Nearing the end of the almost endless and infamous Army-McCarthy Hearings, this installment of the drama comes from June 15, 1954. The daily wrapup, with George Herman and Griffing Bancroft of CBS Radio, encapsulates the day-long hearings into a half-hour program which ran at 10:00 pm every evening.

This installment winds down the proceedings and features, among others, cross-examination of McCarthy Aide Francis Carr and McCarthy Chief Council Roy Cohn. Anticipated for the next (and possibly last) day was Joe McCarthy. Everything on this day went smoothly and, with the exception of the Press being distracted by a disturbance elsewhere in the building, was pretty humdrum by comparison with other days.

No fireworks and no wild accusations, but theater nonetheless.

Here is that daily wrapup from CBS Radio for June 15, 1954.

June 15, 1995 - a day where priorities in news coverage got tested. Beginning with news that the long-anticipated and much-dreaded Battle of Sarajevo had begun caused and that NATO forces were in that uncomfortable place of being peacekeeper and defender all at the same time. It would prove to be Topic-A in conversation at the upcoming G-7 Summit, which President Clinton was heading for on this day.

News also, with reference to G-7, of the threatened trade war between Japan and the U.S., mostly centered around the newly-imposed 100% tariff on imported Japanese Cars into the U.S.

A rescue effort was underway in Greece, which had suffered a 6.1 earthquake overnight and a growing list of casualties from collapsed buildings was reported.

But the biggest news, the news that occupied the most "air-time" on this broadcast, was the reported first interview with Michael Jackson and Lisa Marie Presley on the occasion of the release of Jackson's latest album HIStory in which he answers allegations of Child molestation and the controversy surrounding anti-Semitic lyrics.

Buried in the rest of the news was report of the Senate, set to vote on a sweeping overhaul of Telecommunications Laws, in effect for over 50 years, and deregulation of Cable TV.

Also in there were reports of the continuing Timothy McVeigh/Oklahoma City Bombing and OJ Simpson murder trials.

And last, but not least - news on the Houston Rockets clinch of the NBA title in a 113-101 win over the Orlando Magic. Something they went nuts over in Houston.

And that's pretty much what happened, and what you may not have noticed amidst the noise of Pop Culture, on this June 15, 1995 as reported on The CBS World News Roundup.

Something a bit different tonight, and maybe a marked contrast to the 90's and PJ Harvey. Sandy Denny was probably the most influential singer/singer-songwriter to bring the concept of Folk-Rock to the UK. From her memorable association with the ground-breaking Fairport Convention in the 1960's, Denny moved away into a more broad-based sound with her next band Fotheringay in 1970 and continued a string of successes and milestone albums all the way until her untimely death in 1978.

Here are the first and second sessions the newly formed Fotheringay recorded for the BBC and the Top Of The Pops program, hosted by Brian Matthew.

Here is what's on the player:

BBC Radio Top Of The Pops, host Brian Matthew recorded April 13, 1970:

The Way I Feel (4:36)
Interview (1:31)
The Sea (4:52)

Top Of The Pops with Brian Matthew - recorded November 12, 1970, broadcast November 21, 1970:

Eppy Moray (3:55)
The Lowlands of Holland (2:40)
Interview / Gypsy Davey (4:13)

Seldom heard tracks from a memorable band and an unforgettable singer.

We haven't run anything on LBJ in a while, so I thought I would include this Press Conference from June 1,1965, President Johnson's 43rd since taking office.

A number of areas are covered, most notably the situation in Santo Domingo in the Dominican Republic, which was the scene of recent military action. Also covered was the situation in Vietnam and the 20th Anniversary of the United Nations.

A complete half hour of Q&A as broadcast by ABC Radio on June 1, 1965.

And further evidence the 70's were just as haywire as every other decade. The news from June 14, 1978 was proof.

In the continuing series of accusations and denials, President Jimmy Carter alleged he had irrefutable proof that Cuban advisers were heavily involved in the rebel uprising in Zaire, from intelligence gathered that Cuban troops were training rebels in bases from neighboring Angola. Castro flatly denied it. The saga dragged on.

Meanwhile, Carter pressed to put negotiations with China on the fast track in an effort to get full normalization of relations as soon as possible.

On Capitol Hill - Questions were being posed to Israel regarding their future status of the Gaza Strip and the Occupied West Bank. The inquiry set off a rift in the Knesset, causing a three-way split in the Israeli cabinet.

The United Nations was wrestling with the Lebanon situation. Southern Lebanon was going relatively smoothly, but it was Northern Lebanon that was the cause of concern. Tensions were high in that region over the killing of the son, daughter-in-law and grand-daughter of former President Sulieman Franjileh by Phalangist gunmen, and fears of an outbreak of violence during the funeral put everyone on the alert.

Japan was weighing their Oil Storage policy as the result of serious damage done to several Oil tanks and the resultant spill of millions of gallons of crude at facilities in Sendai, which had been hit hard by a recent earthquake.

And Jimmy Carter was meeting on this day with Indian Prime Minister Morarji Desai for talks regarding U.S.-India relations. The two got on famously, even though there were areas of disagreement.

And the news ended with a roundup of recent Primary election results around the country.

And that's how life rolled, this June 14, 1978 as reported on The CBS World News Roundup.

A word from Prog-Rock pioneers Procol Harum tonight and a session they did for the Top Gear Program at the BBC, hosted by John Peel and recorded on August 19, 1968.

Here's the rundown:

1. Wishing Well
2. Skip Softly (My Moonbeam)
3. Long Gone Geek

Because precious little survived from this period of time at the BBC, some of these recordings are a bit damaged and have abrupt beginnings or endings. Can't be helped. But this one sounds pretty good considering how some others fared under similar circumstances.

At least it's preserved.

Over to Austria this week for a concert from the 2011 Carinthian Summer Festival featuring Clarinetist Sabine Meyer, Cellist Heinrich Schiff and Pianist Martin Helmchen in a program of works by Beethoven, Berg, Shostakovitch and Brahms.

Here's the rundown:

Festival d'été de Carinthie : Beethoven, Chostakovitch, Berg, Brahms

Part 1 - Ludwig van Beethoven

Trio avec piano N°4 en si bémol majeur Op.11, Gassenhauer (1797)

1- Allegro con brio
2- Adagio
3- Tema con variazioni. Allegretto. Allegro

Dmitri Chostakovitch

Sonate pour violoncelle et piano en ré mineur Op. 40 (1934)

1- Allegro non troppo
2- Allegro
3- Largo
4- Allegro

Part 2 - Alban Berg (1885-1935)

4 Pièces pour clarinette et piano Op.5 (1920)

1- Mässig
2- Sehr langsam
3- Sehr rasch
4-Langsam

Johannes Brahms

Trio avec piano en la mineur Op.114 (1891)
1- Allegro. Poco meno allegro
2- Adagio
3-Andantino grazioso. Un poco sostenuto
4- Allegro

Sabine Meyer, Clarinette
Heinrich Schiff, Violoncelle
Martin Helmchen, Piano

Concert donné le 12 juillet 2011 en la Stiftskirche d’Ossiach dans le cadre du Festival d’été de Carinthie.

Great concert, relayed from Paris so the announcements are in French - but it's all Road-Rage Wednesday, if you ask me. And it is Summer Festival Season.

Enjoy.

News for this day in 1942 covered the war on a number of fronts.

Reports from London told of intense fighting in North Africa, with German forces aiming at Tobruk in Libya. Several thousand more U.S. troops landed in Northern Ireland with reports of no submarine attacks en route. The U.S. Army introduced the new design of helmet, abandoning the old one used during World War 1. News was also reported of the signing of the Anglo-Russian pact.

From neutral Stockholm came sparse reports from the Eastern Front, but word of Russian attacks on Sebastopol and Kharkov in an attempt to drive the German army out of the area were revealed.

From New York and Washington it was learned that the Japanese had landed on Kiska in the Aleutian Islands. It was viewed as a face-saving measure by Tokyo in lieu of the crippling loses from the battles of Midway and The Coral Sea, even though the Aleutian Islands were not viewed as an important strategic gain. Still, it made for a propaganda tool, as it meant the Japanese had landed in North America.

This day in 1942 also marked the 43rd anniversary of Gen. Douglas MacArthur's entry into West Point and much was made of the promise by MacArthur to return to The Philippines. It was also announced that, as of midnight, a huge rubber drive was inaugurated and everyone in the U.S. was urged to turn in rubber goods for the war effort. Today also marked the inauguration of V-Mail.

And that's what happened on this June 13th in 1942 as reported by NBC's News Of The World.

As long as we're in a Singer-Songwriter vein this week, I thought I would toss some PJ Harvey into the mix. Harvey hasn't captured the mainstream market, and its doubtful she ever will. Her material is too unflinching and visceral to be neatly tied into a convenient package. And that's a good thing, because she's been influential to a number of up-and-comers in recent years who have borrowed liberally from her in many different ways. But PJ Harvey is an original, and however you feel about her, you don't feel ambivalence.

Tonight it's a session she recorded for John Peel at The BBC on November 10, 2000.

Here's the track lineup:

1. This Wicked Tongue
2. Somebody's Down, Somebody's Name
3. Beautiful Feeling
4. Nickel Under The Foot.

Music that screams "Don't Blend In." So don't.

Since The Reference Room encompasses all things, not just Politics, I ran across this Interview/Q&A with Philosopher/Psychologist B.F. Skinner given as part of the Program On Campus from 1972.

The topic for discussion is Beyond Freedom and Dignity, and Skinner offers some keen insights on the Human condition, circa 1972.

It's always interesting to contemplate what he'd have to say about our current state of affairs, but since he hasn't been with us for a while, we can only guess.

Here is that interview, followed by the Question and Answer period, as it was broadcast on June 17, 1972.