

[4:43] he would do all he could to achieve an

[4:45] arms deal with Moscow.

[4:57] I want you to meet something new for

[4:59] your arthritis pain and your aspirin

[5:01] sensitive stomach. Maximum strength

[5:03] Ecotrin safety coated aspirin. Its RN

[5:06] safety coating works so well. Millions

[5:08] of you can take even maximum strength

[5:10] aspirin without all aspirin stomach

[5:12] upset. It's not the aspirin substitute.

[5:14] It's aspirin for minor pain relief.

[5:17] Safety coated to protect your stomach.

[5:19] Now, if your doctor says aspirin, take

[5:21] it. But make it new maximum strength

[5:24] echotrin. It's safety coated. It's

[5:26] orange.

[5:29] Got one daughter in college and one

[5:31] getting married. And the last thing I

[5:33] need right now is to buy a new car. So,

[5:35] every now and then I take the old Dodson

[5:37] down to Midas. Over the years, I bid to

[5:40] Midas for struts, brakes, a muffler, and

[5:43] I've always gotten a good deal.

[5:46] Oh, I'll treat myself to a new car one

[5:48] day.

[5:50] But right now, I've got other things I'd

[5:51] rather spend my money on.

[5:58] >> The finer things in life. Happily, some

[6:01] are affordable, like gray pupan, dijon

[6:04] mustard. Gray pupan is so fine, it's

[6:07] even made with white wine. Its original

[6:09] French Dijon recipe adds distinctive

[6:12] flavor to beef, pork, and poultry, salad

[6:14] dressing, and sauces, and of course,

[6:16] sandwiches. So, enjoy one of life's

[6:19] finer pleasures.

[6:21] >> Pardon me. Would you have any gray

[6:22] pupan? But of course,

[6:24] >> grape pupan. It even has wine.

[6:28] In Nevada today, a dam burst, sending a

[6:31] 15t wall of mud and water down on people

[6:33] who were spending part of this Memorial

[6:35] Day weekend in Davis Creek State Park.

[6:38] One witness said there is no more Davis

[6:40] Creek State Park. We are now told that

[6:43] at least one person is dead. How many

[6:44] additional casualties there are, we

[6:46] don't know. At least nine homes have

[6:48] been damaged. It was a big winter for

[6:51] Utah, one of the best ski seasons ever.

[6:53] But now all of that snow is rapidly

[6:54] melting and the result is disastrous

[6:57] flooding for that state. More from Don

[6:59] Oliver tonight.

[7:00] >> Dozens of creeks and rivers flowing into

[7:02] the Salt Lake Basin have gone wild. But

[7:05] thousands of volunteers have tirelessly

[7:08] stacked sandbags against the enormous

[7:10] volume of water. And so far the

[7:12] sandbaggers are generally holding their

[7:15] own.

[7:15] >> My brother and I came up from Mount

[7:17] Pleasant. We're friends of people live

[7:19] here. I have never had more help in all

[7:22] my life.

[7:22] >> There has been some damage, but flooding

[7:24] of homes and other buildings has been

[7:26] kept to a minimum. Machines have helped,

[7:29] but it has been people power which has

[7:31] worked best.

[7:32] >> Hey, let's get a guy over here.

[7:35] >> Channeling flood waters away from homes

[7:37] here, through the front gate, down the

[7:40] driveway, and out the back. As the flow

[7:43] increases, they just pile the sandbags

[7:45] higher and higher. It's been 30 years

[7:48] since anything like this happened, but

[7:50] the lessons learned in 1952 are

[7:53] remembered well now. Officials knew the

[7:56] underground storm sewers couldn't handle

[7:58] the runoff, so several major streets in

[8:00] Salt Lake City were sandbagged and

[8:02] turned into controlled rivers to prevent

[8:04] the flood water from spilling through

[8:06] town on its own. All the water is coming

[8:09] from up here in the Wasace Mountains,

[8:12] where there is still skiing on the

[8:14] heaviest snow pack on record. When you

[8:17] melt it out, uh, we're looking at just

[8:19] over 50 in of actual water that is on

[8:21] the ground waiting to run into the city.

[8:23] >> With temperatures in the low 80s, the

[8:25] snow continued to melt rapidly.

[8:28] Threatened residents can only hope the

[8:30] sandbaggers can keep up and that the

[8:32] man-made rivers continue to hold. Donna

[8:36] Oliver, NBC News, Salt Lake City. And

[8:39] heavy rains throughout the month of May

[8:40] have brought misery to thousands of

[8:42] people in Germany and in France. Along

[8:45] the Ryan River in Germany, the death

[8:46] toll from the latest floods now stands

[8:48] at seven. Hundreds of people have been

[8:51] driven from their homes there.

[8:54] In France, more of the same. A

[8:56] 5-year-old boy died when he fell into a

[8:58] flooding river. The floods near Leon

[9:01] caused widespread crop damage. Some

[9:03] residents had to be airlifted out.

[9:06] And here in New York, Dan Goodwin was in

[9:08] real trouble today, 80 stories up as he

[9:10] climbed one of the towers of the World

[9:12] Trade Center. Goodwin, who likes to

[9:14] climb in a Spider-Man outfit, had not

[9:17] climbed the trade center before, but

[9:18] this was the second anniversary of his

[9:20] successful assault on Chicago's Sears

[9:23] Tower. That's the world's tallest

[9:25] building. He was using attachments that

[9:27] fit into vertical cracks used by window

[9:29] washers on the 110story tower. Today

[9:34] at the 80th floor, Goodwin was in

[9:36] trouble. One of those tracks came loose.

[9:38] New York police lowered a scaffold and

[9:40] handed over a safety line.

[9:52] They tried to persuade Goodwin to

[9:54] abandon the climb. When he would not,

[9:56] they moved the scaffold along with him.

[9:58] Eventually, Goodwin climbed to the top

[10:00] and unfurled an American flag. After

[10:03] climbing into the police scaffolding, he

[10:04] said, "This is it. No more skyscrapers."

[10:09] This business of climbing skyscrapers,

[10:11] which is called buildering, was started

[10:13] in 1977 by George Willig, the first man

[10:16] to climb the World Trade Center. He was

[10:18] fined a$110, a penny a four.

[10:32] Get a feel for cotton. The way it moves

[10:35] with you and breathes with you. The way

[10:38] it's so soft to your touch. The way it

[10:40] makes you feel free and comfortable.

[10:43] Once you get a feel for cotton,

[10:47] you won't feel like anything else.

[10:51] Look for the cotton seal on these sports

[10:53] shirts from Sears. They're all cotton

[10:56] and easy care in lots of different

[10:58] colors.

[11:01] >> What's the watch word for ant acids?

[11:03] >> Watch your salt.

[11:05] >> Right. The Surgeon General's report says

[11:07] Americans get too much salt. So when you

[11:09] need an ant acid, reach for Ryan Plus.

[11:12] The fast acting ant acid low in sodium.

[11:15] So low it's considered sodium free.

[11:17] Laboratory tests show Ryopan Plus worked

[11:20] four times faster than the two leading

[11:22] liquids. Ryopan Plus, fast acting, low

[11:24] in sodium. Solo, it's considered sodium

[11:27] free. Ryapan Plus.

[11:31] When it's time to change, go for it.

[11:33] This year, go Michelin.

[11:36] The difference is performance. Michelin

[11:38] performance.

[11:40] This time, get Michelin. Get years of

[11:42] Michelin fuel economy, Michelin

[11:44] traction, years of Michelin handling. Go

[11:47] for it. This time, get all the tire your

[11:50] money can buy. Don't settle for less.

[11:52] This is the time. This is the tire. This

[11:55] is the place

[11:57] we put America on radials. We want to

[11:59] put you on Michelin.

[12:02] PLO officials tonight are denying

[12:04] reports that their chief, Yaser Arafat,

[12:06] was the target of an assassination

[12:07] attempt early today. The reports of the

[12:10] attempt on Arafat's life came from a

[12:12] radio station which is controlled by

[12:14] Lebanon's right-wing Christians. And as

[12:16] Vic Akin reports tonight, these reports

[12:18] come as Arafat is struggling to hold on

[12:20] to his leadership of the PLO.

[12:24] Kather Arafat showed no sign nor made

[12:26] any mention today of an assassination

[12:28] attempt. The rebellion in PLO ranks was

[12:31] his prime concern. The PLO chairman

[12:34] visited a Palestinian refugee camp on

[12:36] the outskirts of the northern Lebanese

[12:38] city of Tripoli. Aid said that Arafat is

[12:42] continuing his tours of Palestinian

[12:44] camps and positions in Lebanon in an

[12:46] effort to rally support for his

[12:48] leadership. Arafat said the rebellion

[12:50] within the PLO had passed its peak and

[12:53] that the danger of a more serious split

[12:55] had diminished.

[12:57] >> What can you tell us about the situation

[12:58] with your men in the Vic?

[13:01] very very good and very strong

[13:05] >> but we've heard all these reports of

[13:07] divisions and

[13:08] >> what about to come with me to see

[13:11] >> Arafat said reports that he was setting

[13:13] up a new headquarters in Tripoli were

[13:15] not true and that he was visiting the

[13:17] area because it was part of the

[13:19] battleground in the confrontation with

[13:21] Israel

[13:22] Aken NBC News Beirut.

[13:25] >> The faceoff between Syrian and Israeli

[13:27] forces in Lebanon eased a bit today.

[13:29] Both sides have stopped reinforcing

[13:31] their positions for the time being.

[13:33] There were reports that some Syrian

[13:35] troops are now withdrawing. But just how

[13:38] dangerous Lebanon still is was

[13:39] underlined by a guerilla attack

[13:41] yesterday against Israeli positions.

[13:44] Martin Fletcher reporting from Israel

[13:46] tonight.

[13:48] >> Another military funeral in Israel, the

[13:50] seventh this month, as the PLO steps up

[13:52] attacks on Israeli troops in Lebanon.

[13:54] 24year-old Sergeant Aharan Oian's jeep

[13:57] was winding through the Shu mountains in

[13:58] southern Lebanon yesterday when

[14:00] guerrillas attacked with rocket

[14:02] propelled grenades and machine guns.

[14:04] Several guerilla ambushes are reported

[14:06] daily now. And in Jerusalem, about 300

[14:08] parents of soldiers protested against

[14:10] the army's continued presence in Lebanon

[14:12] and the high loss of life. They called

[14:15] for the return home of their sons.

[14:17] Enough, they said. One year in Lebanon

[14:19] is enough. Although the tension between

[14:22] Syria and Israel has relaxed somewhat,

[14:24] Israel is keeping a high state of alert

[14:26] in Lebanon against guerrilla attacks.

[14:28] Israel accuses Syria of encouraging the

[14:30] PLO to step up its ambushes to maintain

[14:32] tension in Lebanon, part of Syria's

[14:35] battle against Israel's agreement with

[14:36] Lebanon. The Israelis say the guerillas

[14:38] are all based behind Syrian lines and

[14:41] shelter behind the Syrians after the

[14:43] attacks. Israeli leaders have said

[14:45] repeatedly they will not be drawn into a

[14:47] war of attrition with the PLO or Syria

[14:49] and that if there is fighting then

[14:51] Israel will take the initiative and

[14:53] government officials are issuing strong

[14:55] warnings.

[14:55] >> We are view this with gravity and we

[14:58] cannot and will not stand by and have

[15:00] our soldiers uh endlessly being attacked

[15:02] by these PLO terrorists. If Israel keeps

[15:04] losing soldiers to PLO guerrilla

[15:06] attacks, then it's only a matter of time

[15:08] till Israel retaliates, probably with a

[15:10] major attack on PLO positions behind

[15:12] Syrian lines. Martin Fletcher, NBC News,

[15:15] Jerusalem.

[15:17] Reports out of El Salvador tonight say

[15:18] that guerrillas now have seized the town

[15:20] of Hokoro and another nearby village and

[15:23] that they have blocked a key highway to

[15:24] the Honduran border. The government

[15:27] admitted that the attacks took place,

[15:28] but gave no further details. A rebel

[15:31] radio broadcast said the attacks were

[15:33] the start of a new campaign against what

[15:35] it called President Reagan's aggression.

[15:49] >> Start out in a bright new way.

[15:51] >> It's new.

[15:52] >> Shredded wheat, toasted wheat and

[15:54] raisins.

[15:55] >> Whole wheat and raisins grown in the

[15:57] sun. No added sugar or salt. This is the

[15:59] only one.

[16:00] >> Start out in a bright new way. Shredded

[16:03] wheat, toasted wheat, raisins.

[16:06] >> Raisins with smaller, lighter shredded

[16:07] wheat. No added sugar or salt. It's just

[16:10] naturally sweet.

[16:10] >> Start out in a bright new way.

[16:12] >> The only raisin cereal with no added

[16:14] sugar or salt.

[16:19] >> In the beginning, man's feet walked

[16:21] free. But the road to civilization was

[16:23] paved. So, man developed shoes. Soon

[16:26] after that, men developed athletes foot.

[16:29] >> Now, at last, there's micotin. Micotin

[16:32] cures athletes foot. It's the only

[16:34] athletes foot medicine you can buy with

[16:36] miconazol, an ingredient available for

[16:38] the first time without a doctor's

[16:40] prescription. Micotin in spray powder or

[16:43] cream. Micotin, the end of the road for

[16:46] athletes foot.

[16:53] This roomy, inexpensive Subaru station

[16:56] wagon not only goes far on a gallon of

[16:58] gas.

[17:00] It also goes almost anywhere on a gallon

[17:03] of gas. Thanks to frontwheel drive, but

[17:06] if you want more traction than our wagon

[17:08] with frontwheel drive, we suggest our

[17:10] wagon with ondemand four-wheel drive.

[17:13] Subaru inexpensive

[17:16] and built to stay that way.

[17:19] Taps sounded across the country this

[17:21] Memorial Day from Arlington National

[17:23] Cemetery in Virginia to Pearl Harbor in

[17:25] Hawaii to honor the nation's war dead.

[17:28] Many of the ceremonies were public, but

[17:30] at least one was the result of a

[17:32] personal vision. We have two reports

[17:34] tonight, starting with Jimmy Gangale in

[17:36] Washington.

[17:41] This year, the traditional ceremony at

[17:43] the Tomb of the Unknowns took special

[17:45] note of the 57,000 Americans who died in

[17:48] Vietnam.

[17:53] And for the first time, Vietnam veterans

[17:55] were honored at their own monument. A

[17:58] wreath with the words, "We will never

[17:59] forget was laid at the base of the

[18:01] Vietnam Veterans Memorial." Since

[18:04] Christmas, veterans have kept a

[18:05] roundthe-clock vigil at the Black

[18:07] Granite Monument. And many said they

[18:09] hope this Memorial Day observance will

[18:11] end the bitter feelings about those who

[18:14] fought in the war.

[18:15] >> People are starting to realize that now

[18:17] that the American soldiers over there

[18:19] fought with as much courage and honor as

[18:21] men at Inchan or Gettysburg or Normandy

[18:23] or anywhere else that the American

[18:25] fighting men have fought. Now they're

[18:27] starting to realize that the Vietnam

[18:28] veteran is actually an upstanding member

[18:32] of the community and he is was a good

[18:34] soldier and he is a good person. It

[18:36] might have been an ugly war, but he was

[18:37] a damn good soldier. The memorial is a

[18:40] very therapeutic thing for most veterans

[18:43] that come to visit it. You know, to

[18:44] them, this is their coming home. They

[18:46] have something tangible that they can be

[18:48] proud of.

[18:58] Jamie Gangel, NBC News, Washington.

[19:09] 2 miles high in the stark and remote

[19:11] Sangra Christo Mountains, a memorial no

[19:14] one wanted to victims of the war most

[19:16] want to forget. The chapel is a tribute

[19:19] to the spirit of one man who created it

[19:22] in tribute to another.

[19:24] Make the world

[19:27] go away.

[19:30] >> Marine Lieutenant David Westfall was

[19:32] killed 15 years ago during a Vietkong

[19:34] ambush. Since then, his father, Victor,

[19:37] has fought opposition and indifference

[19:39] in pursuit of a national monument.

[19:41] >> Throughout that effort, there were a

[19:44] series of dreams or visions or whatever

[19:47] you might want to call it involving my

[19:49] son. and they came often enough to

[19:54] keep me on the straight line.

[19:57] >> Westfall used mostly his own money and

[19:59] sometimes his own hands. For a decade

[20:01] and a half, the memorial has been his

[20:03] entire life. Westfall said he always

[20:06] intended it as a memorial to all who

[20:08] served in Vietnam. But even he was moved

[20:11] when families sent pictures of their

[20:12] sons and fathers to join David on the

[20:15] chapel wall. When they saw that there

[20:17] were some here, they wanted others to be

[20:21] here so that they'd all be with their

[20:23] buddies.

[20:24] >> Some veterans say this is the memorial

[20:26] they've been waiting for so long.

[20:29] >> This one started basically as a love of

[20:32] one family for one individual.

[20:35] But the idea was so good and the love

[20:37] was so strong that it encompasses all

[20:39] the men.

[20:41] >> Thank you.

[20:43] Thank you is what they say.

[20:46] almost universally.

[20:48] >> Westfall said today made all the work

[20:50] worthwhile.

[20:54] >> Lisa Meyers, NBC News, Angel Fire, New

[20:57] Mexico.

[20:59] In Sag Harbor, New York on this Memorial

[21:02] Day, another poignant note, the veterans

[21:04] of foreign wars, many of them Vietnam

[21:06] vets in this chapter, refused to march

[21:08] in the American Legion parade. The

[21:10] legionnaires, most of them World War II

[21:12] veterans, marched with antique cars,

[21:14] floats, drill teams. The VFW, in a

[21:17] separate parade, marched in silence.

[21:26] Uni Royals all-weather Tiger Paw Plus

[21:30] gives you a jump on that tough twisting

[21:32] road for mile after mile. Tiger Paw Plus

[21:36] gets an average of 20% more mileage than

[21:38] Michelin X. That's what tests project.

[21:41] Its all-weather tread helps you grip

[21:43] that rainy, slippery road. And it keeps

[21:46] on roaring for mile after mile and more.

[21:51] Uni Royal. We give you more to go on.

[21:56] Absorbing Junior for sore muscles.

[21:59] >> After 8 hours and 3747s.

[22:01] The sooner the junior, the better.

[22:05] After 39 leg lifts and one sit up, the

[22:08] sooner the junior the better.

[22:10] >> Absorbing Junior goes on cool. Then

[22:13] soothing warmth penetrates deep to free

[22:14] up sore muscle pain. Try absorbing

[22:17] Junior and you'll say the sooner the

[22:19] junior the better.

[22:21] >> Absorbing Junior

[22:26] >> TV Guide says today provided the biggest

[22:28] and most pleasant surprise in our

[22:30] survey. The most enterprising, most

[22:31] alert, most newsy of the morning three.

[22:33] Be the first to know on today.

[22:39] From a small beginning can grow a

[22:41] flourishing source of protection. The

[22:43] health insurance companies of America

[22:45] have steadily expanded disability income

[22:47] insurance protection for people who are

[22:49] sick or hurt and can't work. This

[22:51] coverage provides an income for a period

[22:53] during recuperation. And today, 55

[22:56] million American workers enjoy the

[22:58] benefits of disability income insurance.

[23:01] America's life and health insurance

[23:03] companies. A growing commitment to

[23:05] America's life and health.

[23:09] The annual economic summit meeting,

[23:11] which began eight years ago as a quiet

[23:13] fireside chat in the French countryside,

[23:16] is now a multi-million dollar world

[23:18] political event. But because the

[23:21] tangible results of each meeting seem so

[23:23] thin and so predictable, the question

[23:24] gets asked more and more, are they

[23:26] really worth it? Here's diplomatic

[23:28] correspondent Marvin Cal. Of

[23:37] one thing, there can be no doubt. These

[23:39] summits have become a great show. The

[23:41] host playing impressario generally

[23:44] against a backdrop of pageantry and

[23:45] history. Attracting at first hundreds

[23:48] and now thousands of reporters and

[23:50] cameras. Helmet Schmidt, the former West

[23:52] German chancellor, felt utterly

[23:54] disillusioned. Back at Rambuet, France

[23:57] in November 1975 when the first of these

[23:59] annual summits took place, the

[24:01] atmosphere was serious. Meetings

[24:03] private. Frightened by the oil embargo

[24:06] of 1973 and by wildly fluctuating

[24:08] exchange rates, the Allies did not shun

[24:11] concrete results, they wanted them. Now

[24:14] this has all changed.

[24:16] >> It's getting out of hand. It's not

[24:18] really a meeting of mind. It's more

[24:22] an enormous media event. They've

[24:25] deteriorated into a highly politicized

[24:27] and public contest of political wills

[24:30] where leaders go in and in a way try to

[24:33] score points off one another. That has

[24:35] changed the environment rather

[24:36] dramatically. Here at Williamsburg, the

[24:39] summit was to focus primarily on

[24:41] economic problems, the foreign debt

[24:43] crisis, unemployment, eastwest trade,

[24:45] for example. But because the problems

[24:48] are so unyielding, domestic politics so

[24:50] distracting, expertise so limited, the

[24:53] focus has been widened, and the search

[24:55] for agreement narrowed. The allies did

[24:58] produce a loosely worded commitment to

[25:00] arms control, and they did discuss the

[25:02] Middle East. But on the key economic

[25:04] issues, it was once over lightly,

[25:07] summarized in a bland wrap-up statement

[25:09] that offends no one. Among many

[25:11] observers, there is the question, should

[25:13] these economic summits be discarded? A

[25:16] good idea whose time has come and gone.

[25:18] >> No, I would not recommend them to be

[25:20] ended. Although I feel that the world

[25:22] cannot stand much failures now and one

[25:25] ought to be rather careful.

[25:27] >> How about putting them on a ship in the

[25:29] middle of the Atlantic Ocean?

[25:30] >> This would be a very good idea. Either

[25:32] on a ship or on an island.

[25:34] >> But location may not be the solution

[25:36] because the allies now compete. As much

[25:38] as they cooperate, the sharp economic

[25:40] differences would likely remain. This

[25:43] was a time when leadership seemed

[25:44] required of a serious substantive

[25:46] nature. What was provided was an example

[25:49] of damage control in a picturesque

[25:52] setting. Marvin Calb, NBC News,

[25:54] Williamsburg.

[25:56] Tom, listening to Helmet Schmidt

[25:57] advocate that the next summit conference

[25:59] be on an ocean liner on an island. Uh,

[26:02] it occurs to me that politicians

[26:03] probably don't have the courage to do

[26:05] that. I think really, whether they like

[26:06] to admit it or not, they want the press

[26:08] here. They want to have the press

[26:10] around, but they want to control the

[26:11] press. and they found that when they're

[26:13] in some political difficulties back

[26:15] home, they can use a success at the

[26:16] summit meeting to their own political

[26:18] advantage.

[26:18] >> Roger, what about the value of these

[26:20] summits? It seems to me that of all

[26:21] those that I've covered, the big value

[26:23] has been to limit the damage that they

[26:25] may do to each other, that there hasn't

[26:27] been one single achievement to come out

[26:29] of them.

[26:30] >> Well, I I think they're of of measurable

[26:33] value. I think that whether we admit it

[26:36] or not, our lives are generally in the

[26:37] hands of these men and women, their

[26:39] decisions, their judgments, their

[26:41] judgments of each other. And if it costs

[26:43] uh between 7 and 10 million a year to

[26:46] see that Nakason knows and understands

[26:49] Trudeau, I think that's not a bad price

[26:50] to pay.

[26:51] >> Tomorrow night, you're going to have to

[26:53] go back to the studio in Washington,

[26:54] which is not quite as grand as the

[26:56] setting in which we now find you, but

[26:57] we'll look forward to seeing you there

[26:58] tomorrow night. Tom, uh, after you've

[27:00] been down here 2 or three days, it's

[27:02] hard not to get in to the colonial

[27:04] spirit of things. So, just to show you

[27:05] what you've missed, we've put together a

[27:07] little picture postcard for you.

[27:23] Oh yeah.

[27:43] Wow.

[28:06] Heat.

[28:10] Heat.

[28:14] Tonight,

[28:25] Howard Hesman's a pest who won't go

[28:27] away.

[28:28] >> He's a saint.

[28:30] >> Get out of here.

[28:30] >> Love Sydney. And how will Alex takes

[28:32] climbing the corporate ladder?

[28:34] >> I could be assistant manager.

[28:35] >> Dare the dream, Alex.

[28:37] >> Then photographer Fay Dunaway's life is

[28:39] shattered in the suspense thriller, The

[28:41] Eyes of Laura Mars. tonight.

[28:47] Coming up next on the scene at 6,

[28:48] Tennessee's banking commissioner won't

[28:50] deny or confirm the possibility of more

[28:52] bank closings and hazardous waste is a

[28:54] problem almost 3/4 of the people in

[28:57] Davidson County consider serious

[28:58] according to a recent Keley poll.

[29:00] >> Also in tonight's news, state officials

[29:02] say tourism in Tennessee is off to a

[29:04] slow start this season. And from unit 4,

[29:07] we begin a series on heritage in the

[29:09] making with the story of a modern-day

[29:11] weaver who uses old-fashioned ways.

[29:15] >> These stories and more news coming up on

[29:17] the scene at 6.

[29:25] Let it shine.