South Bend, October 1, 1981
Economy Measures and National Debt
At the beginning of the new fiscal year, the first economy measures of the Reagan Administration are put into force: drastic cuts in spending for social programs; closing of a number of government offices; and a 5% tax cut in the first year. But despite of these measures, the national debt had to be limited to a trillion dollars because of the increased spending on defense.
October 2, 1981
A Nuclear War Cannot Be Waged
At today’s press conference in the White House, President Reagan announced that the new MX missiles will be built and installed in the available silos of the Minuteman missiles. This new generation of intercontinental ballistic missiles has a range of 8,000 miles and could carry 10 nuclear warheads. It demonstrates the next to unimaginable force of destruction of the nuclear arsenal on both sides and underscores the realization that a nuclear war cannot be waged because it would result in total mutual annihilation.
October 6, 1981
Anwar Sadat (1918-1981)
The first sporadic pieces of news indicated that, at a military parade in Cairo, an assassination attempt on the life of President Anwar Sadat was made. Without further consequences, Sadat appeared to have suffered only a grazing shot. But at 1:00 p.m. EST, the full truth of this dreadful deed was confirmed. Sadat was fatally hit by a round of machine-gun fire aimed at the grandstand. He died shortly thereafter in the hospital. With the death of Anwar Sadat, America has lost one of its most reliable allies in the Middle East. The entire region is again thrown into turmoil and uncertainty.
October 10, 1981
The Funeral of Anwar Sadat
Three former American Presidents - Richard Nixon, Gerald Ford and Jimmy Carter - flew to Cairo to attend the funeral of Anwar Sadat. During their terms in office, they were all closely connected with the Egyptian President and had put great trust in him. Their cooperation culminated in the Camp David Accord of September 1978 and the following peace treaty of March 1979, whereby Egypt and Israel overcame their enmity and entered into normal bilateral diplomatic relations. But the funeral of Sadat showed with startling clarity how isolated Egypt was in the Arab world, and how split Arabs were among themselves. One has to ask whether the spirit of Camp David can be carried on, leading to a comprehensive peace agreement in the Middle East. No doubt, the peace process has been interrupted by the death of Sadat. The greatness of Anwar Sadat was manifest in his fearlessly standing up to achieve reconciliation between Egypt and Israel.
October 11, 1981
The Demonstration
While Chancellor Helmut Schmidt attended the funeral of Anwar Sadat in Cairo, nearly 250,000 people marched on the University of Bonn to protest against the deployment of Pershing II missiles on German soil as well as the nuclear armament of NATO in general. That was the largest demonstration in the Federal Republic since the end of the Second World War. Although the protest against nuclear armament is understandable, the aim of this demonstration remains confusing. Is there not the danger for a new Anti-Americanism, which could lead to the neutralization of Europe and its dependence on Moscow? How to meet with the growing discontent in Western Europe? One can only be concerned about this development.
South Bend, October 17, 1981
Yorktown
Two hundred years ago today, on October 17, 1781, the British troops under Lord Cornwallis, who had been encircled for weeks in Yorktown, Virginia, surrendered to the Continental army under the command of George Washington. That brought the War of Independence to an end in favor of the 13 colonies. The French assistance was crucial for the American victory at Yorktown. Count de Grasse, who had arrived with a large fleet and 20,000 men from the Caribbean, sailed into Chesapeake Bay. He, thereby, cut off the possibility for retreat by sea for Cornwallis.
In memory of that historic event at Yorktown, French President Francois Mitterand had come to Virginia and received President Reagan on board of the warship De Grasse, which lay at anchor in the Chesapeake Bay. On his part, Reagan invited Mitterand to a reception in the historic Williamsburg. The meeting between Mitterand and Reagan was pronounced cordial. Mitterand judges with a sense of realism the precarious situation Western Europe is in. He agrees with Reagan’s policy of nuclear armament. Thus, Reagan’s firm attitude has received unexpected support in the Elysée Palace.
South Bend, October 25, 1981
And Now in London and Rome
Protests in Europe against nuclear armament won’t go away. After Bonn, demonstrations with large gatherings of people are now taking place in London and Rome. Paris and Brussels will follow. What shocked Europe and triggered the nuclear hysteria were rash remarks in the circle of the Reagan Administration that a limited nuclear war could be possible. It was obvious what Europe meant by it. One cannot fully measure in America the extent of fear Europeans have in this regard.