NBC Nightly News - 1977-06-30
Channel: malgent
Transcript
Language: English (original, YouTube automatic captions)
[0:02] This is NBC Nightly News with John
[0:04] Chancellor and David Brinkley. Tonight,
[0:06] Thursday, June 30th, reported by John
[0:09] Chancellor from the NBC News Center in
[0:11] New York.
[0:13] Good evening. President Carter stunned
[0:15] the Pentagon, angered many in Congress,
[0:17] and surprised just about everybody today
[0:20] when he ordered the cancellation of the
[0:22] B1 bomber program, a $ 24 billion
[0:26] controversy. His decision means that
[0:28] American nuclear strength will be based
[0:30] on submarines, ballistic missiles, older
[0:33] B-52 bombers, and increasingly on the
[0:36] new weapon called the cruise missile.
[0:38] The president told a press conference
[0:40] today that the recent development of the
[0:41] cruise missile makes the B1 unnecessary.
[0:44] He said if things go bad with the
[0:46] Russians, he will order the B1 built,
[0:48] but not now. Here are two reports on the
[0:51] president's decision.
[0:55] >> Before Mr. Carter spoke today. There was
[0:56] a widespread feeling in Washington and
[0:58] elsewhere that the president would
[1:00] approve at least some production of the
[1:02] B1, that he would go back on a campaign
[1:04] promise and order deployment of the new
[1:06] supersonic bomber. Instead, Mr. Carter
[1:09] chose alternatives to the B1 and
[1:11] rejected arguments to build a whole new
[1:13] weapon system. His decision can save $24
[1:16] billion over the next 5 years.
[1:19] >> This has been one of the most difficult
[1:21] decisions that I've
[1:23] made since I've been in office.
[1:26] During the last few months, I've done my
[1:28] best to assess
[1:30] all the factors involved involving
[1:32] production of the B1 bomber.
[1:35] My decision is that we should not
[1:37] continue with deployment of the B1. And
[1:41] I am directing that we discontinue plans
[1:43] for production of this weapon system. In
[1:46] the meantime, we should begin deployment
[1:50] of cruise missiles using air launched
[1:53] platforms such as our B-52s modernized
[1:56] as necessary. I think in toto uh the
[2:00] B-51
[2:02] uh a very expensive weapon system
[2:06] basically conceived in the absence of
[2:10] the cruise missile factor
[2:13] uh is not necessary. The scuttling of
[2:15] the B1 doesn't mean it's going to be any
[2:17] easier to get a strategic arms
[2:18] agreement. In fact, it may become more
[2:21] difficult. The Russians are very
[2:23] concerned about those cruise missiles.
[2:25] They're hard to detect, and if suddenly
[2:27] hundreds of them carrying nuclear
[2:29] warheads were to be launched against
[2:31] them, Russian defenses might be
[2:33] overwhelmed. So, when they next sit down
[2:36] to negotiate, the Russians will try to
[2:38] get limits on the number of cruise
[2:40] missiles the United States can deploy.
[2:42] Mr. Carter said today he doesn't want to
[2:44] do that. So there could be more delay in
[2:47] getting a strategic arms agreement.
[2:49] Marilyn Burgerer, NBC News, the White
[2:51] House.
[2:53] This is what the Russians are worried
[2:55] about, the cruise missile. It's only 14
[2:57] ft long, but it has the potential of
[2:59] flying 1,500 m, almost invulnerable to
[3:03] existing Soviet defenses and hitting its
[3:05] target with a force 10 times that which
[3:07] destroyed Hiroshima. It flies at
[3:10] subsonic speeds, but so close to the
[3:12] ground that it's hard to pick up on
[3:14] radar. Its main feature, a highly
[3:16] accurate computerized guidance system.
[3:19] The cruise can be launched from B-52s or
[3:21] other aircraft. The Navy is also
[3:24] developing a cruise to be launched from
[3:25] submarines or surface ships. The missile
[3:28] is relatively cheap, about a million
[3:30] dollars each. It's still in research and
[3:32] development, and it's not expected to be
[3:34] ready for deployment until the 1980s.
[3:37] Top Air Force officials learned of
[3:39] President Carter's decision only moments
[3:41] before he announced it, and they watched
[3:42] in stunned disbelief. No one here had
[3:44] expected the president would kill the
[3:46] program. But Defense Secretary Harold
[3:48] Brown had given the president three
[3:50] options. The B1, the B-52 armed with
[3:53] cruise missiles, or a combination,
[3:56] cruise missiles launched from both the
[3:57] B-52 and from some other kind of
[3:59] platform. He said the United States
[4:01] could defend itself with any of the
[4:03] three. Then at a meeting last Monday,
[4:06] President Carter said he was inclined
[4:07] not to build the B1 and he asked Brown
[4:09] for his recommendation. Brown repeated
[4:12] his contention that all three options
[4:14] would work militarily, but he said if he
[4:16] had his way, he would go ahead full
[4:18] speed with the cruise missile because
[4:20] it's less costly, he said, and it's a
[4:22] better weapon. Charles Quinn, NBC News
[4:25] at the Pentagon.
[4:26] >> The president had described the B1
[4:28] during last year's campaign as wasteful.
[4:31] His press secretary said later today
[4:33] that the president wanted the maximum
[4:35] deterrent which could be purchased with
[4:37] the minimum amount of money and that's
[4:38] the cruise missile. It's a decision
[4:41] which will shape American nuclear power
[4:43] for years to come and in a minute we'll
[4:45] have more news about it.
[4:51] The Amway story has many chapters. This
[4:53] is one of them
[4:54] >> here at Amway World Headquarters. It's
[4:56] hard to believe Amway started just 18
[4:59] years ago,
[5:00] >> but it did. The pictures prove it.
[5:01] >> And today, Amway's manufacturing complex
[5:04] continues to grow, supplying more
[5:06] independent Amway distributors every
[5:08] year.
[5:09] >> That's why no matter where we live, we
[5:12] distributors say we're independent, but
[5:14] never alone.
[5:15] >> Want to know more? See your Amway
[5:17] distributor
[5:17] >> and get the whole story.
[5:21] >> Come on, you guys. We haven't got all
[5:23] day.
[5:26] >> There.
[5:28] >> Who are you? I'm mother tums. Tell me
[5:31] where it hurts
[5:31] >> here. It's acid indigestion, heartburn.
[5:34] >> Take Tums for the tummy.
[5:36] >> Are they strong?
[5:37] >> For neutralizing acid, Tums are one/3
[5:39] stronger for the money than the other
[5:41] leaving tablet.
[5:42] >> Oh, thanks, Mother Tums.
[5:44] >> Okay, Steve, move it up.
[5:46] >> Tums one/3 stronger.
[5:48] >> There. There.
[5:51] The president's decision to cancel the
[5:53] B1 program provoked criticism today from
[5:56] conservatives and praise from liberals
[5:58] in the Congress. Some outraged
[6:00] conservatives were hoping that money for
[6:02] at least a few B1s could be kept in the
[6:04] defense appropriation bill now under
[6:06] consideration. The Democratic leadership
[6:08] is mainly on the president's side.
[6:10] Katherine Macken reports.
[6:13] >> In Congress, support for the president
[6:15] was led by the two Democrats who have
[6:16] been the most critical of Mr. Carter.
[6:18] Liberal spokesman George McGovern and
[6:20] the Senate leader Robert Bird.
[6:23] >> I think that his decision is based on
[6:26] very a very careful analysis of the
[6:29] facts and the circumstances and I
[6:31] believe that the Congress will support
[6:33] that decision.
[6:34] >> Uh he looks better in my eyes as a
[6:37] consequence of the decision that he made
[6:39] today. But I think what this points up
[6:42] is the necessity of members of the
[6:45] Congress and uh other citizens speaking
[6:48] out for their convictions.
[6:49] >> Donald,
[6:51] >> opposition to the president was sharp,
[6:53] even bitter, especially from the
[6:54] congressman who represents the
[6:56] California district where the B1s were
[6:58] to be built.
[6:58] >> I really do believe they're breaking out
[7:00] the vodka and the caviar in Moscow.
[7:03] particularly fighter squadrons all over
[7:05] Siberia and the Soviet Union are licking
[7:07] their chops at the thought of going
[7:09] against big fat widebodied 747s or
[7:13] DCT10s made it up with cruise missiles.
[7:16] Generally, it's going to have a bad
[7:18] reaction across the country. The worst
[7:21] reaction will be an indication of
[7:23] another weak president who just doesn't
[7:26] have the courage to formulate tough
[7:29] foreign policy and formulate the
[7:31] toughness that's needed to follow it up.
[7:33] >> I think it was a very unfortunate
[7:34] decision, one that was made quite
[7:37] contrary to the majority opinion in
[7:39] Congress, to the opinion of the
[7:40] professional military man. Indeed, the
[7:43] president's own secretary of the air
[7:45] force. I don't know who advised him on
[7:48] this judgment, but I think he was a poor
[7:49] one.
[7:50] >> Today, shortly after the president's
[7:52] announcement, the House passed a money
[7:53] bill with funds in it for the B1. So,
[7:56] it's up to the Senate to make the first
[7:58] move to kill it. If Senate leader Robert
[8:00] Bird has it his way, it will go quietly
[8:03] in a Senate Appropriations Committee
[8:05] without even having a major debate on
[8:07] the subject. But should there be a
[8:09] debate, leaders of both the House and
[8:11] Senate say the Congress would vote with
[8:13] the president to end the B1 bomber.
[8:16] Katherine Mackin, NBC News at the
[8:18] Capitol.
[8:19] >> The cancellation of the $ 24 billion B1
[8:22] program is a blow to a lot of blue chip
[8:25] American companies. And here are the
[8:26] names of some who won't get B1
[8:28] contracts. General Electric, Bendix,
[8:31] Goodri, Goodyear, LTV, Sperry Rand,
[8:35] Cutler Hammer, Singer, and a lot more.
[8:37] The one which will be the most affected
[8:39] though is Rockwell International, the
[8:41] main contractor. Roy Neil was at
[8:43] Rockwell in California today.
[8:47] This is the final assembly area for the
[8:49] B1 bomber. It's been empty for some
[8:51] time, waiting for the president to make
[8:53] his decision. There is one test model in
[8:56] production. It'll be the last B1
[8:58] assembled here. Thousands of workers
[9:01] will be affected by the decision to
[9:03] cancel production. Rockwell
[9:05] International, the prime contractor,
[9:07] said that about 10,000 of its employees,
[9:10] most of them in the Los Angeles area,
[9:12] will be laid off. Subcontractors in
[9:14] other parts of the country, will be
[9:16] equally hard hit. The president of the
[9:18] Rockwell B1 division, gave this overall
[9:21] estimate. of some 40,000 total people
[9:25] that are working on the B1 program right
[9:28] at this moment. Uh there will be
[9:30] something like uh 30,000
[9:34] 32,000 of those who will um be
[9:38] terminated.
[9:39] There are three B1s currently flying and
[9:42] President Carter said the flight test
[9:44] program will continue but his
[9:46] announcement killing the plans for
[9:48] production came as a shock to the people
[9:50] who build the B1. They had expected at
[9:52] least limited production, not
[9:55] cancellation.
[9:57] The decision to cancel the B1 bomber
[9:59] means major layoffs to the workers. It
[10:02] also means that Rockwell's B1 facilities
[10:04] may be forced to close down. They were
[10:06] set up to build only one product, the B1
[10:09] bomber. And at the moment, there's
[10:11] nothing else they can make here. Roy
[10:13] Neil, NBC News, at the Rockwell B1
[10:16] facility in Los Angeles.
[10:18] Also at his press conference today, the
[10:20] president said that he hoped to start
[10:22] work on full diplomatic relations with
[10:24] China, possibly before the end of the
[10:27] year. He said this could lead to a break
[10:29] in formal and military relations with
[10:31] the Chinese nationalists on Taiwan, but
[10:34] that commercial and cultural ties might
[10:36] be maintained. The president was harshly
[10:39] criticized today by the Republican
[10:41] leadership in the Congress, not only for
[10:43] his decision on the B1, but also for his
[10:45] foreign policy. Howard Baker in the
[10:47] Senate and John Rhodess in the House
[10:49] accused Mr. Carter of rank amateurism
[10:52] for his policy on the Middle East and
[10:54] the B1. In a joint statement, Roads and
[10:57] Baker said the administration's policy
[10:59] in the Middle East was another step
[11:00] toward escalating tensions in one of the
[11:03] world's most dangerous places.
[11:10] >> A bread with fewer calories than yogurt.
[11:12] Two slices of Fresh Horizons have fewer
[11:15] calories than a cup of plain yogurt or
[11:17] gelatin.
[11:18] >> A bread with as much fiber as brand
[11:20] cereal.
[11:21] >> Two slices of Fresh Horizons have as
[11:24] much crude fiber as two bowls of brand
[11:26] cereal. Or all this celery.
[11:29] >> Fewer calories than yogurt.
[11:31] >> As much crude fiber as brand cereal.
[11:33] >> Fresh Horizons. Wheat and white. We add
[11:36] fiber and take out calories.
[11:39] >> Terrific coffee. But I can't drink this.
[11:43] >> Yes, you can.
[11:44] >> No, I can't. I want decaffeinated.
[11:46] >> Yes, you can. It's Brim decaffeinated.
[11:49] >> No, I can't. This tastes too good to be
[11:51] decaffeinated.
[11:52] >> Well, you can get good taste in
[11:53] decaffeinated coffee with Brim. Just
[11:55] taste its rich ground flavor.
[11:57] >> Brim is delicious. Can I have another
[11:59] cup?
[12:00] >> No, you can't. You'll miss your train.
[12:02] >> Brim tastes like fresh ground coffee. It
[12:04] tastes so good you won't believe it's
[12:06] decaffeinated.
[12:09] >> Morning, Tom. Morning.
[12:12] >> Pounding that pavement yesterday sure
[12:14] got me, George. This nagging backachche
[12:17] ruined my sleep.
[12:18] >> Here, start taking these this morning.
[12:20] Dones pills, they sure help me.
[12:23] >> When nagging backachche due to
[12:24] overexertion or everyday stress and
[12:26] strain comes on, do pain relieving
[12:28] action often brings temporary relief and
[12:30] let you get a good night's sleep.
[12:32] >> How's the back, Mom?
[12:33] >> Good. All right, I'm
[12:35] >> Try Dones Pills for relief of nagging
[12:37] backachche.
[12:39] Transportation Secretary Brock Adams
[12:41] ruled today that all new cars sold in
[12:44] this country must be equipped with
[12:46] airbags or other passive restraints
[12:48] beginning in 1984.
[12:50] Adams told the auto manufacturers they
[12:53] must begin equipping some of their new
[12:55] cars with passive restraints in the 1982
[12:58] model year. His decision will stand
[13:00] unless revoked by Congress. One
[13:02] congressman has already introduced a
[13:04] bill to kill it. Bob Kerr has more on
[13:06] the controversy.
[13:10] The government estimates that each year
[13:12] 9,000 lives would be saved and half a
[13:15] million serious injuries prevented if
[13:17] cars were equipped with passive
[13:19] restraint systems. This VW Rabbit offers
[13:22] passive restraint. The driver doesn't
[13:24] have to buckle the safety belt. It wraps
[13:26] around the driver automatically.
[13:29] The airbag is another example of passive
[13:31] restraint because it inflates
[13:33] automatically in a serious accident. But
[13:35] critics say airbags cost too much,
[13:37] inflate accidentally, and protect only
[13:40] during head-on collisions.
[13:42] General Motors is the only US automaker
[13:44] to say it will equip its cars with a
[13:47] passive restraint system if Congress
[13:48] says it should. Ford says it needs more
[13:51] time to study the matter. Chrysler and
[13:53] American Motors are against it. They
[13:56] argue passive restraint systems would
[13:58] raise the price of cars unnecessarily
[14:00] and that existing seat belts if they
[14:02] were used would provide enough safety.
[14:05] Bob Kerr, NBC News, Detroit.
[14:09] In Washington, the House Ways and Means
[14:11] Committee today completed action on
[14:13] President Carter's energy proposals. The
[14:15] committee gave the president most of
[14:17] what he wanted, although it did reject
[14:19] his standby gasoline tax and rebates to
[14:22] buyers of small cars. House Speaker Chip
[14:24] O'Neal predicted the full House would
[14:26] approve the bill the first week in
[14:28] August. Senate action is expected a
[14:30] little later.
[14:32] In Austin, Texas today, state Supreme
[14:34] Court Justice Don Yarbro was indicted on
[14:37] charges of lying to a grand jury and
[14:39] forging the title of a car. The Houston
[14:42] District Attorney's Office says Yarro
[14:44] was implicated in an abortive murder
[14:47] plot. Yarro denies all the charges.
[14:49] George Lewis reports.
[14:52] Hi, Don Yarro. Do so where?
[14:55] >> When Justice Don Yarro took office at
[14:57] the beginning of this year, he was
[14:59] already under a cloud of suspicion.
[15:01] Former business partners and law clients
[15:03] were suing him. Creditors wereounding
[15:06] him and his fellow lawyers were talking
[15:08] about disbarring him. Now he is charged
[15:11] with criminal conduct. A former
[15:13] Yarborough associate, Bill Rothco, told
[15:16] a grand jury how Yarro wanted to hire a
[15:18] killer to get rid of a couple of men who
[15:20] were going to testify against him.
[15:22] Officers feared for Rothkco's safety.
[15:25] They guarded him closely and hid his
[15:27] face with a paper bag. Yarro called the
[15:30] stories of murder plots utterly
[15:32] ridiculous.
[15:32] >> I'll say to you, I do not know how I
[15:35] have survived this ordeal up to this
[15:37] point in time, but I think I have every
[15:38] intentions of surviving it. and I think
[15:41] that it will come out very satisfactory
[15:43] and successfully.
[15:44] >> But late yesterday afternoon, Houston
[15:46] District Attorney Carol Vance said he
[15:48] had tape recordings of Yarro plotting
[15:51] the killings. Because Yarro never
[15:53] actually hired the killer, he cannot be
[15:55] charged with soliciting murder. But
[15:57] Vance says the tapes prove Yarro should
[15:59] be ousted. I think it is imperative that
[16:02] the public have the right to know about
[16:04] the conduct of one of the justices on
[16:07] our Supreme Court. And I would hope that
[16:09] the proper authorities would take action
[16:11] as soon as possible to have this person
[16:14] removed from the Supreme Court.
[16:16] >> But the authorities may not be able to
[16:18] remove Yarro immediately. Under Texas
[16:20] law, a judge under indictment can
[16:22] continue to serve until proven guilty.
[16:25] George Lewis, NBC News, Houston.
[16:29] Dow Jones and Company, which publishes
[16:30] the National Observer, announced today
[16:32] that the National Observer Weekly will
[16:35] go out of business after the edition
[16:36] that goes to press this Saturday. Dow
[16:39] Jones said the Observer has been losing
[16:41] money for years. There's been no word
[16:44] from or about Charlotte Gross since last
[16:47] night when the 15-year-old former Girl
[16:49] Scout called her father and said she was
[16:51] all right and would soon be released.
[16:53] She was abducted yesterday while on a
[16:56] camping trip near Sarasota, Florida. And
[16:59] John Mitchell got a new job today. The
[17:01] former attorney general will work as a
[17:03] clerk at the federal prison camp in
[17:05] Alabama, where he's serving time for
[17:07] Watergate crimes.
[17:13] Now, the higher coffee prices go, the
[17:16] more you need Mr. Coffee. Mr. coffee
[17:19] with this exclusive coffee saver saves
[17:22] coffee saves money two ways. First,
[17:25] percolators make you use up to 50% more
[17:27] coffee per pot than Mr. Coffee. Second,
[17:31] with coffee saver, you make only the
[17:33] exact number of cups you want.
[17:35] That's great. Remember, Mr. Coffee with
[17:38] Coffee Saver saves coffee, saves money.
[17:43] >> It doesn't grant my style.
[17:45] >> It doesn't cramp my style.
[17:46] >> What doesn't cramp my style? Phillips
[17:48] Milk of Magnesia. When I have
[17:50] constipation, I rely on Phillips. It
[17:53] really works and it doesn't interfere
[17:55] with my day.
[17:56] >> Unlike most laxatives, Philips formula
[17:58] puts your natural body water to work,
[18:00] drawing it to where it's needed to
[18:01] soften and lubricate, relieves
[18:03] constipation in hours, usually without
[18:05] cramps. Phillips, regular chocolate or
[18:08] mint.
[18:08] >> It really works, and it doesn't cramp
[18:10] your style.
[18:13] On our special this evening, we'll have
[18:15] a look at one of the proposed solutions
[18:17] to the energy crisis that isn't working
[18:19] out too well. That proposed solution is
[18:21] new rapid transit facilities in big
[18:24] cities. People movers that are supposed
[18:26] to get people out of their cars and to
[18:28] work without wasting lots of energy. But
[18:31] as Douglas Kiker reports, people movers,
[18:33] including the system in the nation's
[18:35] capital, can be very expensive.
[18:41] It's called Metro. It is a huge new
[18:44] urban transit system which has been
[18:45] under construction in Washington for 7
[18:48] and 12 years now. Metro's first section
[18:51] started operating a year ago and service
[18:53] has been excellent. It's proving to be a
[18:55] social and economic mixm
[18:58] and efficient that workers in one part
[19:00] of Washington can use Metro during lunch
[19:02] hour to go across town to eat and shop.
[19:08] Metro's second section starts at
[19:10] National Airport, goes past the Pentagon
[19:13] under the PTOAC River, winds through
[19:15] Washington, and intersects with the
[19:17] first section.
[19:19] Metro's trains travel at speeds up to 75
[19:22] m an hour over cushioned rails, which
[19:24] produce a smooth ride. There is an
[19:27] engineer aboard each train, but he's
[19:28] only there as a backup. The entire
[19:31] system actually is controlled by
[19:32] computers. Metro stations are quiet,
[19:35] spacious, and handsome. The cars are
[19:37] airond conditioned and carpeted, and the
[19:39] seats are comfortable. With the addition
[19:42] of this second section, the number of
[19:43] daily metro passengers is expected to
[19:46] jump from 35,000 to 175,000.
[19:50] So, even though it is still only about
[19:51] half completed, Washington's Metro must
[19:54] now be considered the nation's newest
[19:56] operating urban transit system, and a
[19:58] good one, too. There is only one
[20:01] problem. Metro is a financial disaster.
[20:04] Its original estimated cost was $2.5
[20:07] billion. Today it is 5.5 billion, more
[20:10] than double.
[20:12] Metro was designed as a 100m regional
[20:15] transit system, but all of the line may
[20:18] not be built because of rising
[20:19] construction cost. The worth of such
[20:22] urban transit systems is now being
[20:24] questioned. Critics say they cost too
[20:26] much to build and operate, and they
[20:28] really don't solve the problem of urban
[20:30] traffic congestion. The nation's
[20:32] existing urban transit systems now
[20:34] operate at a loss of $1.5 billion a
[20:37] year. They must be subsidized with
[20:39] public money. The federal government
[20:41] also spends over $2 billion a year on
[20:44] new urban transit projects. Advanced
[20:46] planning for systems similar to Metro is
[20:48] underway in over a halfozen other major
[20:50] cities and the Senate recently voted to
[20:53] keep the program funded for another 5
[20:55] years. In his campaign, Jimmy Carter was
[20:58] an enthusiastic advocate of heavy mass
[21:00] transit, but now as president, he is
[21:02] taking another look, suggesting there
[21:04] may be less expensive alternatives.
[21:06] Transportation Secretary Brock Adams
[21:08] explains,
[21:09] >> "The key thing that's being done now is
[21:12] a closer examination both of
[21:14] engineering, design, and is there
[21:16] another alternative? In other words, can
[21:17] you go on the surface with a lighter
[21:19] rail car than tunneling and going with a
[21:22] heavy rail car?" That's the thing that
[21:24] the president is expressing concern
[21:27] about and that we're carrying out as an
[21:29] operating uh group.
[21:31] >> So Washington has a new subway system,
[21:33] Metro, but other cities may find the
[21:35] federal government less willing to help
[21:37] finance similar projects. Such systems
[21:40] are beneficial to a big city. No doubt
[21:42] about that. But the big question is how
[21:44] vital is the need for them? And can the
[21:47] federal government with so many other
[21:49] mounting bills to pay really afford to
[21:51] build them and then permanently
[21:53] subsidize their operation in cities all
[21:55] over the country? Douglas Ker, NBC News,
[21:58] Washington.
[22:00] Something else that on rails that's
[22:02] becoming too expensive is the railway
[22:04] post office system. Over the years,
[22:06] postal clerks have sounded sorted
[22:09] countless millions of letters on trains
[22:11] thundering across the country. Most of
[22:13] us never saw this except as depicted in
[22:15] western movies, but now it's coming to
[22:17] an end. Richard Hunt reports.
[22:22] >> Ever since 1864, the railway post office
[22:25] has been a proud tradition of the United
[22:26] States mail system. In the late 1940s,
[22:30] there were 4,000 mail cars and 30,000
[22:33] men riding them to sort the mail.
[22:36] Only four mail cars are still in
[22:38] service. They're used in two trains on
[22:40] the one remaining route, Washington to
[22:42] New York and New York to Washington,
[22:44] five nights a week.
[22:47] >> More than 50,000 pieces of mail are
[22:49] loaded onto each car, and the 11man crew
[22:52] sorts it during the 4 and 1/2 hour trip.
[22:55] Forman Jim Evans has been riding the
[22:57] mail cars for 40 years, and he's proud
[23:00] that the job gets done on time every
[23:02] night.
[23:04] Evans and his crew believe their work
[23:06] makes it possible for a letter mailed in
[23:08] New York on Wednesday to be delivered in
[23:10] Washington on Thursday.
[23:15] >> Mail sorted in stationary post offices
[23:17] and moved by freight usually takes at
[23:19] least a day longer. But the railway post
[23:22] office costs a million dollars a year
[23:24] more than it costs to move the mail by
[23:26] truck or freight car.
[23:32] So early Friday morning, a mail car will
[23:34] roll into Washington with his last load
[23:36] and the service will stop,
[23:40] probably forever.
[23:42] Richard Hunt, NBC News, and the last of
[23:45] the railway mail cars.
[23:48] Last week, John McEnroe was an unknown,
[23:51] an 18-year-old amateur tennis player
[23:53] from New York City playing in the back
[23:55] lots of Wimbledon. Today he was playing
[23:58] Jimmy Connors in the semifinals and
[24:00] Mackenroe was giving the top-seated
[24:02] Connors more trouble than anyone dreamed
[24:04] he would. Connors won of course, but
[24:07] Mackenroe did take one set from him.
[24:09] That was largely because of Connor's
[24:11] carelessness, but still Mackenroe is the
[24:14] youngest player ever to reach the
[24:16] semifinals at Wimbledon.
[24:22] My dentures were so dingy and yellow I
[24:25] hardly opened my mouth. My kindergarten
[24:27] called me Mrs. Sour Ball because I
[24:30] hardly ever smiled. Then I started
[24:32] brushing with Denure Cream. Due Cream's
[24:34] anti- yellowing formula gets rid of
[24:36] dingy yellow film. And Dingo Cream helps
[24:39] keep the yellow from coming back because
[24:40] it polishes better, better than ever.
[24:43] Yellow juice took away my smile. Due
[24:45] Cream's anti- yellowing formula gave me
[24:47] back my smile. Good morning, Mrs.
[24:49] Healey.
[24:52] >> I switched to Bayer. I used to use an
[24:55] aspirin substitute cuz I thought aspirin
[24:57] might upset my stomach. But then I read
[25:00] inflammation often accompanies pain and
[25:03] aspirin substitutes do nothing to
[25:05] relieve inflammation.
[25:07] Also, a major hospital study showed 99
[25:10] times out of 100 Bayer aspirin didn't
[25:12] upset the stomach. So, I switched to
[25:15] Bayer. Bayer, the kind of relief you
[25:18] cannot get from an aspirin substitute.
[25:22] >> And finally this evening, Jimmy Carter
[25:24] and monogamy. Monogamy means being
[25:26] married to and faithful to only one
[25:29] other person. You might not think that a
[25:31] subject of this nature would come up at
[25:32] a presidential press conference, but it
[25:34] did today in a question asked by Lester
[25:37] Kinsolving, an Episcopal priest who
[25:39] writes about the White House. And here
[25:41] is how the president handled it.
[25:45] President Panax Newspapers has a tape
[25:47] recorded statement by Dr. Peter Bourne
[25:50] that even though your own relationship
[25:52] is monogamous, you never held anything
[25:55] against people in your organization who
[25:57] were involved promiscuously with other
[25:59] women. My question is, is Dr. Bourne
[26:01] right or wrong in this recorded
[26:03] statement?
[26:05] >> He's certainly right in part of it. My
[26:07] relationship with
[26:13] My relationship is monogous, mirror,
[26:16] >> but what about the rest of it? Could I
[26:17] follow up, Mr. President?
[26:19] >> I'm sorry.
[26:19] >> What about the second part of it? He has
[26:22] stated that you never held anything
[26:23] against people in your organization who
[26:25] were involved promiscuously with other
[26:27] women.
[26:28] >> My my preference my preference is that
[26:31] that those who associate with me, in
[26:33] fact all people, uh would honor the same
[26:37] uh standards that I honor. But I've
[26:38] never held it against people who had a
[26:41] different standard from myself. I've
[26:43] done everything I could properly and
[26:45] legitimately to encourage my staff
[26:48] members families to be uh stable and I
[26:52] have also encouraged the same sort of
[26:54] thing in my cabinet. If there are some
[26:57] who've slipped from grace then I can
[27:00] only say that I'll do the best I can to
[27:01] forgive them and pray for them.
[27:06] And that's the program for this evening.
[27:08] Good night for NBC News.
[27:13] >> Listen to the Sares winners in a
[27:15] publishers clearing house giveaway.
[27:17] >> We knew we were going to have a baby,
[27:18] but we never expected to win this check
[27:20] for $100,000.
[27:22] >> Now we can give our Brian the best of
[27:24] everything.
[27:26] >> You may be lucky, too. A new clearing
[27:28] house giveaway is in the mail now.
[27:29] Homes, cars, cash. Over half a million
[27:32] dollars in prizes just to call attention
[27:34] to our fine magazine values. Watch your
[27:37] mail for the new giveaway from
[27:38] Publishers Clearing House. And enter
[27:40] now. You may be a winner, too.
[27:44] >> That was some party. You stayed until 2.
[27:48] Now your head and your stomach can't
[27:50] blame no one but you. How good sir. Plop
[27:55] plop fisted. Oh, what a relief it is.
[27:59] Plop plop fizz. Here it comes. Upset
[28:02] stomach and aching head. The plop plop
[28:04] fizz fizz is fast fast. For heartburn
[28:07] alone, try Alcatou. The one you chew.
[28:10] >> Oh, what a really it is.
[28:24] Reggae music. The biggest sound in
[28:26] Jamaica.
[28:28] A look at single heaven. A new method of
[28:31] improving oneself through rebirth in
[28:33] water at room temperature.
[28:36] Jack Perkins and Linda Ellerby of NBC
[28:39] News on 9 tonight at 8 7 central and
[28:42] mountain time.
[28:50] >> Be good to your lawn with this big
[28:52] Western Auto Power mower value. The
[28:54] deluxe 20-in mower for less than $100.
[28:57] Five position height adjusters. Easy
[28:59] rolling ball bearing wheels. Only
[29:01] $99.99. A great value for the money.
[29:04] Just one of the complete selection of
[29:06] power mowers at your nearby Western Auto
[29:08] store. Autokone.
[29:21] >> Is that an accident, Mrs. Miller?
[29:22] >> I'm afraid so, hun. Since 1967, Volvo
[29:26] engineers have investigated and analyzed
[29:28] over 30,000 traffic accidents.