ABC Evening News - 1977-08-24 (partial)
Channel: malgent
Transcript
Language: English (original, YouTube automatic captions)
[0:04] This is the ABC Evening News with Harry
[0:07] Reasoner and Barbara Walters. And
[0:09] tonight, Howard K. Smith in Washington
[0:11] and Peter Jennings in Peking.
[0:14] Good evening from Washington. Barbara's
[0:16] on vacation. Our top stories, Leon
[0:18] Jaworski says the Korean influence
[0:21] buying scandal is similar in some ways
[0:22] to the Watergate cover-up. And the key
[0:24] man in that scandal, Tongsun Park, comes
[0:27] out of hiding.
[0:29] Here in Peking
[0:30] >> the Secretary of State, Mr. Vance, sees
[0:31] a museum, acrobats and magicians, and
[0:34] for the first time a leading member of
[0:36] the new Chinese government.
[0:39] Also, a court rules the State Department
[0:41] can look through Richard Nixon's
[0:43] packages for missing state gifts. And
[0:45] I'll have a comment about the decline in
[0:47] American education. Harry?
[0:51] A long, tumultuous, and so far
[0:53] inconclusive investigation of charges of
[0:55] South Korean influence buying in
[0:57] Congress has centered around one man.
[0:59] He's a Korean businessman, Tongsun Park,
[1:02] and it was through his hands, so the
[1:03] allegations go, that vast amounts of
[1:05] money passed. For months Park has been
[1:07] unavailable for questioning. Today he
[1:09] broke his silence, as Herb Schapman
[1:11] reports.
[1:13] The central figure in the case surfaced
[1:15] today in his native Korea. He made a
[1:17] surprise appearance at the office of the
[1:19] public prosecutor to be questioned about
[1:21] his dealings. Later, in his own business
[1:24] office, turning on the charm that helped
[1:26] him in what he called his hobby,
[1:27] collecting political friends. Park said
[1:30] the allegation he was an illegal bagman
[1:32] for South Korea's government was absurd.
[1:35] Whatever I have done
[1:38] in the United States, specially in
[1:40] Washington,
[1:42] uh has been consummated or has been done
[1:45] for my own personal accounts
[1:49] as a private businessman.
[1:51] And
[1:53] it seems to me that
[1:55] many people
[1:57] uh
[1:58] trying to
[1:59] create certain allegations
[2:02] that I must be a lobbyist
[2:05] designated by Korean government and came
[2:08] to Washington with a sack full of money
[2:10] and started to distribute
[2:12] Uh this sort of allegation is simply not
[2:15] true.
[2:17] Park said he had no need or obligation
[2:19] to meet with Leon Jaworski or any other
[2:21] American investigator. He said he'd
[2:23] leave Korea when the health of his
[2:25] 70-year-old mother he came to visit
[2:27] improves, but he's not even considering
[2:29] a return to Washington, what he called
[2:31] his second home. This is Herb Chaplain,
[2:34] ABC News.
[2:35] This is Vic Ratner in Washington. Leon
[2:37] Jaworski came to the House Ethics
[2:39] Committee to talk about how he was going
[2:41] to handle the investigation that
[2:43] involves Tong Sun Park's alleged
[2:45] influence peddling. Jaworski pointedly
[2:47] reminded the members of the committee
[2:49] about some disturbing similarities that
[2:51] he said he found between this case and
[2:53] the Watergate investigation.
[2:56] There are instances where candor has
[2:57] been lacking. There are instances where
[2:59] cooperation has not been forthcoming.
[3:02] And there are instances where active
[3:04] evasion has occurred.
[3:06] I advise those
[3:08] who may believe that the investigation
[3:10] will blow over or prove fruitless to
[3:13] take a closer look.
[3:15] It will not go away until the American
[3:16] people are satisfied that all of the
[3:18] significant facts have been laid bare.
[3:20] The committee discussed a possible
[3:22] contempt citation against this woman,
[3:24] Suzy Park Thompson, a former
[3:26] congressional aide with unexplained
[3:28] Korean connections who has so far
[3:30] refused to testify, demanding a public
[3:33] hearing. Committee sources told ABC News
[3:35] that Miss Thompson has now agreed to
[3:38] testify before the committee staff
[3:39] tomorrow to avoid facing contempt of
[3:42] Congress charges. And as for Tong Sun
[3:44] Park, Leon Jaworski said later that he
[3:47] still expects to get Park's testimony,
[3:49] but he didn't say how.
[3:51] Vic Ratner, News, Capital Hill.
[3:54] Richard Nixon lost another court battle
[3:57] today. As a result, there'll be a
[3:58] government search of some 200 boxes of
[4:01] his personal papers and other
[4:03] possessions. The object, some missing
[4:05] gifts. Barry Dunsmore explains. During
[4:07] his presidency, Richard Nixon received
[4:09] some 2,000 gifts from foreign
[4:11] governments. Of these, some 50 are
[4:13] either missing or unaccounted for. The
[4:15] Shah of Iran was one of the most
[4:16] generous donors, and a dozen of his
[4:18] gifts are among the missing, including a
[4:20] magnificent Persian rug and some
[4:22] expensive jewelry.
[4:24] It was to locate these missing items
[4:25] that the State Department petitioned the
[4:27] court to have the General Services
[4:29] Administration go through the Nixon
[4:30] material in the National Archives. Nixon
[4:33] lawyers opposed it, but Judge Aubrey
[4:35] Robinson ruled that the GSA can search
[4:37] the Nixon crates.
[4:39] After the hearing, Chief of Protocol
[4:40] Evan Dobelle explained his motives. I
[4:43] have no desire to further impugn the
[4:45] integrity of Richard Nixon or his
[4:46] family, uh but there are sufficient
[4:48] allegations that lead me concerns to
[4:50] proceed. I quite honestly hope there is
[4:52] nothing wrong.
[4:54] Uh we have gone long enough with this
[4:55] tragedy, and I would like to conclude
[4:57] it. Later today, the National Archives
[4:59] displayed some of the gifts the Nixons
[5:01] did turn over, including a gold clock
[5:03] from General de Gaulle and an Egyptian
[5:05] antiquity from President Sadat.
[5:07] Their value, an estimated $2 million.
[5:10] Outside observers are estimating the
[5:12] missing items at half a million dollars,
[5:14] although there is no way of knowing for
[5:15] certain. According to the Foreign Gifts
[5:17] Act, every gift from a foreign
[5:19] government valued at over $50 must be
[5:22] reported to the Chief of Protocol. The
[5:24] present confusion over whether some of
[5:26] the Nixon gifts are actually missing or
[5:28] simply unaccounted for is because during
[5:30] Nixon's entire presidency, this was not
[5:33] done.
[5:34] Barry Dunsmore, ABC News at the National
[5:36] Archives.
[5:37] White House Press Secretary Jody Powell
[5:40] says that some of the criticism of
[5:41] Budget Director Bert Lance has been
[5:43] grossly unfair, and he called some of
[5:46] the questions about Lance's financial
[5:47] dealings foolishness. But the questions
[5:50] and the criticism have not subsided. Dan
[5:52] Courts reports.
[5:54] This is Bert Lance, an incompetent and
[5:56] sloppy manager, as seen by Herb Block,
[5:59] the country's most famous political
[6:00] cartoonist.
[6:01] Herb Block also depicts Lance as a card
[6:03] sharp taking up the church collection.
[6:05] And other cartoonists see him as the
[6:07] bent Lance of a presidential knight in
[6:09] shining armor.
[6:10] Columnists and editorial writers across
[6:12] the country suggested whether Lance did
[6:14] anything illegal or not, he's become a
[6:16] serious political liability for Mr.
[6:18] Carter. And the situation is likely to
[6:20] get worse before it gets better.
[6:22] In 2 weeks, the Senate Governmental
[6:24] Affairs Committee will launch a new set
[6:25] of hearings in this room, and its
[6:27] members will move away from the question
[6:29] of how Lance got all his loans to the
[6:31] question of why he needed them in the
[6:32] first place.
[6:34] According to Bert Lance's own January
[6:36] financial statement, he and his wife had
[6:38] total assets of $7.9 million,
[6:41] but he also had debts of more than $5.3
[6:43] million.
[6:45] That put him in a financial bind because
[6:47] even before he entered the government,
[6:48] his total income was $450,000,
[6:51] and he had to make interest payments on
[6:53] his loans of about $400,000 a year,
[6:56] which left him with only $50,000 to
[6:58] maintain a grand lifestyle. He owned
[7:00] this 400-acre farm and a big house in
[7:03] Calhoun, a mansion in Atlanta, and a
[7:05] vacation home at the posh resort of Sea
[7:07] Island. Since he came to Washington, he
[7:09] leased another big house in the city's
[7:11] most exclusive neighborhood, and he took
[7:13] a pay cut of almost $100,000.
[7:16] Up to now, all that's been largely
[7:18] ignored, but the committee is sure to
[7:20] delve deeply into the question of
[7:21] whether the government's budget boss is
[7:23] even able to pay his own bills. And that
[7:25] may be more embarrassing than anything
[7:27] that's come out so far.
[7:29] Dan Courts, ABC News, Washington.
[7:32] Back during the presidential campaign,
[7:34] President Carter promised to streamline
[7:36] the government by cutting the more than
[7:38] 1,000 government advisory boards down to
[7:40] just 200. He missed. The reorganization
[7:43] announced today will still leave 709
[7:45] boards. But among those that will
[7:47] disappear are such groups as the Board
[7:49] of Tea Experts, the Commandant's
[7:51] Advisory Committee on Marine Corps
[7:52] History, and unkindest cut of all, the
[7:55] National Peanut Advisory Committee.
[8:04] People often think that because
[8:06] Schweppes is the extraordinary tonic
[8:08] water, it should be treated in an
[8:10] extraordinary way. Now, it's true
[8:13] everything Schweppes touches it
[8:14] improves, and it's true only Schweppes
[8:17] has that famous Schweppervescence with
[8:19] its curiously refreshing quality. But
[8:21] you don't have to go to such great
[8:22] lengths. Schweppes makes things special
[8:25] anytime, anyplace.
[8:28] Schweppes tonic water, the taste maker.
[8:30] Anytime, anyplace.
[8:35] Nowadays, I try to be more careful
[8:36] choosing medicines. Sometimes aspirin
[8:39] upset my stomach. So now I take
[8:40] Bufferin.
[8:41] It has protection ingredients and it's
[8:44] great for my headaches. I'm more careful
[8:46] now. I tried Tylenol, but it doesn't
[8:49] provide me with an added relief action I
[8:50] want.
[8:52] Bufferin does.
[8:53] In many cases, Bufferin provides both an
[8:55] added relief action Tylenol can't and
[8:58] protection ingredients Anacin and Bayer
[9:00] don't. So now I take Bufferin because
[9:02] I'm more careful.
[9:05] The Carter administration has decided to
[9:07] enter a case before the Supreme Court in
[9:09] support of minority preference. That's
[9:12] the principle under which blacks and
[9:13] other minorities are given an edge in
[9:15] some states in applications for
[9:17] employment or higher education. The case
[9:20] now before the court is considered to be
[9:22] as important to civil rights as the 1954
[9:25] decision in which the court outlawed
[9:27] separate but equal school facilities.
[9:29] Jim O'Brien reports on the case. This is
[9:32] Allan Bakke. He wants to be a doctor and
[9:34] he wants to study here at the University
[9:36] of California Medical School at Davis.
[9:38] He was denied admission even though his
[9:40] grades were higher than many of the
[9:41] other students who were admitted. The
[9:43] medical school accepts only 100 new
[9:45] students a year, and 16 of those
[9:47] vacancies are reserved for minorities
[9:49] through an affirmative action program.
[9:52] But Bakke felt the program violated his
[9:54] rights and took the university to court.
[9:56] His suit has touched off a major debate
[9:58] and threatens the future of thousands of
[10:00] similar minority programs all across the
[10:02] country.
[10:03] Preferential treatment because of race
[10:06] or because of sex is discrimination.
[10:09] It's not reverse discrimination, it's
[10:10] not forward discrimination, it's just
[10:12] discrimination and it ought to be
[10:14] stopped. The basic justification for
[10:16] these programs is very simple. It's
[10:19] necessity. We need them.
[10:21] If we're going to do the job, if we're
[10:23] really going to move forward to
[10:25] resolving the American dilemma,
[10:28] we've got to find ways and means of
[10:30] bringing substantial numbers of
[10:32] minorities into the professions. I I
[10:35] believe that given what the Supreme
[10:37] Court has done with respect to
[10:39] affirmative action and the use of
[10:40] numbers in employment and desegregating
[10:43] of schools and in voting that they are
[10:45] fully prepared to do the same thing in
[10:46] higher education if the proper case
[10:48] comes before it.
[10:50] Preferential treatment for minorities
[10:52] has been likened to starting one
[10:53] controlled forest fire in order to bring
[10:55] another raging one under control. The
[10:57] Carter administration apparently accepts
[10:59] that philosophy, and although its
[11:01] position will be advisory only, it could
[11:02] heavily influence a decision that could
[11:04] change the direction of civil rights in
[11:06] this country for years to come.
[11:08] Tim O'Brien, ABC News at the Supreme
[11:10] Court.
[11:12] The Carter administration is using funds
[11:14] from a $257 million program to help
[11:17] communities desegregate their school
[11:19] system. So far this year, some 2,000
[11:22] school districts have applied for the
[11:23] funds.
[11:24] Desegregation in education and in
[11:26] housing is a matter of changing
[11:27] attitudes, and that persuasion plays a
[11:29] part for blacks as well as whites. In
[11:32] Los Angeles, Jim Mitchell reports on an
[11:34] advertising program aimed at blacks.
[11:40] Move on in to LA's Valley, the beautiful
[11:43] San Fernando Valley.
[11:45] Are you serious? Move my family to the
[11:48] Valley? For sure. Today, the San
[11:50] Fernando
[11:50] >> That is part of a radio commercial that
[11:51] was broadcast over five Los Angeles
[11:53] radio stations. It's no ordinary
[11:56] commercial. It's not selling either soap
[11:58] or automobiles. It's selling social
[12:00] change.
[12:01] It was part of a $50,000 advertising
[12:04] campaign which has just concluded, aimed
[12:06] at the black residents of Los Angeles'
[12:08] inner city and based on the belief
[12:10] blacks have stayed in the inner city
[12:12] areas out of fear that they would not be
[12:14] welcomed in the predominantly white
[12:16] suburbs like those of the San Fernando
[12:18] Valley. Changing traditional black
[12:20] attitudes about white neighborhoods is
[12:22] the goal of the program. The advertising
[12:24] campaign is only one part. The real work
[12:27] is done by volunteers of the local Fair
[12:29] Housing Council.
[12:31] The volunteers take interested buyers or
[12:33] renters on tours of likely neighborhoods
[12:36] to shopping centers, churches, and
[12:38] schools. Potential buyers are also put
[12:40] in touch with real estate brokers, given
[12:42] financing information, and even provided
[12:44] leads for area employment opportunities.
[12:47] During the four months that the
[12:48] advertising campaign was underway, 1,100
[12:51] blacks responded like Carnett and Denise
[12:54] Moore who are now buying this Valley
[12:56] home which is under construction.
[12:58] Or like Walter and Rosalie Clark who
[13:00] will soon be leaving this apartment for
[13:02] a home they're buying in the Valley.
[13:04] Taking a tour seeing what it look like
[13:06] and meeting some people in the houses
[13:08] that we looked at helped greatly to
[13:10] relieve much of the apprehension and now
[13:12] it's just up to us I think as
[13:13] individuals to see how we can fit in.
[13:16] But one of the most surprising things
[13:18] about the program is the amount of
[13:19] support it has received from the white
[13:21] community, particularly the real estate
[13:23] industry. Los Angeles is the first large
[13:26] city where this program has been tried
[13:28] and officials from a number of other
[13:29] metropolitan areas who are considering
[13:31] the program are watching its progress
[13:33] here closely.
[13:35] Jim Mitchell, ABC News, Los Angeles.
[13:45] Imagine, every 30 seconds a savings and
[13:48] loan association helps a family buy or
[13:51] build their own home. That's every 30
[13:54] seconds, 24 hours a day, 365 days a
[13:58] year.
[13:59] The fact is, savings and loans finance
[14:01] more homes than all other financial
[14:03] institutions combined.
[14:06] Think of it. That's one home every 30
[14:08] seconds.
[14:10] This message was brought to you by the
[14:11] Savings and Loan Foundation.
[14:15] Right in the camera.
[14:18] Hey there, bright eyes. Maybe you needed
[14:21] Nytol last night.
[14:24] Maybe you had trouble falling asleep.
[14:27] Well, that's what Nytol is all about.
[14:30] On those occasional nights when you do
[14:32] have trouble, Nytol can help make you
[14:34] drowsy so you can fall asleep. Come on,
[14:37] America.
[14:38] Stop yawning. For occasional
[14:40] sleeplessness, remember, Nytol.
[14:45] What happens when people taste
[14:46] Grape-Nuts cereal for the first time? It
[14:49] tastes nutty. It's crunchy. Well, I
[14:51] don't know what it's made of, but it
[14:52] tastes nutty. It tastes natural and it
[14:54] tastes grainy, like I'm eating something
[14:56] that came right off the stalk in a farm.
[14:58] It's a good taste and if the good taste
[15:00] didn't wake you up in the morning, I
[15:02] I guess the
[15:04] good crunch would.
[15:05] >> Post Grape-Nuts is a natural cereal
[15:07] fortified with vitamins. It has the
[15:09] crunchy, nutty taste people like.
[15:11] >> It's still crunchy.
[15:13] I eat the whole bowl and it'll be
[15:14] crunchy.
[15:16] What a day. Take a lot of pictures,
[15:18] okay?
[15:19] Because your memories are important
[15:21] and because they happen only once, they
[15:23] deserve quality processing. Hold it. You
[15:26] can give your memories quality care.
[15:28] Let's mail the film tonight, okay? With
[15:30] convenient Kodak mailers, just drop in
[15:32] your Kodak color film, stamp, mail to
[15:34] Kodak, and Kodak will mail your prints
[15:36] right to your home.
[15:37] >> What a shot.
[15:39] What a subject. Buy Kodak mailers for
[15:43] quality processing.
[15:48] Secretary of State Vance, representing
[15:50] the first initiative by the Carter
[15:51] administration to China, has now spent
[15:53] three full days in Peking. Much of that
[15:56] time has been spent laying out for the
[15:58] Chinese the American view of the world.
[16:00] Some of the time, while the Chinese
[16:02] digested what Mr. Vance had to say, was
[16:05] spent biding his time with various
[16:07] elements of Chinese culture.
[16:09] During the evening, Mr. Vance was
[16:11] advised by his China experts that there
[16:13] were messages in a brilliant performance
[16:15] by Chinese jugglers, acrobats, and
[16:17] magicians.
[16:18] The women, they believed, were allowed
[16:19] to wear the signs of femininity even
[16:21] during the just-ended cultural
[16:22] revolution. There was even a dress or
[16:25] two.
[16:26] Certainly, there was a minimum of
[16:27] revolutionary flags and an almost
[16:29] complete absence of political rhetoric.
[16:31] China watchers believe this is intended
[16:33] to indicate the society will loosen up
[16:35] and be less dogmatic.
[16:37] Chinese in the audience actually gasped
[16:39] at one point to see a Chinese magician
[16:41] dressed in the ancient costume of a
[16:43] mandarin. During the regime just ousted
[16:46] here, a mandarin's costume would be worn
[16:48] only by villains, usually
[16:50] political ones.
[16:52] Good afternoon, Peking time. A more
[16:54] substantial session for Mr. Vance, his
[16:56] first with a leading member of the
[16:57] Chinese Politburo, the Vice Premier Deng
[16:59] Xiaoping. They agreed that their 2 and
[17:02] 1/2 hour discussion had been useful. Mr.
[17:04] Vance found them frank. Tonight, during
[17:06] the toast at the banquet with Mr. Deng,
[17:08] he said the Chinese view was that China
[17:10] and America should move forward to
[17:12] normalize relations.
[17:14] There's no way to know just yet why Mr.
[17:16] Deng has seen Mr. Vance. The Chinese may
[17:18] be pleased about American proposals for
[17:20] normalizing relations. Conversely, Mr.
[17:23] Deng, one of China's more blunt
[17:25] outspoken leaders, may be telling Mr.
[17:27] Vance that continuing US recognition of
[17:29] Taiwan is still completely unacceptable
[17:33] in China.
[17:34] I'm Peter Jennings in Peking.
[17:43] Marian, look what I just got for Amy.
[17:46] Pretty, but how's the new mother?
[17:48] Frankly, I could sure use a book on
[17:50] laxatives.
[17:50] >> Haven't you heard about Ex-Lax pills?
[17:52] Pills? They're gentle, easy to take, and
[17:55] contain a medically proven effective
[17:56] ingredient. Medically proven effective?
[17:59] >> Think of it this way, Helen. Ex-Lax
[18:01] gently stimulates your system's own
[18:02] regular rhythm for relief in the
[18:04] morning. Ex-Lax pills, you learn
[18:07] something new every day. Lots of folks
[18:09] need help now and then.
[18:12] Are you going back to work? Well, that's
[18:13] when you may need some extra confidence.
[18:16] Discover Oil of Olay, the mysterious
[18:18] beauty fluid that can help you look
[18:19] younger.
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[18:41] Behind the lies, behind the closed
[18:43] doors, there's a Washington you've never
[18:46] seen. A president's power. Not to be
[18:49] thwarted. IT'S JUST GET BITCHING
[18:50] MOUNTAIN TIME AGAIN. OH, I'VE HAD IT. A
[18:53] PRESIDENT'S REVENGE. I've got a lot of
[18:55] enemies. We'll keep you busy, all right,
[18:57] for the next 4 years. A story you've
[18:59] only guessed at. All America will be
[19:01] talking about the six explosive nights
[19:03] of Washington, Behind Closed Doors,
[19:05] beginning Tuesday, September 6th, here
[19:07] on ABC.
[19:10] Wednesday, the Bradfords are challenged
[19:12] to a friendly game of football. It was
[19:14] two hand touch, wasn't it? But turns
[19:16] into a grudge match. He might have eight
[19:18] guys on his team. So what?
[19:21] So what? They'll kill us, that's what.
[19:23] You ready?
[19:25] You're not ready. Eight is enough.
[19:27] That'll be quite a dress proposition.
[19:29] Then the Angels will do anything to bust
[19:31] a case. I'm the Subsonic Man.
[19:33] >> And Baretta does everything to save
[19:35] three runaways right after Eight is
[19:36] Enough and Charlie's Angels.
[19:42] In other news, secret FBI files were
[19:44] released today showing the Bureau
[19:46] wiretapped the headquarters of the
[19:48] National Lawyers Guild from 1947 to
[19:50] 1951. There's also evidence that FBI
[19:53] agents broke into offices of Guild
[19:55] members. The Lawyers Guild, which was
[19:57] founded to promote civil liberties, has
[19:59] filed a multi-million dollar harassment
[20:01] suit against the FBI.
[20:03] ABC News has learned that top New York
[20:05] City officials, including the mayor and
[20:07] six major banks, will be sharply
[20:09] criticized in a Securities and Exchange
[20:11] Commission report to be issued on
[20:12] Friday. The SEC will charge that they
[20:15] withheld information about the bad state
[20:17] of New York's financial problems in
[20:18] 1974-1975,
[20:21] apparently so investors would not be
[20:22] scared off from buying municipal bonds.
[20:25] London's busy Heathrow Airport was in
[20:27] chaos again today because of the work
[20:29] slowdown by air traffic control
[20:31] assistants. Thousands of tourists have
[20:33] been stranded and it looks like the
[20:34] situation is getting worse. James Walker
[20:37] narrates this report.
[20:39] All they can do is wait, the thousands
[20:41] of travelers who have been delayed by
[20:43] the work slowdown now in its ninth day.
[20:46] It has crippled Heathrow, London's major
[20:48] airport, forcing cancellation of 88
[20:50] daily flights, including the Concord
[20:52] supersonic transport to Washington D.C.
[20:55] The slowdown results from a wage dispute
[20:57] by 850 people whose job it is to keep
[21:00] aircraft flying on course. They make
[21:02] about $6,000 a year and they want a 17%
[21:05] wage increase. The British government
[21:07] already reeling under high inflation
[21:10] says pay hikes are restricted to 10% by
[21:12] wage guidelines. The workers say if
[21:15] there is no concession, they will begin
[21:17] a 4-day strike Friday, which
[21:19] coincidentally is the start of a major
[21:21] 3-day British holiday. James Walker, ABC
[21:24] News.
[21:26] There are no problems with the jets
[21:27] taking off and landing at a US Air Force
[21:29] base in Arizona, even though some of the
[21:31] airmen had qualms about the new breed of
[21:33] jet pilots, called women.
[21:35] Bill Redeker has details.
[21:38] This is Williams Air Force Base near
[21:40] Phoenix. This is where the Air Force
[21:42] trains its pilots. 21,000 men have been
[21:45] awarded their silver wings here. But a
[21:47] year ago, 10 women began training here
[21:49] for the first time in Air Force history,
[21:51] and at first, Captain Mary Donahue was a
[21:53] little unsure of herself.
[21:55] I hope that I have no doubt that I can
[21:57] measure up, but it it's very uh
[21:58] demanding.
[22:00] Today, after flying more than 200 hours
[22:02] in jet aircraft, Captain Donahue is
[22:04] about to graduate. She says the training
[22:06] was demanding, but now she's more
[22:08] confident. Well, it's certainly a very
[22:10] demanding program, and I'm a lot sure of
[22:12] myself now, a lot more confident flying
[22:14] the planes.
[22:15] Initially, the sight of a woman suiting
[22:17] up raised a few eyebrows. Male pilots
[22:20] had doubts that the women were strong
[22:21] enough and quick enough to handle
[22:23] supersonic aircraft, but tests have
[22:25] proved them wrong, and resentment is
[22:27] beginning to fade.
[22:29] Well, you always got your male ego that
[22:31] uh
[22:32] you know, women can't do it the same,
[22:34] but apparently they can, cuz
[22:36] they got through the program and they're
[22:38] doing a good job.
[22:39] Captain Donahue and the other women
[22:41] pilots will be assigned to fly cargo and
[22:43] training aircraft. Congress says they
[22:45] may not fly in combat, but Air Force
[22:47] brass says they are qualified. Well,
[22:50] physically, the women are capable of
[22:52] flying any type of aircraft. Uh I
[22:54] believe they're they're motivated uh
[22:56] enough to fly a fighter aircraft. Uh
[22:58] I would have
[23:00] uh no I would anticipate no problems
[23:02] with their participation in combat.
[23:07] Two more classes of women will be
[23:08] trained here and then the Air Force will
[23:10] decide whether to permanently train
[23:11] women pilots, but that may not be an
[23:14] easy decision. While all 10 in the first
[23:16] class are expected to graduate, so far
[23:19] four have dropped out of the second
[23:20] class. Bill Redeker, ABC News, Williams
[23:23] Air Force Base, Arizona.
[23:27] It used to be that the Volkswagen Beetle
[23:29] was right up there in the big numbers
[23:30] when car sales in the US were reported,
[23:32] but not now. Only 700 new Beetles were
[23:35] shipped to US dealers from Germany this
[23:37] month and they are probably the last.
[23:40] Tom Shell tells us more about the car
[23:41] known affectionately as the Bug and why
[23:43] it will in time roll off into the
[23:46] sunset.
[23:47] The Volkswagen Beetle has been the
[23:49] world's most popular car. 20 million
[23:51] have been produced so far. The Beetle is
[23:54] a common sight in London,
[23:57] along the River Seine in Paris,
[24:01] and in New York's Times Square.
[24:03] Nearly 5 million Beetles have been sold
[24:05] in the United States since 1949, but
[24:08] because of the cost of meeting new
[24:09] emission and safety standards,
[24:11] Volkswagen stopped importing the Beetles
[24:13] to the United States this month.
[24:16] This 1946 model was the first one ever
[24:18] brought to the United States. Now owned
[24:21] by Volkswagen of America, the car was
[24:23] originally purchased at a US Army PX in
[24:25] Germany by a World War II GI.
[24:29] Volkswagen means people's car and people
[24:31] in