April 28, 1988 CBS Evening News with Dan Rather Intro.wmv

(c)1988 CBS Corporation

For this, my 150th video, here is the return of the intro and top story to the CBS Evening News with Dan Rather from April 28, 1988. Here, the top story (reported by Terence Smith at the White House) is an about-face by President Reagan on the situation involving Panamanian dictator Manuel Noriega. For much of the previous month, the White House (as shown in clips from Reagan, Press Secretary Marlin Fitzwater, Elliot Abrams and {the previous day} State Department spokesman Charles Redman) had been calling for Noriega to not only step down but leave the country (in one clip from that day when Reagan was pressed for whether the change meant Noriega could stay in Panama, the President responded with a sheepish "I hope not").

Also included are clips of interviews with New York GOP Senator Al D'Amato and Indiana Democrat Congressman Lee Hamilton. D'Amato had at one point suggested military action to remove Noriega (needless to say, in December 1989 D'Amato got his wish; which I'll elaborate on in the aftermath paragraph). Dan then narrates a brief report on rioting in Panama City, then teases the beginning of a "Stopping the Smugglers" story by Richard Schlesinger (the recording stopped just before Schlesinger began his report).

AFTERMATH: As it would turn out, in May 1989, the elections for the next Panamanian president took place only for a Noriega-backed candidate to win under very suspicious circumstances (with former President Jimmy Carter, there as an observer, stating the election was stolen), followed by rival Guillermo Endara and his vice-presidential candidates Guillermo Ford (video of his having been bloodied and brutally beaten would ultimately lead to the action to force Noriega out) and Ricardo Arias Calderon. This ultimately led to President George H.W. Bush initiating Operation: Just Cause to remove Noriega (who was also wanted by the U.S. on drug smuggling charges). Noriega would eventually surrender on January 3, 1990 and was eventually convicted in 1992 on eight counts of money laundering, racketeering and drug trafficking and sentenced to 15 years of prison, later gaining attention due to a professed conversion to Christianity (somewhere I have a tape of a 1993 700 Club interview with Ben Kinchlow that I need to look for), and is currently serving time in a French prison on separate charges.

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[gell7]

@khrystal1968 i was lock up in tucker maxuim prison in arkansas in the hole when a guard frigging open up my cell door to give me the news about Noriega, i said to the guard "who?" i been in the frigging hole for 5 years who is him?" the guard laugh and shut thedoor that were i was on the noriga was capture in a frigging dark drungon in 1990

[JHollowayNetwork]

They had brought back the 1987-91 theme, this year, when Scott Pelley anchored the CBS Evening News.

[khrystal1968]

I had just turned 20.

[Prionic77]

Good upload. Thanks