NBC Nightly News - 1983-05-31

Channel: malgent

Transcript

Language: English (original, YouTube automatic captions)

[0:00] in at 6 and 10. NBC News, New York.

[0:03] I'm Roger Mudd, NBC News, Washington.

[0:06] It's a mess in wide areas of Nevada and

[0:08] Utah tonight. Floods and mudslides have

[0:11] wrecked homes, covered highways, and

[0:13] torn up businesses. And it's not over

[0:15] yet. We have two reports beginning with

[0:17] Don Oliver in Utah.

[0:20] Utah officials were worried about many

[0:22] flooding streams and rivers, but Red

[0:24] Creek at Farmington was not high on the

[0:26] list. Then, with a roar, a gigantic

[0:29] mudslide swept from the snow level, a

[0:32] mile and a half down the canyon, and

[0:34] sent an 8-ft wall of mud into the town.

[0:37] At least 30 homes in its path were

[0:40] damaged, six of them destroyed.

[0:43] Others were left twisted on their

[0:44] foundations.

[0:46] Cars were turned over and buried.

[0:48] But, after an accounting at an

[0:50] evacuation center, it was determined no

[0:52] one was killed, injured, or missing.

[0:56] By midday, the mudslide had stopped its

[0:58] slow movement, but surges of water

[1:00] continued from the slide area.

[1:03] Federal officials believe there could be

[1:04] one or maybe two more layers of soggy

[1:07] earth that could peel off and come

[1:09] sliding down the canyon at any time.

[1:12] A third of the town remains evacuated as

[1:14] lawmen continue to eye the mudslide

[1:17] nervously.

[1:18] In Salt Lake City, Big Cottonwood Creek

[1:20] was eating through roads, flooding

[1:22] expensive neighborhoods, and forcing the

[1:24] evacuation of 200 people from a mobile

[1:27] home park.

[1:30] Still farther south, another mudslide

[1:31] blocked a highway and partially dammed a

[1:33] flooding creek. The town of Fairview was

[1:36] vacant for a time. The thousand

[1:38] residents were ordered out overnight,

[1:40] but allowed to return today. The

[1:42] forecast of heavy rain tonight in

[1:44] northern Utah is not good news for those

[1:47] trying to control the flooding.

[1:49] Don Oliver, NBC News, Salt Lake City.

[1:54] >> In Nevada, on On east side of the Sierra

[1:56] Nevada, the cleanup is just beginning.

[1:58] Slide Mountain lived up to its name

[2:00] yesterday, sending a 15-ft wall of mud

[2:03] and water into the Washoe Valley. One

[2:05] person was killed, five injured. Some

[2:07] families were separated when they ran

[2:09] for shelter.

[2:14] The slide swallowed nine cars and

[2:16] destroyed four houses. Residents

[2:18] returned today to survey the damage.

[2:20] Most don't know yet whether insurance

[2:22] will cover it.

[2:23] >> I was washing dishes and looked out the

[2:25] window and there it came. Mud, boulders,

[2:28] tree trunks.

[2:29] >> At first I thought it was an earthquake

[2:31] or, you know, when I looked outside it

[2:32] looked more like a bulldozer coming

[2:33] towards us.

[2:34] >> It didn't wipe me out totally.

[2:37] I just consider myself lucky.

[2:40] Real lucky.

[2:41] >> The Sierra Nevada got the heaviest

[2:42] snowfall in its history this year, 671

[2:46] in.

[2:47] An unexpected warm front has caused

[2:49] slides and erosion throughout the area.

[2:51] A mudslide Sunday in [ __ ] Valley buried

[2:54] two houses and damaged 10 others.

[2:56] On the other side of Lake Tahoe, two

[2:58] lanes of Highway 50 have fallen into a

[3:00] canyon.

[3:02] Experts say there is no way of

[3:03] predicting such slides and no way of

[3:05] preventing them. People who live here

[3:07] can run from the mudslides, but there is

[3:09] nothing they can do to protect their

[3:11] houses. Mary Nissenson, NBC News in the

[3:14] Washoe Valley of Nevada.

[3:16] >> Temperatures are falling in that area,

[3:18] but the National Weather Service

[3:19] predicts a chance of rain for the Lake

[3:21] Tahoe Basin for tonight and tomorrow.

[3:24] And that, of course, could mean more

[3:25] flooding.

[3:26] Roger.

[3:28] >> The string ran out today on four of the

[3:30] seven congressional politicians

[3:31] convicted in the FBI so-called Abscam

[3:34] investigation of political corruption.

[3:36] The United States Supreme Court refused

[3:37] to intervene and that leaves only

[3:39] prison. Here's Carl Stern.

[3:42] >> Frank Thompson of New Jersey was the

[3:44] most senior member of the House snared

[3:46] in Abscam. Others were John Murphy of

[3:48] New York and Raymond Lederer and Michael

[3:50] Myers of Pennsylvania.

[3:52] Today, a typewritten order, the Supreme

[3:54] Court refused to overturn their

[3:56] convictions. 11 of the 19 persons

[3:58] convicted in Abscam have appealed to the

[4:00] Supreme Court, and all have been turned

[4:02] down.

[4:04] It started 4 years ago at the house in

[4:06] Washington where FBI agents posed as

[4:08] representatives of rich Arabs looking

[4:09] for favors and apparently succeeded in

[4:12] bribing a half-dozen congressmen and one

[4:14] senator. Most have been sentenced to 3

[4:16] years in prison.

[4:17] One of their lawyers expressed their

[4:19] disappointment today.

[4:20] >> An Abscam flavor of investigation with

[4:23] the legislative branch being prey to the

[4:25] executive branch is now wide open. The

[4:27] government can do almost whatever it

[4:28] wants to try and entrap someone.

[4:31] >> FBI Director Webster repeatedly defended

[4:33] Abscam on the grounds that no one's arm

[4:35] was twisted and that only persons

[4:36] receptive to a bribe were brought into

[4:38] it. But an Abscam tape recently acquired

[4:41] by NBC News under the Freedom of

[4:42] Information Act showed only one of those

[4:44] claims was accurate. Undercover FBI

[4:47] agents did not try to pressure Senator

[4:49] Larry Pressler of South Dakota into

[4:50] taking a bribe, but he was brought in by

[4:52] middlemen who had met him only 5 minutes

[4:54] before and had no reason to believe he

[4:56] was dishonest.

[4:58] >> I can't promise that I would introduce X

[5:01] bill for X person if something happens.

[5:03] I mean, that would be

[5:04] something that you wouldn't want either.

[5:06] >> Like I say, I

[5:07] I don't want to rush you into anything.

[5:08] I I I think

[5:09] >> In that sense, Abscam was a random

[5:11] honesty test which has not proved

[5:13] popular in Washington. Even though it

[5:15] seems to have passed Supreme Court

[5:16] muster, the FBI is unlikely to operate

[5:19] anything that unfocused again.

[5:21] Carl Stern, NBC News, Washington.

[5:24] >> And a federal judge in Kalamazoo ruled

[5:26] today that the FBI can be sued for

[5:28] damages by a former freedom rider who

[5:30] claims the FBI failed to prevent the Ku

[5:32] Klux Klan from beating him up in 1961.

[5:36] 83-year-old Walter Bergman said the

[5:37] beating paralyzed him and he's suing for

[5:39] a million dollars.

[5:59] >> I've made up my mind.

[6:02] >> Yeah?

[6:03] >> Yeah.

[6:05] >> Yes.

[6:06] >> Yes.

[6:08] Why don't you make me some coffee?

[6:17] >> Soft as the moment, rich as the feeling.

[6:20] Only Taster's Choice has the soft, rich

[6:22] flavor so right for your best coffee

[6:25] times.

[6:27] At first, it was just an idea.

[6:30] An idea to build a promise into every

[6:32] appliance we make.

[6:34] A promise of pride in our workmanship to

[6:36] create good, honest quality.

[6:39] The promise of a product that assures

[6:40] you your money's worth. And finally, the

[6:42] promise of our entire company to stand

[6:45] behind each appliance. A promise we

[6:47] keep. The Whirlpool promise.

[6:50] It won't solve all your problems, but

[6:52] it's our promise to you to try to make

[6:54] your world a little easier.

[6:57] >> Isn't this English steakhouse charming?

[6:59] >> Yeah. Oh, wow. This Lea & Perrins steak

[7:02] sauce, it's unbelievable. It's

[7:04] different. Oh, wow.

[7:06] It's rich.

[7:09] This Lea & Perrins steak sauce is so

[7:11] thick, you can spread it with a knife.

[7:14] Oh, wow. And look, new Lea & Perrins

[7:16] English pub mustard. It's coarse ground.

[7:18] It's hearty. It's

[7:19] >> Positively smashing. Steak sauce and new

[7:22] English pub mustard for the wow you only

[7:25] get from Lea & Perrins.

[7:28] >> Syria today accused President Reagan of

[7:30] a blood lust, but warned that American

[7:32] blood would be spilled if in the Middle

[7:34] East if the US tries to intervene. The

[7:36] warning appeared in the ruling party

[7:38] newspaper and is interpreted to be a

[7:40] suggestion that Syria expects some kind

[7:41] of military involvement in the area. The

[7:44] Palestine Liberation Organization now

[7:45] headquartered in Syria is currently torn

[7:47] by internal dissension. And as Marvin

[7:50] Kalb reports from the State Department,

[7:51] the PLO has become a new wild card in

[7:54] Beirut.

[7:55] >> They left Beirut, as many as 12,000 of

[7:58] them last August, dispersed by Israeli

[8:00] military pressure to the four corners of

[8:02] the Arab world. But in the last few

[8:04] months, intelligence officials say about

[8:07] 1,000 Palestinian fighters have slipped

[8:09] back into the Beirut area. Most of them

[8:12] loyal to PLO Chairman Yasser Arafat.

[8:15] Lebanese sources disclose that dozens of

[8:17] PLO guerrillas have recently begun to

[8:19] operate out of Shia, a modest

[8:21] residential area in the southern part of

[8:23] Beirut, not far from the Palestinian

[8:26] camps of Sabra and Shatila. All told,

[8:29] there are now more than 20,000

[8:30] Palestinian fighters in Lebanon. 5,000

[8:33] in the north, an estimated 15,000 in the

[8:36] Bekaa Valley. Less than half, about

[8:38] 10,000, are still loyal to Arafat. The

[8:41] other half thinks Arafat is not

[8:43] sufficiently militant. They are part of

[8:46] two Palestinian groups, As-Sa'iqa and

[8:48] the Palestine Liberation Army, which are

[8:50] controlled by Syria. Presumably, in any

[8:53] conflict with Israel, the various

[8:55] Palestinian factions would function as

[8:57] one.

[8:58] There are, in addition, 40 to 50,000

[9:00] Syrian troops in Lebanon, and US

[9:03] officials said today that getting all of

[9:04] them out was still an achievable goal.

[9:08] But they could provide no evidence

[9:09] whatever to support their hopeful

[9:11] rhetoric.

[9:12] Marvin Kalb, NBC News, the State

[9:14] Department.

[9:15] >> The PLO said today Syria has started

[9:18] talks with the various factions of the

[9:19] PLO to try to keep the organization from

[9:21] flying apart and keep Arafat in control.

[9:24] Syria, of course, has a vested interest

[9:26] in having a unified PLO as a fighting

[9:28] force subservient to Syria and having

[9:30] Arafat beholden to the Syrians. Tom.

[9:33] >> In West Germany today, Defense Secretary

[9:35] Caspar Weinberger said those new medium

[9:37] range nuclear missiles now are right on

[9:39] schedule. He said they could be deployed

[9:41] in Western Europe by the end of the

[9:43] year. Weinberger said the actual

[9:45] deployment of these missiles will depend

[9:47] on what happens at those arms control

[9:48] talks, which are now going on in Geneva.

[9:51] Those very missiles were the subject of

[9:53] a major protest today in Great Britain.

[9:55] The demonstrators don't want the

[9:57] missiles deployed at a US Air Force

[9:59] base, which is near Oxford. And police

[10:01] arrested 17 of them tried to block an

[10:04] entrance to the base.

[10:07] Some of the new American missiles to be

[10:09] deployed in Europe will be sent to the

[10:10] sleepy Sicilian village of Comiso. And

[10:14] as Keith Miller reports tonight, even

[10:16] before they get there, the missiles are

[10:18] changing the lives of the villagers.

[10:23] About the only thing the people of

[10:24] Comiso can agree on these days is that

[10:26] the town will never be the same.

[10:31] The people of Comiso are frightened,

[10:33] afraid that the cruise missile base

[10:35] under construction outside of town will

[10:37] destroy their simple culture.

[10:41] Anti-nuclear protesters are invading the

[10:43] rural community, taking over apartments

[10:46] for communal living,

[10:48] and staging protests.

[10:50] The Villanuevas have lived here for

[10:52] centuries. Their new neighbors will be

[10:54] one of NATO's new nuclear bases in

[10:56] Western Europe. They say they are

[10:58] worried that the missiles will bring

[10:59] danger.

[11:01] All we want is our tranquility, and that

[11:03] they say is disappearing.

[11:07] Giacomo Cannizzo is fighting back.

[11:11] The former communist mayor of Comiso

[11:13] leads local opposition to the base.

[11:16] Cannizzo calls the base a tragedy. He

[11:19] claims the Americans will bring drugs,

[11:21] prostitution, and the mafia to this once

[11:23] peaceful region.

[11:25] The few US military technicians already

[11:27] in Comiso keep a low profile and refuse

[11:30] to discuss the base.

[11:32] But in Comiso, the people forego the

[11:34] usual gossip about tomato crops to

[11:37] debate zero option and nuclear parity.

[11:40] But the demonstrations and public

[11:42] opinion have not stopped construction on

[11:44] the base, and unless there is a

[11:46] breakthrough in the disarmament talks in

[11:47] Geneva, Comiso will be armed and

[11:50] operational by March 1984.

[11:54] Keith Miller, NBC News, Comiso, Sicily.

[11:58] >> I refuse to let anything really bother

[12:00] me now. I I hold no hatred or bitterness

[12:02] toward anybody.

[12:07] >> You can open up your world and make it

[12:09] shine. You can do it. You can squeeze

[12:11] that extra something out of life. Yes,

[12:14] you can. You can set a goal and do it at

[12:16] your own style. Do it. It's your world.

[12:19] It's your life. It's your time. Every

[12:22] minute, you can do it every day. Yes,

[12:25] you can. You can grow

[12:27] in your own way.

[12:29] You can do it.

[12:31] And we

[12:32] like to help.

[12:33] >> Visa.

[12:35] >> Sodium can turn up where you least

[12:37] expect it. Even in your antacid tablet.

[12:41] Your antacid tablet.

[12:44] If you're concerned about sodium, what

[12:46] antacid do you take?

[12:50] Tums is sodium-free, and it also

[12:52] neutralizes 1/3 more stomach acid than

[12:55] the other leading brand. Tums lets you

[12:57] do without the heartburn and without all

[13:00] that sodium.

[13:06] >> Susan's dog is alive today because his

[13:08] Hartz flea and tick collar helped save

[13:10] his life last night. The Hartz 2 in 1

[13:13] Plus nighttime safety reflecting collar,

[13:15] the first flea and tick killing collar

[13:17] that reflects oncoming car headlights to

[13:19] help protect your pet at night. And that

[13:21] same Hartz collar protects against fleas

[13:23] and ticks every day round-the-clock for

[13:25] 5 months. Get your dog or cat the Hartz

[13:28] 2 in 1 plus nighttime safety reflecting

[13:30] collar. Now the famous Hartz flea and

[13:32] tick killer can be a lifesaver, too.

[13:36] >> The Commerce Department reported today

[13:38] its index of leading economic indicators

[13:40] showed a rise of 1.1% in April, and that

[13:43] made it a 10-month rise. The best

[13:45] increase was in the average work week,

[13:46] up 30 minutes. In Williamsburg,

[13:49] Virginia, where the economic summit

[13:50] meeting was ending, the White House said

[13:51] the new index shows the recovery is

[13:53] solidly on course.

[13:56] The last of the summit leaders left

[13:57] Virginia today with the White House

[13:59] saying the conference went off like

[14:00] clockwork.

[14:02] Press Secretary Larry Speakes said the

[14:03] president thinks it went great.

[14:05] For the goodbyes, security was still in

[14:08] place today, and wearing a colonial

[14:09] uniform carried no exemption from

[14:12] electronic frisking.

[14:13] Mr. Reagan told reporters before he left

[14:16] that the summit had been fair to its

[14:17] seven participants. There were no

[14:19] winners or losers, he said.

[14:22] But the president declined to rate his

[14:23] own performance. Tom?

[14:26] >> Remember Isadore Zimmerman? We met him

[14:28] on this program last week. Well, it's

[14:30] been a long time coming, but Isadore

[14:31] Zimmerman finally got a measure of

[14:33] justice, a million dollars worth. That's

[14:35] what a New York state judge awarded

[14:37] Zimmerman today. It all began 45 years

[14:40] ago when Zimmerman was arrested and sent

[14:42] to prison because someone lied. More

[14:44] tonight from John Hart.

[14:46] >> Because Isadore Zimmerman was innocent

[14:48] but spent 24 years in prison anyway, and

[14:51] because he was injured in prison by the

[14:53] guards, he says, he won a million

[14:55] dollars in a lawsuit today. He had asked

[14:57] for 10 million.

[14:59] >> I I had hoped to start a foundation

[15:03] in which I would help correct

[15:04] miscarriages of justice.

[15:07] Right now, I can't do it.

[15:08] >> Zimmerman went to prison when he was 19,

[15:10] framed by a friend in a murder case. He

[15:13] came within 2 hours of being executed.

[15:16] He became a jailhouse lawyer and helped

[15:18] 700 other men get released. He's been

[15:21] out for 21 years. Not very good years.

[15:24] >> I have uh several broken bones that

[15:27] never healed properly and I walk with a

[15:28] limp.

[15:30] I'm virtually a [ __ ] and I'm

[15:32] destitute and I think that's the only

[15:33] reason I accepted only $1 million

[15:36] because I had no means to live on

[15:38] anymore.

[15:39] >> Although the judgment can be appealed,

[15:41] he says he had no choice but to settle.

[15:43] Of the million, his lawyer will get a

[15:45] third. He owes another 300,000 for loans

[15:48] and medical bills. There'll be no taxes.

[15:51] The last third is his. John Hart, NBC

[15:54] News, New York.

[15:56] >> The Census Bureau reported tonight that

[15:58] the 1980 study showed 50 million

[16:00] Americans claim English ancestry. The

[16:03] next largest block, German.

[16:05] 21 million claim Afro-American ancestry

[16:08] and 40 million of us, present company

[16:10] included, claim some Irish ancestry.

[16:13] That's 12 times the current population

[16:15] of Ireland.

[16:24] >> Start out in a bright new way.

[16:26] >> It's new.

[16:27] >> Shredded wheat, toasted wheat and

[16:28] raisins.

[16:30] >> Whole wheat and raisins grown in the

[16:31] sun. No added sugar or salt. This is the

[16:34] only one.

[16:34] >> Start out in a bright new way.

[16:37] Shredded wheat, toasted wheat and

[16:39] raisins.

[16:40] >> Raisins with smaller, lighter shredded

[16:42] wheat. No added sugar or salt. It's just

[16:44] naturally sweet.

[16:45] >> Start out in a bright new way.

[16:47] >> The only raisin cereal with no added

[16:49] sugar or salt.

[16:50] >> Nabisco.

[16:53] >> This woman has had diabetes for years.

[16:56] >> Mrs. Johnson?

[16:56] >> So there's a chance her daughter may

[16:58] also develop it. Diabetes is a serious

[17:00] illness, but it can be controlled.

[17:02] >> How have you been feeling, Nancy?

[17:04] >> Kind of tired.

[17:05] >> Mhm.

[17:06] Are you often thirsty?

[17:08] >> Yes.

[17:08] >> 11 million Americans have diabetes,

[17:11] maybe even you, especially if you're

[17:12] over 40 and overweight. So check with

[17:15] your doctor. This message was brought to

[17:17] you by Pfizer Pharmaceuticals.

[17:18] >> I'll be home soon, Mom.

[17:20] >> Pfizer, one of your partners in health

[17:22] care.

[17:23] >> In today's world, dynamic change can

[17:26] sometimes take you by surprise. Your

[17:28] professional life insurance agent can

[17:30] help you plan for change. Recommend

[17:33] creative life insurance programs as the

[17:35] foundation of your financial future. And

[17:38] help you meet your varied financial

[17:40] needs. Your life insurance agent, a

[17:43] source of timely advice in today's

[17:45] changing financial world.

[17:47] American's life and health insurance

[17:49] companies, a growing commitment to

[17:51] America's life and health.

[17:54] >> The State Department claims that the

[17:56] Soviet Union has used a form of

[17:58] biological warfare called yellow rain in

[18:00] Laos, Cambodia, and Afghanistan, killing

[18:03] 10,000 people. Well, today two prominent

[18:05] scientists from Yale and Harvard

[18:07] reported that they have examined samples

[18:09] of the so-called yellow rain collected

[18:11] by the State Department, and they have

[18:13] concluded that it could be bee

[18:14] droppings.

[18:16] In Nova Scotia, there is no question

[18:18] that a herbicide that lumber companies

[18:20] want to spray on trees contains the

[18:22] Agent Orange. It's a deadly poison

[18:24] suspected of causing all kinds of

[18:26] problems for humans, from cancer to

[18:28] birth defects. And as Bob Jameson

[18:30] reports tonight from Nova Scotia, it is

[18:32] at the heart of a battle between the

[18:34] lumber companies and many of the

[18:35] residents of the area which is to be

[18:37] sprayed.

[18:39] >> Nova Scotia is a land rich in trees and

[18:41] poor in jobs.

[18:45] The importance of the pulp industry,

[18:47] which turns trees into paper, is

[18:48] enormous here.

[18:50] Companies which dominate the industry

[18:51] want to spray a dioxin-producing

[18:53] herbicide containing Agent Orange on

[18:55] Nova Scotia forests. The herbicide would

[18:57] kill off hardwood trees so that the

[18:59] softer pulpwood trees would flourish.

[19:02] The herbicide, which has been sprayed

[19:03] here once already, is banned in Sweden

[19:06] and in forests in the United States and

[19:07] three other provinces of Canada.

[19:10] >> I'm afraid that

[19:12] uh these chemicals uh, may affect

[19:15] the health of my family.

[19:17] Possibly in terms of uh, cancer.

[19:21] In terms of uh, birth defects.

[19:23] >> For teacher John Shaw, one of the few

[19:25] certainties left in life is the daily

[19:27] trip to the hen house with his

[19:28] 4-year-old daughter Katie.

[19:30] >> I'm afraid that they'll

[19:32] um,

[19:33] uh,

[19:35] affect my livestock.

[19:37] And above all, eventually, I'm afraid

[19:40] that it will affect our water.

[19:42] >> Shaw and 15 of his neighbors in rural

[19:44] Nova Scotia sued one of the companies

[19:46] when government refused to ban spraying

[19:48] in nearby forests. For the 15 Nova

[19:50] Scotia residents who brought the

[19:52] lawsuit, the risk is more than the

[19:53] dioxin. If they lose the case, they

[19:55] could also lose their homes, their

[19:57] farms, even their life savings. Because

[20:00] under Canadian law, if the residents

[20:01] lose, they would have to pay not only

[20:03] their own legal costs, but the paper

[20:05] companies as well.

[20:07] >> Oyez, oyez.

[20:09] >> In court, the company is trying to

[20:11] defend a level of dioxin in its

[20:12] herbicide higher than the level of

[20:14] dioxin in Times Beach, Missouri, which

[20:16] closed that town.

[20:18] >> The evidence will show that there's no

[20:20] doubt that in the exposures that are

[20:22] proposed for this use in the forest,

[20:25] there's no

[20:26] significant health hazard associated

[20:29] with their use.

[20:30] >> But that hasn't convinced 70-year-old

[20:32] John Dan McIntyre, one of those suing.

[20:35] McIntyres have worked this land for 150

[20:37] years.

[20:38] >> It's the family and

[20:41] the next generation.

[20:42] They get their water from

[20:44] from this brook.

[20:47] And if any chemicals get in it, they're

[20:50] finished.

[20:51] >> As the trial continues and the legal

[20:53] costs mount, John Shaw says his life may

[20:55] be uncertain, but he had no alternative.

[20:58] >> once the spray goes down, you can't

[21:00] reverse it.

[21:01] >> Bob Jameson, NBC News, Glendale, Nova

[21:03] Scotia.

[21:05] An Iraqi angered at being deported from

[21:07] Saudi Arabia is in custody tonight in

[21:09] Boston. He tried to hijack a Saudi

[21:12] Arabian jetliner in a flight to the

[21:13] United States by using a knife that he

[21:16] got with a meal that was served aboard

[21:17] the plane. But the hijacker was disarmed

[21:20] and then he fell asleep.

[21:22] Roger.

[21:23] President Reagan said today that recent

[21:25] changes among some of his top Latin

[21:27] American advisers are changes that don't

[21:29] have anything to do with policy and he

[21:30] tried to play down charges that he

[21:32] wanted more team players. In his

[21:34] commentary tonight, John Chancellor

[21:35] looks at the question of diplomatic

[21:37] experience versus political loyalty.

[21:39] John.

[21:40] >> Thomas Jefferson once wrote that 40

[21:42] years of experience in government is

[21:44] worth 100 years of book learning.

[21:46] Thomas Enders, who's being kicked out as

[21:48] Assistant Secretary of State for Latin

[21:50] American Affairs, has 25 years

[21:52] experience as a Foreign Service Officer.

[21:55] Dean Hinton, who's being kicked out as

[21:57] an Ambassador to El Salvador, has 37

[21:59] years of experience. Neither could

[22:02] possibly be described as a soft-liner.

[22:04] Enders helped run the secret bombing of

[22:06] Cambodia during the Vietnam War. Hinton

[22:08] is the very image of the frontline

[22:10] cigar-smoking diplomat in a country at

[22:12] war.

[22:13] They were faithful to the President's

[22:15] policies, but apparently not faithful

[22:17] enough to satisfy the hardliners. Enders

[22:19] had talked about the need for

[22:21] negotiations in El Salvador along with

[22:23] arms. Hinton said there are some bad

[22:25] guys in El Salvador's right-wing and had

[22:27] predicted a long war. They are to be

[22:30] replaced, according to present plans, by

[22:32] political appointees of unquestioned

[22:34] loyalty but practically no experience.

[22:37] Enders' replacement has been Ambassador

[22:39] to Brazil for 20 months. No previous

[22:42] diplomatic experience. The man mentioned

[22:44] as Hinton's replacement has been

[22:46] Ambassador to Guyana for 17 months. No

[22:49] prior diplomatic experience. Here's a

[22:52] list of people with little or no

[22:54] experience in Central America. The

[22:56] President, his National Security

[22:58] Adviser, the Secretary of State, the man

[23:01] who's to become Assistant Secretary for

[23:03] Latin America, the man who may be

[23:05] nominated as the new ambassador to El

[23:07] Salvador. Little or no experience, and

[23:10] that's the chain of command. No one

[23:12] questions the president's right to have

[23:14] his own people carrying out his

[23:15] policies, but with the United States

[23:17] getting more and more involved in

[23:19] Central America, couldn't they have

[23:20] found people with a bit more knowledge?

[23:22] >> Roger.

[23:24] The State Department today came out

[23:25] swinging against the El Salvador rebels.

[23:27] The department said rebel guerrillas had

[23:29] committed

[23:30] >> atrocities against captured government

[23:31] soldiers, cutting off ears and arms of

[23:33] some they had executed. The department

[23:36] released an American Embassy cable

[23:37] charging the atrocities and said they

[23:39] might be part of a new guerrilla

[23:40] strategy because previously the

[23:42] guerrillas had released captured

[23:43] prisoners.

[23:52] >> Excuse me. Excuse me, I'm supposed to be

[23:53] on that ship.

[23:54] >> When do we leave?

[23:55] >> Immediately.

[23:56] >> Which which passenger?

[24:00] >> Oh, I thought I'd lost you, too. Did you

[24:01] find them?

[24:02] >> No. Is everything okay?

[24:04] >> No, we lost our traveler's checks.

[24:05] >> When things look bad, American Express

[24:07] looks good.

[24:07] >> What kind were they?

[24:08] >> American Express.

[24:10] >> Relax, there's an American Express

[24:11] office in Nassau. We dock there

[24:13] tomorrow.

[24:14] American Express has nearly 1,000 travel

[24:16] service offices to help you. Don't leave

[24:18] home without them.

[24:20] >> The finer things in life.

[24:22] >> Happily, some are affordable, like Grey

[24:25] Poupon Dijon mustard. Grey Poupon is so

[24:28] fine, it's even made with white wine.

[24:31] Its original French Dijon recipe adds

[24:33] distinctive flavor to beef, pork, and

[24:36] poultry, salad dressing and sauces, and

[24:38] of course, sandwiches. So, enjoy one of

[24:41] life's finer pleasures.

[24:43] >> Pardon me, would you have any Grey

[24:45] Poupon?

[24:46] >> But, of course.

[24:46] >> Grey Poupon, it even has wine.

[24:51] >> TV Guide says today provided the biggest

[24:53] and most pleasant surprise in our

[24:55] survey. The most enterprising, most

[24:56] alert, most newsy of the morning three.

[24:59] Be the first to know on today.

[25:03] >> My husband, Alex Karras, with a

[25:04] testimonial for La-Z-Boy chair.

[25:08] Uh he's saying his La-Z-Boy recliner

[25:09] knocks him out.

[25:11] He's comfortable knowing a genuine

[25:12] La-Z-Boy chair has over 50 years of

[25:14] quality built-in.

[25:16] And he says La-Z-Boy is the original

[25:18] recliner with features still unmatched

[25:20] today. La-Z-Boy, there's only one.

[25:23] Unless, of course, you count Alex.

[25:25] >> That's cute, Susan.

[25:27] La-Z-Boy

[25:29] because it was the first and still is.

[25:33] >> It took the Congress almost 6 years of

[25:35] debating to make the bald eagle the

[25:37] national symbol. And now, 200 years

[25:39] later, the United States is embarked on

[25:41] a mission to rescue the massive bird

[25:43] from extinction. Here's Robert Bazell.

[25:46] >> The bald eagle symbolizes not just the

[25:48] United States, but the many species of

[25:51] wildlife in this country which could

[25:52] disappear.

[25:54] At the Patuxent, Maryland, Wildlife

[25:56] Research Center, 12 pairs of eagles are

[25:59] kept in large cages for breeding. Part

[26:01] of an effort to restore these creatures

[26:03] to wilderness areas. These babies are 2

[26:06] and 1/2 weeks old.

[26:08] The scientists here work with other

[26:10] endangered species. Andean condors and

[26:13] whooping cranes are just a few.

[26:15] But the researchers are most passionate

[26:17] about the eagles.

[26:18] >> The population is endangered and that is

[26:21] a signal

[26:22] to us

[26:23] that there's something wrong in the

[26:24] environment.

[26:25] And if we're not concerned about the

[26:26] eagle and and the eagle surviving, if

[26:29] we're not concerned about other species

[26:30] surviving, then in some ways

[26:33] our chances of surviving also will be

[26:35] diminished.

[26:36] >> These babies hatched from eggs kept in

[26:38] incubators are fed a mixture of fish,

[26:41] chicken, and vitamins six times a day.

[26:44] Besides the feeding and an occasional

[26:46] weigh, the scientists try to stay away

[26:48] from the birds so they do not become

[26:50] accustomed to humans.

[26:52] At this age, the youngsters are ready to

[26:54] go out to the wild.

[26:56] This pair was designated for New York

[26:58] State, and two men from the state

[26:59] wildlife authority came to claim them.

[27:02] They took the babies to the Oak Orchard

[27:04] wildlife area south of Rochester.

[27:08] A pair of eagles nest here, but the

[27:10] female, 25 years old and the only native

[27:13] bald eagle remaining in the state, is

[27:15] unable to lay eggs, probably because of

[27:18] DDT in her body.

[27:20] The state scientists have left an

[27:22] artificial egg in the nest to inspire

[27:24] her maternal behavior.

[27:27] They remove the artificial egg, replace

[27:29] it with the babies, and soon the mother

[27:31] begins to care for them.

[27:33] This pair has fostered six eaglets from

[27:36] the Patuxent facility in the past 3

[27:38] years.

[27:39] The eagle population of the continental

[27:41] United States had dropped below 1,000

[27:44] about 10 years ago. Since then, it has

[27:47] been climbing because of this and other

[27:48] restoration programs. And now, there are

[27:51] two more.

[27:52] Robert Bazell, NBC News.

[27:56] >> That's Nightly News for Tuesday. I'm

[27:58] Roger Mudd in Washington.

[28:00] >> And I'm Tom Brokaw in New York. Good

[28:02] night for all of us at NBC News.

[28:33] >> Coming up in just a minute on the scene

[28:34] at 6:00, a half-million-dollar silver

[28:36] heist in Nashville, and a man charged

[28:38] with the killing of two Middle Tennessee

[28:40] men talks about the charges against him.

[28:43] >> Also in the news tonight, banks closed

[28:45] by the state last week reopened for

[28:47] business today. And from unit four, we

[28:48] meet the man who made these porcelain

[28:50] dolls in part two of Heritage in the

[28:53] Making.

[28:55] >> These stories and more news coming up on

[28:57] The Scene at Six.

[29:03] >> Every little pig, when he grows up, big

[29:06] wants to be a Frosty Man.

[29:10] If you do your best, and you're better

[29:12] than the rest, you'll be a

[29:15] Frosty Man.

[29:16] Frosty Man,

[29:18] Frosty Man,

[29:20] Frosty Man,

[29:21] you're very

[29:23] good. I'll take you with me to my

[29:25] family. They'll

[29:28] love you, Frosty Man.