Update: Thanks to everyone who donated, we've hit our goal and we've saved the Archive. The Lien is off, the locks are back on and I can breathe a momentary sigh of relief. It's been a nail-biter and frankly, I think I've aged several years these past two weeks. But it's been your help, your kindness and your belief in what Newstalgia has been trying to do that has made all the difference and has energized my spirit and renewed my faith that there really is an audience out there for this kind of material. At four years, Newstalgia has only scratched the surface, and with your help and encouragement, there will be many more days months and hopefully years of relevant, pertinent and occasionally wacko historic material to offer. I'll be here as long as you're here. Thank you - thank you everyone.

This May 2nd in 1979 saw Britain on overload during the last day of campaigning just before the election. Projected to win, via recent polls, was incumbent Prime Minister James Callahan and the Labour Party. Dropping in the polls and not expected to win was challenger Margaret Thatcher and her Conservative Party. The last day of criss-crossing Britain, Thatcher promised that, if elected she would clamp down on the power of Labor Unions. Harbinger of things to come, for sure. But on this day, Callahan was expected to remain in power and the Thatcher promises were regarded as empty threats.

Not such empty threats was the assassination of Ayatullah Motahari in Tehran. A newly discovered group calling themselves Forghan claimed responsibility. The group, it was thought, was purported to be made up of supporters of The Shah and promised a lot more.

Seven bombs went off in and around Paris overnight. No injuries or loss of life, but the perps remained a mystery.

The United Nations flag was flying over Pyongyang for the first time since anyone could remember. It signified a visit from UN Secretary Kurt Waldheim for talks regarding unification of the two Koreas.

And speaking of talks - discussions on the trade imbalance between the U.S. and Japan got underway between President Jimmy Carter and visiting Prime Minister Masayoshi Ohira.

In other Capitol Hill news - President Carter was readying to announce his replacement for Army Chief of Staff General Rogers, who was leaving to replace Gen. Alexander Haig as NATO Commander in Europe.

The endless War on Drugs was heating up again. This time in Southern Floria where it was announced 14 people were so far under indictment for Drug Smuggling in Miami with many more to come.

Boston Pops Icon Arthur Fiedler celebrated his 50th season with the orchestra in a gala celebration.

And John Wayne was back in the hospital with a not-so-good prognosis.

All this and much more via The CBS World News Roundup for May 2, 1979.

In what started out as a seemingly busy but otherwise sedate newscast via the BBC World Service' World Today, quickly turned into a series of bulletins and updates regarding the death earlier this evening of North Korean Dictator Kim Jong Il at age 69, or 70 depending on which source you read (the Russians claimed he was born in 1941).

So in keeping with news-off-the-cuff, here is the first and second hours of The World Today, complete and uncut, with the first bulletins coming in at around 6 minutes into the top player.

You get the whole rundown, the High-Voltage North Korean newscaster and the updates, along with the rest of the news of the day (Iraq already showing signs of coming apart, violence in Tahrir Square and the video that's now gone viral, Domestic violence in the extreme in Bangladesh and more). There is also a lot speculation regarding Il's successor - namely the son, Kim Jong Un - the name alone should send chills, or perplexed stares.

I think it's going to be an interesting week coming up.

Stay tuned.

(Or as it came to be known as . . .World War 2 1/2)

June 1950 was a very busy month and by the end of it we were up to our eyeballs in the Korean conflict. Originally called a Police Action and occasionally referred to as World War 2 1/2, it all began on June 25th when North Korea (with the help of China, although Russia was implicated) decided it was time to invade South Korea and almost succeeded in pulling it off. By the end of the month Seoul had been captured and the South Korean Army (along with American peacekeepers who had been there since the end of World War 2) were pushed as south as the 38th Parallel. The U.S. was completely surprised by the move and immediately called for an emergency session of the UN Security Council to try and resolve the situation in what became the first significant conflict of the Cold War.

Which dragged on for three years, or sixty if you want to get technical about it.

President Truman was quick to rally bi-partisan support for a military intervention.

Sen. Alexander Wylie (R-Wisconsin): “I think that at least in a minor crisis which may develop into a big crisis, it all depends on whether or not Russia is going to back down. If Russia backs down now, of course officially she doesn’t admit she’s in the picture. But if she is in the picture and stays put, why it may develop into a real crisis and then we’ll be in it all over.”

Reserves were called up, the draft was extended for another year. And less than five years after the end of World War 2 we were stuck in another drawn out war. And North Korea is still actively involved in saber rattling.

(Rep. John McCormack (D-Mass) - Rep. Hugh Scott (R. Penn.) - lots of love in that room . . .of a kind.)

In case you were wondering if the cantankerous nature of Capitol Hill was some phenomenon of recent years, let me put you at ease by saying no, it's always been that way.

This broadcast, part of the American Forum Of The Air series from July 25, 1954, features Representative John McCormack (D-Mass.) and Representative Hugh Scott (R.Penn.) discussing what the 83rd Congress has accomplished, just as the House and Senate go on their August recess. The subjects range from taxes to the end of the Korean conflict and the bubbling unrest in Southeast Asia - Vietnam in particular.

McCormick: “ There’s a truce made that could’ve been made far better a year, year and a half prior to the time the truce was made. As the result of it, the Chinese Reds were relieved of their commitments in North Korea and they were able to drive down into Indochina and they were able to help the Communist forces in Indochina. Now coming to the Indochina truce . . . .

Scanlon (interviewer): “Do you think the war should have continued Congressman?” –

Moderator: “Hold it . . . .”

McCormick: “None of us . . .we’re not agreed to . . .we’re not satisfied with that. I’m satisfied that England and France have some kind of deals on that are not for our best interest. I’m suspicious of England and France in connection with what’s going on. I think you and I probably would agree pretty much in that respect. I’m very suspicious about this increase in trade which Mr. Stassen has permitted to go on with the Communist bloc as a peace gesture

Hugh Scott: “ Before you change the subject is there any shooting war going on anywhere in the world today, was my statement . . .

McCormick: “Do you think there’s peace in the world today? There’s certainly not peace in the world today. All I know is, that there’s a couple of million more unfortunate people in Vietnam who are now under the Communists, about a million of them happen to be communicants of the Catholic Church of which you and I are also communicants and I can imagine what kind of rough living they’re going to have under the Communists when they consolidate, the liquidation process they’re going to go through, and I hope there’ll be a good pact established down there that will be able to stop the Communists. But I am fearful there will be extreme difficulty in that respect. I’m hopeful and I will join in a bi-partisan way that will bring any efforts to bring about a pact in Southeast Asia that will stop the Communist on-rush.”

Well . . .more prophetic words weren't spoken much that year. But it did signal what would become our endless Vietnam odyssey soon enough.

McCormack and Scott spar and agree on very little, but they hold their ground. In the end it provides an interesting insight as to the historic nature of government and how discourse can work.

At least they were upfront about it.

(An army of cripples, an army of mourners and an army of thieves)

When the Korean War finally came to an end, the agreed dividing line between North Korea and South Korea was the 38th Parallel - the dividing line which exists today. The armistice took effect on July 28, 1953. With negotiations for the Armistice taking place, CBS Radio did a documentary on how the Korean war affected the lives of people living along the 38th Parallel in the U.S.

Hosted by Will Rogers Jr. the one hour documentary goes from coast to coast, collecting thoughts, opinions and experiences of the average American on what the war meant to them.