South Bend, April 12, 1986
A War of Nerves
After the bomb explosion of April 5 in a discotheque in West Berlin, in which Libya obviously had a hand, rumors won’t go away that the United States will carry out a retaliatory strike. A war of nerves has broken out. Is now the Western Mediterranean also becoming a war zone? What would be the consequences of such an action for Europe?
April 13, 1986
A Gesture of Reconciliation
As the first Pope to do so, John Paul II visited today the Synagogue of Rome, which is situated only a mile distant from the Vatican. Thereby, a significant gesture of reconciliation between the Catholic Church and Judaism has been set, which should diminish centuries-old mutual distrust and prejudices. At this historic moment, Jews and Christians stood side by side united as brothers and sisters of a common faith tradition.
South Bend, April 14, 1986
The Retaliation
About 8 p.m. this evening, the news media reported that an hour earlier, or about 2 a.m. local time, U.S. combat planes, which had started from bases in England, struck targets in Libya.
An hour later, i.e. 9 p.m. EST, President Reagan, in a televised address, spoke to the American people. In a somber tone, he explained why he had decided to carry out a retaliatory strike against Libya. There is irrevocable proof that the Libyan regime perpetrated the bomb explosion in the discotheque in West Berlin. One American was killed and more than 50 injured by this terror attack. Reagan emphasized that the United States acted in self-defense.
In the following press conference in the White House, Secretary of State Shultz and Secretary of Defense Weinberger further clarified the situation. They underscored the determination of the United States to respond in the future if necessary to acts of terror with military force.
April 15, 1986
The Reaction
While the American public overwhelmingly approves of President Reagan’s action against Libya, although with feelings of unease, the reaction abroad is a single uproar. Unfortunately, a deep rift of misunderstanding between the United States and its European allies is again being opened by the Libyan conflict. But the European concern is understandable.
April 19, 1986
Tourism Suffers a Loss
The recent wave of terrorism in Europe, which has primarily been aimed at Americans, has understandably caused fear and insecurity among American tourists. Roughly 50% of booked flights to Europe have been cancelled. According to Time Magazine of April 20, which is now on the newsstands, 6.4 million Americans traveled to Europe in the peak year of 1985, spending 7 billion dollars. A decrease of 25% is being prognosticated for the current year.
April 30, 1986
The Nuclear Catastrophe
It has taken a few days, until the world community has become fully aware of the scope of the nuclear catastrophe near Kiev. About 60 miles north of Kiev at Chernobyl, from Saturday to Sunday, a reactor of a nuclear power plant burned through. It caused the feared meltdown of the uranium and the graphite block, whereby large quantities of radioactivity were released into the atmosphere. The accident was only made known, after a sudden increase of radioactivity in the atmosphere in Sweden had been noticed. The wind had at first carried a radioactive cloud over Poland to Sweden. In the meanwhile, the fire in the reactor continues burning uncontrolled at about 3,000 degrees F. The authorities are rather helpless without knowing how to get at the nuclear fire.
Officially, only two casualties were admitted, but one may guess that the number may go into the hundreds. There were supposedly hurried evacuations in the Kiev area. Today, by the changing direction of the wind, a radioactive cloud was carried over Hungary to Austria, Southern Germany and Switzerland. Panic has broken out in Europe. Families are being instructed not to let their children go on the streets. There are warnings not to consume milk or fresh produce. It is still hard to grasp that an entire continent can be affected by one accident in a nuclear power plant.
[The accident in the nuclear power plant at Chernobyl happened on April 26, 1986. While carrying out an experiment at the 4th reactor block, the nuclear fuel rods, due to insufficient safety measures, burned out of control so that the reactor exploded, releasing large quantities of radioactivity into the atmosphere. It took ten days to get the fire under control.]