NBC Nightly News - 1983-05-09

Channel: malgent

Transcript

Language: English (original, YouTube automatic captions)

[0:01] I'm Tom Brokaw, NBC News, New York.

[0:04] >> I'm Roger Mudd, NBC News, Washington.

[0:06] >> Nicaragua today stepped up its attacks

[0:08] on the United States, accusing the

[0:10] Reagan administration of waging an

[0:12] undeclared war. The Nicaraguan Foreign

[0:15] Minister, Miguel D'Escoto, went so far

[0:17] as to charge that the United States had

[0:19] invaded his country with an army of

[0:21] mercenaries. And D'Escoto demanded

[0:24] direct talks between the two countries

[0:26] to deal with the situation. All of this

[0:28] took place at the United Nations

[0:30] Security Council, and Mike Moss was

[0:31] there.

[0:33] >> D'Escoto charged the United States was

[0:35] waging war against his country with a

[0:37] 7,000 man guerrilla army invading from

[0:40] Honduras and intent on overthrowing the

[0:42] Sandinista regime.

[0:46] >> The war that the Reagan administration

[0:48] is waging against Nicaragua

[0:50] is no less real

[0:53] because it has not been officially

[0:55] declared.

[0:58] And it does not cease to be a war by the

[0:59] Reagan administration

[1:01] because the combatants

[1:03] thus far

[1:05] are not regular troops

[1:07] of the US Army.

[1:09] >> D'Escoto called for immediate direct

[1:11] talks between Nicaragua and the Reagan

[1:13] administration.

[1:15] >> We wish to appeal to the United States

[1:18] to stop taking military measures.

[1:22] Instead, it should direct its power

[1:24] and influence toward negotiated

[1:26] political solutions.

[1:29] >> US Ambassador Jeane Kirkpatrick

[1:31] responded quickly.

[1:33] >> Mr. President, it's an extraordinary

[1:35] experience

[1:37] to hear the representative

[1:40] of Nicaragua's harsh dictatorship

[1:44] invoke the principle of non-intervention

[1:47] in internal affairs.

[1:49] Since they have come to power

[1:51] they've been busy fomenting war in the

[1:53] region

[1:55] destroying the peace and the possibility

[1:57] of progress in El Salvador

[2:00] and Honduras and other neighboring

[2:02] states.

[2:03] >> As Mrs. Kirkpatrick walked out of the

[2:05] chamber, she said Nicaragua's arguments

[2:07] were a tissue of lies.

[2:10] For their part, the Nicaraguans want a

[2:12] Security Council resolution

[2:14] acknowledging they are the victims of

[2:16] great power aggression.

[2:18] Even though the United States isn't

[2:20] mentioned specifically in the working

[2:21] draft, such wording would almost

[2:23] certainly produce a US veto. Mike Moss,

[2:26] NBC News at the United Nations.

[2:29] >> The Nicaraguans also hope to persuade UN

[2:31] Secretary General Perez de Cuellar to

[2:34] become actively involved in the Central

[2:36] American situation.

[2:37] Roger.

[2:38] >> The Reagan administration's policy

[2:40] toward Nicaragua was thrown into turmoil

[2:42] by the president himself when he

[2:44] referred to the anti-Sandinista rebels

[2:46] as freedom fighters. And that it would

[2:48] be all right with him if the Congress

[2:50] made US aid to the rebels overt rather

[2:52] than covert. Here's Marvin Kalb.

[2:55] >> The administration claims its aim is not

[2:57] the overthrow of the Nicaraguan

[2:59] government. For the time being, the US

[3:01] acts as if it wants nothing to do with

[3:03] Nicaraguans at all and consistently

[3:05] rejects appeals for a direct dialogue.

[3:08] The line at the State Department today

[3:10] was no different.

[3:11] >> Nicaragua's efforts again to bring

[3:13] uh to the Security Council Central

[3:15] American problems

[3:18] um is a diversion

[3:21] to avoid coming to grips with the

[3:22] efforts of its neighbors

[3:25] uh in uh

[3:27] seeking to achieve a regional solution.

[3:30] >> Meantime, US officials confirm, though

[3:32] not for the record, that the number of

[3:34] anti-Sandinista rebels now being

[3:36] supported by the United States has grown

[3:38] to 7,000. And it's becoming more and

[3:40] more difficult for the US to control

[3:42] them. Their avowed aim is the overthrow

[3:45] of the Sandinista regime, even if the US

[3:48] is supposedly using them only to

[3:50] interdict military supply lines going to

[3:52] the Marxist guerrillas in El Salvador,

[3:54] as President Reagan maintains. But

[3:57] because the president also refers to

[3:59] them as freedom fighters, it's unclear

[4:01] to many in Congress what the real

[4:03] purpose of American support is.

[4:06] Increasingly on the line is the

[4:07] administration's credibility, with the

[4:09] Senate Intelligence Committee giving the

[4:11] White House until the end of September

[4:13] to produce a clear and supportable

[4:15] policy in Nicaragua.

[4:17] Marvin Kalb, NBC News, the State

[4:18] Department.

[4:33] >> The Norelco Rotatract razor, the

[4:35] exclusive patented twin action shaving

[4:37] system that shaves as close as a blade.

[4:40] Inside, three floating heads. Rotatract

[4:43] works like twin blades to grip hair,

[4:45] raise it up, then razor it off without a

[4:48] nick or cut, hundreds of times a second

[4:51] for a shave no razor can beat. Give the

[4:54] gift of a close shave, the exclusive

[4:56] twin action Rotatract razors, only from

[4:59] Norelco.

[5:02] >> You might not think I have to watch my

[5:04] weight. Oh, but I do.

[5:06] So, I always try to get as much flavor

[5:08] for my calories as I can. Now there's a

[5:11] super way.

[5:12] Lean Cuisine from Stouffer's, a company

[5:15] that really knows how to make food taste

[5:17] good. Their Lean Cuisine entrees are

[5:19] full of the flavor a dieter needs to

[5:21] succeed, yet each is less than 300

[5:24] calories. Now when you watch your

[5:26] weight, do it deliciously with Lean

[5:29] Cuisine from Stouffer's.

[5:31] >> This is the wrong time to find out you

[5:33] don't have the right insurance.

[5:35] That's why it's a good idea to see an

[5:37] independent insurance agent before you

[5:39] buy your policy.

[5:41] Your independent agent can give you

[5:42] expert advice on how to choose the the

[5:45] coverage at the right price.

[5:47] And they're offering this free booklet

[5:49] that makes choosing the right insurance

[5:51] a little easier.

[5:53] Get it before you need it.

[5:56] Look in the yellow pages for your

[5:57] independent insurance agent, the more

[5:59] than one company agent.

[6:02] >> Stern, the West German magazine which

[6:04] hoped to make a fortune publishing the

[6:06] Hitler Diaries, now knows that it bought

[6:08] a giant hoax. So, it is suing its own

[6:11] reporter who made the deal, and that

[6:13] reporter is not available. Morton I from

[6:15] Henry Schramm.

[6:17] Gerd Heidemann, who 2 weeks ago was the

[6:19] principal figure of a 3-hour news

[6:21] conference announcing publication of the

[6:23] Hitler Diaries, today was sued for fraud

[6:25] by the magazine for which he works.

[6:27] Stern magazine stated, Heidemann named

[6:30] as a supplier of the purported Hitler

[6:31] Diaries a man who most probably does not

[6:34] exist. The statement went on, Heidemann

[6:37] apparently fell into the hands of a

[6:39] swindler and in the end possibly

[6:41] enriched himself. Heidemann has not

[6:43] responded to any of the charges made by

[6:45] Stern. In fact, he's remained totally

[6:47] out of sight here at his stylish Hamburg

[6:49] duplex. He's refusing to come to the

[6:51] door or to answer the phone. We spoke

[6:53] very briefly with his wife who described

[6:55] her husband as sick with fever and

[6:57] extremely depressed. The Heidemanns even

[6:59] refused to accept a telegram delivered

[7:01] by an employee of the German post

[7:03] office. When we interviewed Heidemann 2

[7:05] weeks ago, he said he was aware the

[7:08] authenticity of the Diaries would be

[7:09] questioned.

[7:13] >> The reception was to be expected.

[7:15] >> It was to be expected that this would

[7:16] trigger a debate on the authenticity on

[7:20] on whether the documents were fake.

[7:22] >> Did you expect the severity of

[7:24] criticism?

[7:28] >> Yes, actually yes.

[7:30] >> In a separate statement today, Stern

[7:32] apologized to its readers saying

[7:34] publication of the fake Diaries is a

[7:36] severe blow against 35 years of Stern

[7:39] credibility. The West German weekly

[7:41] said, we are ashamed of this publication

[7:43] before our readers, even though only a

[7:45] few of us were involved and informed."

[7:48] German newspapers have attempted to link

[7:50] Heidemann to the small neo-Nazi

[7:52] movement. One today produced a letter

[7:54] apparently written to Klaus Barbie, who

[7:56] is now facing war criminal charges in

[7:58] France. In it, Heidemann boasted that

[8:01] his wartime collection of Nazi

[8:02] memorabilia now includes Hitler's pistol

[8:05] and a small swastika flag that was used

[8:07] in an abortive takeover attempt in 1923.

[8:11] Henry Champ, NBC News, Hamburg.

[8:14] >> It's Maggie's call, and today she made

[8:16] it. British Prime Minister Margaret

[8:17] Thatcher announced new elections a month

[8:19] from today, on June 9th. And as John

[8:22] Cochran reports tonight, she is a heavy

[8:24] favorite to win a second term.

[8:27] This being England, it was all very

[8:29] traditional and very low-key. Without a

[8:31] word to reporters, Mrs. Thatcher went to

[8:33] Buckingham Palace to inform the Queen in

[8:35] private of the election date, June 9th.

[8:38] Then Mrs. Thatcher returned to Downing

[8:40] Street. No banners, no cheers, not even

[8:42] a press conference. Nothing until a

[8:44] sedate interview this evening with the

[8:45] BBC.

[8:47] Why had Mrs. Thatcher called an election

[8:49] 1 year before the British Constitution

[8:51] requires her to?

[8:52] >> The uncertainty was becoming

[8:54] intolerable. It was contrary to the

[8:56] national interest, and I thought that

[8:58] we'd better end it. Have an election

[9:00] now, which of course I hope we will win.

[9:02] >> The latest BBC poll shows Mrs.

[9:04] Thatcher's Conservative Party well ahead

[9:06] of opposition parties, and her rivals

[9:08] say that is why she called an early

[9:10] election.

[9:11] Mrs. Thatcher's tight money policies

[9:13] have cut inflation by more than half,

[9:15] but unemployment has more than doubled

[9:17] under her, and rival parties are

[9:19] counting on discontent with the economy

[9:22] to overcome her lead in the polls.

[9:24] >> And I tell you it is the worst economic

[9:26] and industrial catastrophe that has ever

[9:29] befallen in this country since the

[9:31] records were recorded.

[9:34] >> Mrs. Thatcher believes she is the most

[9:35] important leader Britain has had since

[9:37] Winston Churchill, and she is determined

[9:40] not to lose to the socialists as

[9:41] Churchill once did in an upset which

[9:43] shocked the world.

[9:45] Mrs. Thatcher does not have Churchill's

[9:47] eloquence or his flair for the dramatic,

[9:49] but like Churchill, she is tough, and

[9:51] she's counting on that to win over

[9:53] voters who have doubts about her

[9:54] policies, but not about her.

[9:57] John Cochran, NBC News, Piccadilly

[9:59] Circus.

[10:00] >> And while Mrs. Thatcher is leading in

[10:01] the poll, she can also take comfort in

[10:03] the fact that London bookmakers now have

[10:05] installed her party as a one to four

[10:08] favorite to win re-election.

[10:10] Roger.

[10:11] >> Secretary of State George Shultz today

[10:13] refused to succumb to pessimism about a

[10:15] Middle East troop withdrawal agreement.

[10:17] He said that Syria had not closed the

[10:19] door to the agreement, and that Syria

[10:21] was just playing hardball for the

[10:23] moment. Before leaving the Middle East

[10:24] yesterday for Paris, Shultz met with

[10:26] Saudi Arabia's King Fahd and Syria's

[10:28] President Assad. Today, Fahd and Assad

[10:30] met in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia, with Fahd

[10:33] reportedly trying to persuade Syria to

[10:35] acquiesce in the troop pullout

[10:36] agreement. Assad returned to Syria after

[10:39] the meeting without giving Fahd an

[10:40] answer.

[10:42] Pentagon sources said 132 dependents of

[10:45] Soviet Embassy personnel in Beirut have

[10:47] flown home. US officials also say

[10:49] dependents in Amman and Damascus have

[10:51] been told to be ready to go. The State

[10:53] Department said this was a routine

[10:54] summertime leave-taking, but some

[10:57] Pentagon officials suggested the flights

[10:58] were connected to the rising tensions in

[11:00] the area, and point out that a similar

[11:02] evacuation took place before the Yom

[11:04] Kippur War in 1973.

[11:07] In the 6 months since he became head of

[11:09] the Soviet Communist Party, Yuri

[11:10] Andropov has moved to consolidate his

[11:12] power, and today Pravda reported he has

[11:15] been named chairman of the Soviet

[11:16] Union's Defense Council, the top policy

[11:18] body in the event of war. Andropov now

[11:21] holds two of the three positions held by

[11:23] his predecessor, Leonid Brezhnev, who

[11:25] was also president.

[11:34] >> With today's technology, almost anything

[11:36] is possible. Things that make life

[11:39] better.

[11:40] Like the Buick Century.

[11:42] With its advanced electronics,

[11:43] front-wheel drive, and computer design.

[11:46] Even its standard engine is

[11:47] electronically fuel injected. Happily,

[11:50] there's one thing technology will never

[11:52] replace.

[11:53] >> May I be of further assistance?

[11:54] >> No.

[11:56] This I like to do all by myself.

[11:58] >> The sheer pleasure of driving a Buick.

[12:00] The 1983 Buick Century.

[12:05] >> Isn't that Florida orange juice?

[12:07] >> Orange, you're smart

[12:09] for drinking orange juice.

[12:12] For that clean and sunny taste.

[12:15] Hey, orange, you're smart

[12:17] for drinking orange juice. Pure,

[12:19] refreshing at any place. Hey, orange,

[12:21] you're smart

[12:23] for drinking to your body's content. The

[12:25] things that only nature could invent.

[12:27] >> 100% pure from Florida.

[12:29] >> Hey, skipper, orange, you're smart.

[12:34] >> Like all actors, I have an agent. Sign

[12:36] that. And a business manager. Pay that.

[12:38] And a secretary. Don't lose that.

[12:40] Luckily,

[12:41] Canon's come up with personal cartridge

[12:43] copiers. You know, the entire copying

[12:45] process is in here. So, maintenance is

[12:47] as simple as this.

[12:49] And copies come in black, brown, or blue

[12:50] on plain paper. Finally, Canon PC-10 or

[12:54] PC-20 for the most important person in

[12:56] my life, me.

[12:59] >> For information, call toll-free. Canon

[13:01] personal cartridge copying. Plain and

[13:03] simple.

[13:05] >> The effects of the 5-cent-a-gallon

[13:07] gasoline tax passed by the lame-duck

[13:09] Congress last year are just starting to

[13:11] be felt. Recently, prices have moved up

[13:13] sharply, but as Mike Jensen reports, the

[13:15] tax is not the only reason for the

[13:16] increase.

[13:18] >> The price increase was sudden and sharp.

[13:20] After months of decline, prices began to

[13:23] shoot up 6 weeks ago. The average price

[13:25] of gasoline at the end of March was

[13:27] $1.12 a gallon nationwide. Now it's

[13:30] $1.22, a 10 cent per gallon increase.

[13:34] Regular leaded gasoline, the cheapest

[13:36] type, now costs $1.12 a gallon on

[13:39] average. Regular unleaded costs $1.20.

[13:43] Premium unleaded averages $1.31.

[13:46] Gasoline costing less than a dollar a

[13:48] gallon is disappearing.

[13:50] Some motorists are resigned, others are

[13:52] furious.

[13:53] >> But I have nothing to do with that.

[13:56] There's nothing I can do.

[13:57] I have to use my automobile.

[14:00] >> It seems to happen every year that it

[14:01] starts to increase around May-June going

[14:04] into July-August for summer when people

[14:06] start traveling on vacations.

[14:08] >> I need the gas and they know it.

[14:12] They got you by the neck.

[14:14] >> Prices are rising because on April 1st,

[14:16] a 5 cent a gallon increase in the

[14:18] federal tax was imposed. Also, because

[14:21] the gasoline price war has ended in most

[14:23] parts of the country.

[14:25] And because oil company profits are down

[14:27] 13% in the first 3 months of the year,

[14:30] so the companies are raising prices

[14:32] where they can.

[14:33] The big question is what's going to

[14:35] happen this summer. The experts say

[14:37] gasoline prices are likely to keep on

[14:39] rising because the refiners have been

[14:41] maintaining smaller inventories to

[14:43] reduce the glut and improve their

[14:44] profits, because more people will be

[14:46] driving as the economic recovery

[14:48] continues, and because big cars which

[14:51] use more gasoline are making a comeback.

[14:53] Mike Jensen, NBC News, New York.

[14:57] >> Supreme Court Justice Lewis Powell said

[14:59] today the death penalty ought to be

[15:01] abolished unless it can be enforced

[15:03] without endless delay. Powell told a

[15:05] judges conference in Savannah the

[15:06] current system irrationally permits

[15:08] repeated review, which clogs the courts

[15:11] and causes years of anxiety for those on

[15:13] death row. Justice Powell said the state

[15:15] should do away with capital punishment

[15:17] unless the Congress and the courts can

[15:18] figure out how to prevent the abuse of

[15:20] due process.

[15:22] The government proudly announced today

[15:24] what it called a dramatic drop in the

[15:25] percentage of Americans with high levels

[15:27] of PCBs in their fatty tissue. The

[15:30] percentage was 8% 5 years ago, but now

[15:32] says the government, it's only 1%. The

[15:34] manufacturer of PCB, which is a liquid

[15:36] electrical insulator, was outlawed in

[15:38] 1976.

[15:40] And the House unanimously passed the

[15:42] so-called Tylenol bill today. It makes

[15:44] malicious tampering with consumer

[15:46] products a crime if the tampering could

[15:48] result in death or injury. The bill

[15:50] covers mainly drugs, food, and

[15:51] cosmetics, and in the worst case, the

[15:53] penalty would be life in prison, a

[15:55] $100,000 fine, or both. The Senate

[15:58] approved the bill tonight. Tom?

[16:00] >> Chrysler, which was rescued from near

[16:02] bankruptcy by a 1 and 1/2 billion

[16:04] dollars worth of federal loan

[16:05] guarantees, today asked the federal

[16:07] government not to exercise some stock

[16:09] warrants that could net the Treasury

[16:11] $200 million.

[16:13] The government was given those warrants

[16:15] as part of the loan guarantee package,

[16:17] but now Chrysler officials fear that if

[16:18] the government cashes them in, the value

[16:21] of Chrysler stock could be driven down,

[16:23] and the company would become less

[16:24] attractive to investors.

[16:27] This man, Philippe Jeantot of France,

[16:29] has just won a unique race. He sailed

[16:32] around the world solo, single-handed.

[16:35] Jeantot was accompanied by a Coast Guard

[16:37] patrol boats as he entered Newport

[16:39] Harbor this morning. He clipped 10 days

[16:42] off the old record of 169 days. Jeantot

[16:45] had hoped to make port yesterday, that

[16:47] was his 31st birthday, but he was

[16:49] delayed by light winds.

[16:51] He began ocean sailing only 2 years ago.

[16:53] This was his first major race.

[16:56] Jeantot's mother, who greeted him at

[16:57] dockside, said,

[16:59] "My son is a good skipper."

[17:09] >> Mileage radial that could track through

[17:10] rain and snow, Goodyear came through

[17:13] with Arriva.

[17:14] >> I've I've Goodyear.

[17:16] I'm riding on number one.

[17:18] >> The all season radial. One good reason

[17:21] why Goodyear outsells all the foreign

[17:23] radials combined.

[17:24] >> I've got

[17:26] Goodyear.

[17:27] I'm riding on number one.

[17:30] I've got

[17:31] Goodyear.

[17:32] I'm riding on number one.

[17:38] >> At many stores the person who sells rock

[17:40] albums also sells hardware. But at

[17:43] Century Hardware the person who sells

[17:45] hardware sells hardware. Like 20-ft

[17:48] Werner extension ladders 6888, Sterling

[17:51] kitchen faucets 29.99,

[17:53] and Remington 12-in electric chain saws

[17:56] 47.88.

[17:57] So who would you rather buy from?

[18:00] Someone who knows hardware or someone

[18:02] who knows rock and roll?

[18:04] Century, where hardware isn't a

[18:06] sideline.

[18:12] >> The life and health of a nation are

[18:14] rooted in the life and health of its

[18:15] people.

[18:16] As America has grown, we've grown with

[18:19] it.

[18:20] We're America's life and health

[18:21] insurance companies, a symbol of

[18:23] strength and protection. Always working

[18:26] to help Americans face their future with

[18:29] confidence and security.

[18:31] America's life and health insurance

[18:32] companies, a growing commitment to

[18:35] America's life and health.

[18:39] >> Mount Etna in Sicily is Europe's most

[18:41] active volcano. It's been erupting for

[18:43] centuries destroying lives and property.

[18:45] And now as Keith Miller reports

[18:46] scientists are trying a new way to

[18:48] control it.

[18:50] >> Molten lava has been flowing from Mount

[18:52] Etna, Europe's most active volcano, for

[18:54] more than a month. Now, with a river of

[18:57] lava threatening thousands of people in

[18:59] their homes, scientists have decided to

[19:01] do what has never been done. Attack the

[19:04] volcano. Blow up the path of the lava

[19:06] forcing it away from inhabited areas.

[19:08] A canal is being dug to channel the lava

[19:11] toward a dam.

[19:12] In places, the lava registers 1,500°

[19:15] Fahrenheit. The men on the volcano say

[19:18] it is like working in hell.

[19:20] If the work progresses on schedule, the

[19:22] attack will be carried out this week.

[19:25] Swedish geologist and explosives expert

[19:28] Lennart Abersten is reportedly being

[19:29] paid a quarter of a million dollars by

[19:32] the Italian government to lead the

[19:33] assault. The danger is high.

[19:36] Italian officials claim the risk of

[19:38] something going wrong is minimal.

[19:41] But the people living in the shadow of

[19:43] Etna say they are not so confident. They

[19:45] say the experts are going to challenge a

[19:47] mountain that has never been tamed.

[19:50] The lava rolls down the streets. The

[19:52] Italian army once built a wall to stop

[19:54] it, but the molten rock rolled on,

[19:56] consuming everything in its path.

[19:59] Evacuation procedures have been arranged

[20:01] in the nearby town of Belpasso, if it

[20:03] becomes necessary.

[20:05] Many people say they are more frightened

[20:06] of the experiment than the lava.

[20:09] Mario Rizzotto says the project is a big

[20:11] mistake.

[20:13] "It's like playing with nature," he

[20:14] says.

[20:15] "And you don't fool around with Mother

[20:17] Nature."

[20:19] Keith Miller, NBC News, Mount Etna.

[20:24] >> 350 years after it convicted Galileo of

[20:27] heresy for teaching that the sun, not

[20:29] the earth, was the center of the

[20:30] universe, Pope John Paul said today the

[20:32] Catholic Church had made regrettable

[20:34] errors. Speaking to a group of

[20:35] scientists in Rome, the Pope indicated a

[20:37] formal church commission now working on

[20:38] the matter will exonerate Galileo.

[20:41] >> Huh?

[20:42] >> This man's nickname, Charlie Two Shoes,

[20:44] is a product of war. That nickname was

[20:47] given to him in the 1940s when Americans

[20:49] were stationed in China during China's

[20:50] revolution.

[20:51] Charlie Two Shoes' story is one of the

[20:53] uncommon bond that grew between him and

[20:56] American Marines stationed in China when

[20:58] he was a boy.

[20:59] And now, with the help of those Marines,

[21:02] Charlie's on his way to a reunion in

[21:04] America. And Sandy Gilmore has more.

[21:07] >> Kwong Jer Shee does not tire of telling

[21:09] his family stories of the US Marines who

[21:11] befriended him in 1946.

[21:14] His favorite photograph shows him at age

[21:16] 12 in a little Marine uniform surrounded

[21:19] by his buddies. They could not pronounce

[21:21] the name Twayger She, so they called him

[21:23] Charlie Two Shoes.

[21:25] >> They loved me very much.

[21:27] And they said I was smart and they want

[21:29] me to have a great education and be a

[21:31] great man someday.

[21:33] >> Charlie's Chinese parents were

[21:35] destitute, so they let him live here in

[21:37] what used to be the US Marine barracks

[21:39] in Qingdao.

[21:42] The Marines chipped in and paid for

[21:43] Charlie to go to the Qingdao American

[21:45] School.

[21:47] The church Charlie attended as a little

[21:48] boy still stands, though it has been

[21:50] little used since the communist takeover

[21:53] in 1949.

[21:55] >> Every Sunday

[21:56] I came to here

[21:59] for the mass.

[22:02] And sometimes

[22:04] I took my Marine buddies with me.

[22:06] >> The Marines used to bring Charlie to the

[22:08] YMCA, now the Qingdao newspaper office.

[22:11] Charlie was fast becoming Americanized.

[22:15] >> We came our liberty on Sundays.

[22:19] Sometimes

[22:21] to listen to music,

[22:23] to dance,

[22:25] and to watch sports match.

[22:28] >> As his Marine buddies departed China one

[22:30] by one, Charlie asked them, "Will you

[22:31] come back and get me?"

[22:33] Of course, the Marines replied, "We'll

[22:35] be back someday." The Marines did not

[22:38] return, but Charlie finally got a

[22:40] Chinese passport and a visa to visit

[22:42] America.

[22:44] As he boarded the train for the Peking

[22:45] airport, Charlie said he was praying his

[22:48] whole family could someday join him in

[22:50] America. 10-year-old Ying Chao promised

[22:53] to be good. Charlie Two Shoes was on his

[22:56] way to see his old buddies.

[22:59] Sandy Gilmore, NBC News, Qingdao.

[23:15] >> It's more versatile than Apples, smaller

[23:17] than IBM's, simpler than Radio Shack's.

[23:20] Its color graphics are unsurpassed. And

[23:23] it's made by a company whose computers

[23:25] have helped run the world's biggest

[23:26] businesses for over 30 years. It's

[23:29] Decision Mate 5 from NCR.

[23:32] If you're serious about a personal

[23:33] computer, this is the computer for you.

[23:37] NCR Decision Mate 5, it's a decision

[23:40] you'll never regret.

[23:42] >> To see you,

[23:43] to touch you,

[23:45] to imagine this will be

[23:47] the moment when a dream comes true.

[23:52] >> There are moments that lead far beyond

[23:54] romance, moments beyond fantasy,

[23:57] intimate moments, an exciting new series

[23:59] of novels from Silhouette Books.

[24:01] >> From moment

[24:05] to moment

[24:07] >> Make a Silhouette Intimate Moment yours.

[24:12] >> I'm Bryant Gumbel. Tomorrow morning on

[24:14] Today, live pictures of a newly

[24:15] discovered comet and hot new actress

[24:17] Jennifer Beals of Flashdance. Be the

[24:19] first to know, watch Today tomorrow.

[24:22] >> While America has been struggling with a

[24:24] new set of automotive values, these two

[24:26] cars have logged over 21 billion happy

[24:28] front-wheel drive miles. They're simple,

[24:31] rugged vehicles, easy to service, fun to

[24:33] drive. Their resale value has been

[24:35] solid, and they're backed by a 5/50

[24:37] Protection Plan. These cars are Dodges,

[24:39] Dodge Omni, Dodge Aries K. We at Dodge

[24:42] thought that as America enters the age

[24:44] of front-wheel drive efficiency, you

[24:45] should know where it all started.

[24:47] >> Only Dodge gives you 9.8 financing or

[24:50] cash back on selected new cars and

[24:51] trucks.

[24:54] >> Since the age of 5, the dancing career

[24:56] of Karen Laughlin of Houston had

[24:58] advanced smoothly with hours of

[25:00] discipline and training and hard work.

[25:02] But because of a sore throat that

[25:03] wouldn't go away, the 5-ft, 6-in Karen

[25:06] is now facing a regimen that would

[25:07] devastate all but the most

[25:09] extraordinary. Here's Dan Molina.

[25:13] >> She is one of the most promising dancers

[25:14] at the University of Texas, just about

[25:16] to graduate. She studied with the

[25:18] Joffrey Ballet and with the

[25:19] International Academy of Ballet in

[25:21] Lisbon. Karen Laughlin.

[25:29] Recently, Karen was admitted to

[25:30] Houston's M.D. Anderson Cancer Treatment

[25:33] Center. She'd heard cancer will strike

[25:35] 30% of all Americans, but at 22, she

[25:38] couldn't be a statistic.

[25:40] >> I already did.

[25:40] >> Then came the sore throat that wouldn't

[25:42] go away and the diagnosis, leukemia.

[25:44] >> They pulled the rug right out from under

[25:46] me

[25:47] and changed my whole life within a

[25:50] matter of, you know,

[25:52] one day.

[25:53] >> Karen's cancer changed a life that had

[25:55] had just one goal.

[26:01] >> Why me? Why did it happen have to happen

[26:03] now?

[26:04] I'm not afraid of the outcomes. I'm just

[26:06] afraid of what they're going to do to

[26:08] me. The hair loss or the

[26:11] you know, the stomach upset.

[26:18] >> Karen is now in isolation. Her treatment

[26:20] makes her vulnerable to other diseases.

[26:22] She communicates through an intercom.

[26:25] >> Now,

[26:25] the flu got in here.

[26:28] Now, the dance time.

[26:30] >> Her spirits generally are good. She got

[26:32] a kick out of one nurse who thought that

[26:34] her dancing was exotic instead of

[26:36] classical.

[26:37] >> Ballet dance.

[26:39] They thought I WAS A BALLET DANCER.

[26:43] >> Karen is a fighter. As best she can with

[26:45] an intravenous tube permanently inserted

[26:47] in her arm, she still works out,

[26:50] stretches, limbers up. She knows her

[26:52] prognosis is uncertain, but she won't

[26:54] quit.

[26:55] >> One,

[26:57] two,

[26:58] and

[27:01] My future plans were to

[27:05] go to New York and try to

[27:08] live and be starving artist as it is,

[27:12] you know, and just try to dance and

[27:14] audition

[27:16] up there.

[27:20] I guess that's kind of on the shelf for

[27:22] a while. I'm not ever going to throw it,

[27:25] you know, aside. I mean,

[27:27] I'm not giving up on it. As soon as they

[27:30] let me loose, that's the first thing

[27:32] I'll go back to cuz I've been doing it

[27:36] for 17 years. I can't just throw it

[27:38] away.

[27:42] >> Dan Molina, NBC News, Houston.

[27:48] >> That's Nightly News for Monday. I'm

[27:50] Roger Mudd in Washington.

[27:53] >> And I'm Tom Brokaw in New York.

[27:55] Good night for all of us at NBC News.