We're hitting 25% of our goal as of this morning. An incredible outpouring of thanks and gratitude to all of you who have donated so far. With your help, and telling your friends, we'll get there. Any amount is deeply appreciated. If you haven't yet, please consider. If you like what we're trying to do here, and want to see it continue, please make a donation. You're making a difference.

When news of the ill-fated CIA backed invasion of Cuba at The Bay Of Pigs was first announced on April 17th, it wasn't clear if the attempted overthrow of the Castro regime would be a success or not. But as hours and days passed, it was clear it wasn't. In fact, it was a howling failure and it made for a goodly amount of Anti-U.S. propaganda fodder for the Soviet press and another big set-back for our Foreign Policy in Latin America.

President Kennedy made an address to the country during a meeting of the Press Association. At the time it wasn't made known the CIA had anything to do with the invasion, rather it was touted to be a group of Anti-Castro rebels, trained and equipped on a shoestring, attempting to overthrow Fidel Castro. That part looked good on paper. But the reality was a bit different.

Here is that address from April 21, 1961.

As the war began heating up, and as Germany began the process of overrunning smaller countries on its trek westward, it was only a matter of time before France would be the object of a German invasion. Edouard Daladier, the Premier of France at the time, sought to rally support of the French people and he delivered this address, which was broadcast worldwide and with simultaneous English translation, on December 1, 1939.

Edouard Daladier: “France has the right and Frenchmen have the right to think of the France of tomorrow and we must win the war first in order to attain that state.”

Visions of a protracted trench war filled everyone's heads and the terrible destruction and vast amounts of death that were associated with that war, some twenty years earlier.

But the course was inevitable and France was next in line. It was just a question of preparation for the worst.

News for this June 22nd in 1941 had everything to do with the sudden Declaration of War by Germany to Russia, setting up an invasion and opening up what was to be known as "The Eastern Front".

News was coming in so fast that NBC, and most other networks, announced they would suspend all their regular programming and devote themselves entirely to the news of the moment. And flustered announcers and analysts rushed to their microphones to deliver breathless updates, sometimes forgetting they were on the air, and other times delivering news off the tops of their heads, without aid of a script.

So here is a one-hour snapshot of that day in history, where very little else went on for June 22, 1941 as heard live over the combined networks of NBC.

This day in 1982 was about shooting wars. British troops landed on The Falkland Islands and the shooting war started. Amid reports of casualties and both sides claiming the upper hand, the propaganda wheels were in motion. The diplomatic wheels however were not, and even though Pope John Paul II appealed to Britain to show restraint and seek a peaceful solution, Margaret Thatcher said "thanks, but no thanks". And the war was on.

Likewise in the Middle East, only this time it was Iran who boasted major gains in territory over the Iraqi's, but it didn't look as though this thing would be over anytime soon. Terrorist bombs went off in Beirut, this time at the French Embassy and with scores of casualties.

Meanwhile, in other parts of the world. Successor to the ailing Leonid Brezhnev was looking more and more like Yuri Andropov, head of the Secret Police.

On Capitol Hill - Pres. Reagan's Fiscal spending plan for 1983 goes to battle at the House. Reagan also pushed for The Department of Energy to be merged with the Department of Commerce. The Supreme Court ruled people on Nixon's Enemies list did not need to be revealed. The Abortion question was also back on the docket, this time via State's rulings on abortions.

The DeLorean Auto plant in Ireland was ordered closed by the Irish government, citing no buyers in the foreseeable future.

All that, and a lot more on this May 24th in 1982 from the CBS World News Roundup and the 9:00 am (PDT) network news.

The news on this May 10th in 1940 was totally consumed with the goings on in Europe. The German Army staged a massive invasion of the Benelux countries (Belgium, Netherlands, Luxembourg) and the airwaves were filled with bulletins flying in every few seconds. It was also, coincidentally, the day Prime Minister Neville Chamberlain resigned from Number 10 Downing Street and former First Lord of The Admiralty Winston Churchill assumed the position.

No small task, considering there were rumors rife of an imminent invasion of Britain and citizens were warned to be on the lookout for German paratroopers.

Here is an hour, almost continuous, of news reports and bulletins as they occurred via NBC and the BBC, containing both the resignation address of Chamberlain and an urgent appeal for aid from Dutch Foreign Minister John Loudon to the U.S.

Strange and unsettling times, and all on May 10th in 1940.

News for this January 4th in 1942 was all about the War, as it was seemingly exploding on all fronts. From the Pacific region, reports that the Japanese were continuing their attack on Singapore and had invaded Borneo. The Philippines invasion was continuing. General Wavell assumed Command of Pacific Operations.

In North Africa, some 7,000 Axis prisoners were taken during fighting in Egypt, while Allied air attacks continued on German shipping and Naval installations throughout the occupied territories in Europe.

Since January 4th fell on a Sunday in 1942, the 77th Congress wouldn't reconvene until the following day. But the consensus of opinion was the main topic under consideration would be War Production, how it was going to be paid for and how it would be overseen. Speculation a Production Czar would be appointed, much like World War 1 where Bernard Baruch had been appointed by President Wilson to oversee production. It would all remain to be seen on Monday. And in wartime, that was a light year away.

And that's what America was listening to on this January 4th in 1942, as heard on NBC's News Of The World broadcast.

Something of an obscured footnote in history, but no less important, was the Soviet Invasion of Finland beginning in early December of 1939. If anything, it gave the Soviets an idea of just how ill-prepared they were to fight a war especially a Winter War and just how formidable an adversary the Finns were. Subsequently, the Soviet Union suffered a devastating morale blow to their credibility and the Finns gained a healthy respect from the rest of the world. The conflict finally ended in March of 1940 when a treaty was signed.

Here is an early report from December 9th, as broadcast by Teresa Bonney, who was a freelance photo-journalist working in Finland at the time. She gives details of the invasion and the evacuation of U.S. citizens from Finland in wake of the fighting.

An interesting report on a conflict somewhat overlooked during the early stages of World War 2.

(a rude awakening that Thursday morning)

Twenty years ago this week Iraq invaded Kuwait and started what has come to be known as our odyssey in the Middle East. In what was largely a dispute over oil and profits, Iraq decided on settling the argument the old fashioned way - invading a neighboring country and setting up a puppet government. Kuwait immediately appealed to the United Nations and Iraq countered by saying it was for "the good of the Kuwaiti people" and it spiraled rapidly out of control, with the U.S. quickly getting involved with the aid of the Saudi's who were concerned the invasion would head in their direction.

Over the next six months the U.S. would mount one of the largest invasion forces in recent history with Desert Storm finally getting underway in February of 1991. But until then, it was an almost constant barrage of saber rattling, bluster, bluff and stabs at diplomacy.

Here is a review of August 2-5, 1990 as reported by ABC News World News This Week.

(The Battle Of Britain had begun)

With a goodly amount of censorship, correspondent Sigrid Schultz delivered news of the war from Berlin this day in 1940. The European continent was now under Axis control and the Battle of Britain was underway. Schultz was one of a handful of American correspondents still broadcasting out of Berlin and the amount of censorship was made clear by the amount of "quote-unquotes" she used during her broadcast. Scant acknowledgment was made of the resistance the British air force was putting up, by merely mentioning the French had more planes, but the British were better fliers. Mention was made that Britain was now in line for the full brunt of the German war machine. Further adding fuel to the speculation an invasion was anticipated almost any day.

(Cheating an otherwise disastrous situation . . .for now)

With the evacuation of Dunkirk mostly completed by June 2, 1940 Foreign Secretary Anthony Eden addressed to the world that the bulk of the British Expeditionary Force had safely arrived back in England and a catastrophe had been averted.

Anthony Eden: “In the battle of the Ports, which has been raging the past three weeks, Germany has made great strategic gains. The loss to us in equipment and material has been heavy. But there is now another side to this picture. The bulk of the British Expeditionary Force has been saved.”

Now the concern was when there would be an invasion of Britain, or if the German army would turn south and head to Paris. At the time no one knew. Dunkirk was a mere 20 miles from the English coast and an invasion not only seemed likely, it was felt to be inevitable. It was just a matter of time.