This program is 27 minutes long
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(Studio) For. refugees trapped in Phnom Penh, Cambodia, for 3 weeks following fall to Communists arrive safelY in Thailand. Refugees indicate Communists may be planning most unusual political, social, economy revolution. Plans may include sealing Cambodia from outside world and creating completely peasant society within Cambodia.
REPORTER: Walter Cronkite
(Aranyaprathet, Thailand) Fors. arriving in Thailand greet waiting friends; stories of weeks in Phnom Penh begin to filter down. [Photographer Al ROCKOFF - says entire Cambodian population going back to cntry.; villages and towns deserted.] Looting in Phnom Penh did occur; details given. Tales of executions leak out but still haven't been confirmed.
REPORTER: Ed Bradley
(Studio) Late reports reveal 90 refugees claiming Pakistani ntlity. denied permission to enter Thailand and were left at border. Associated Press quotes refugees as saying unknown number of fors., incling. at least 2 Americans, could not or would not join final exodus. Sydney Schanberg among refugees who reached Thailand's border last Saturday, but withheld stories till safety of others assured. Schanberg and 2 colleagues took photographs of Phnom Penh's conquest; "New York Times" pictures shown. Takeover, Khmer Rouge soldiers, and Cambodian people shown in pictures.
REPORTER: Walter Cronkite
(Bangkok, Thailand) [SCHANBERG - says Communists began big push Apr. 14; casualties enormous; hospitals overflow. Describes hospitals as slaughterhses.] Asked about Khmer Rouge troops. [SCHANBERG - says troops impressive; heavily armed, well disciplined. Soldiers emptied cities and towns and drove people into cntryside. Hospitals also emptied; people in operating rooms thrown out on streets and left to die. Believes Khmer Rouge have planned peasant revolution.] Questioned about reports of bloodbaths in Cambodia. [SCHANBERG - suggests Americans have stake in bloodbath theory. Personally, neither saw nor heard anything like bloodbath.] Photographs accompany interview.
REPORTER: Murray Fromson
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(Studio) 1st wire service reports come out from Saigon; depict postwar life in city. Following reports may or may not be censored. Associated Press tells of watching Saigon police official saluting South Vietnam war memorial then killing himself. 5 days later, Communist troops destroyed memorial. South Vietnam army captain tells of orders to report to indoctrination camp in 15 days; Communist official assures him there'll be no killing. Reports tell of booming commerce in Saigon and Mekong Delta, looting of American embassy and home of ambassador Graham Martin. United Press International reports growing criticism of United States evacuation.
REPORTER: Walter Cronkite
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(Studio) New Saigon government advises State Department it wants Algeria to take over South Vietnam embassy in Washington, DC and represent it there.
REPORTER: Walter Cronkite
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(Studio) Various bills to aid Vietnam refugees moving through Congress with remarkable speed. Senator passes stopgap measure allowing President Ford to use $147 million previously appropriated as military aid. In House, subcmte works on specific refugee legislature
REPORTER: Walter Cronkite
(DC) Subcommittee cuts administration's request for $507 million in refugee aid to $405 million. Meanwhile, 17-member black caucus of House accuses government of ignoring its commitments to all of American's needy. Chairperson John Conyers says Ford's acceptance of Vietnam refugees arrogant move. [Representative Yvonne BURKE - doesn't think preferred treatment should be given to Vietnam refugees when there's great need throughout cntry.] Sort of sentiment seems to run contrary to Senator's "good Samaritanism" vote; Senator William Scott alone votes against bill welcoming refugees; reasons given.
REPORTER: Roger Mudd
(Studio) Senator James Abourezk trying to set limits on aid to refugees; reasons given.
REPORTER: Walter Cronkite
(Camp Pendleton, California) Of tens of thousands of Vietnam refugees arriving in US, immigration officials concede some not welcome; these include corrupt officials, thieves, bargirls, drug dealers, etc. [Immigration service, Joseph SURECK - admit s it was nearly impossible to check out evacuees in great haste of Saigon evacuation.] To weed out undesirables, immigration officials become more and more strict; inclds. photographs, fingerprinting; refugees won't be allowed to leave camps till security checks complete. Unknown what United States will do with undesirable immigrants.
REPORTER: Terry Drinkwater
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(Studio) Whsle. prices increase 1.5% in Apr.; soaring farm prices largely to blame. Ind. price index up 0.1% for Apr.; economists believe figure is encouraging sign.
REPORTER: Walter Cronkite
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(Studio) Govt. begins mailing out tax rebate checks.
REPORTER: Walter Cronkite
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(Studio) Relations between Cuba and United States may be on road to improvement. Both sides openly and cautiously talk of better relations In connection with Senator George McGovern's visit to Cuba, Fidel Castro holds news conference
REPORTER: Walter Cronkite
(Havana, Cuba) Castro, McGovern mtgs. on eve of Organization of American States mtgs. in DC. Castro calls for limited lifting of United States trade ban against Cuba. Castro discusses CIA assassination plots against him; states Lee Harvey Oswald not acting under his influence when President Kennedy assassinated. [CASTRO - says US and Cuba neighbors and should live in peace.]
REPORTER: Ed Rabel
(Studio) McGovern says he and Castro discussed using basketball and baseball, like ping-pong diplomacy, to break ice between United States and Cuba.
REPORTER: Walter Cronkite
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(Studio) Soviet party leader Leonid Brezhnev sends message to President Ford on 30th anniversary of VE Day. Brezhnev hopes end of Vietnam war to further good relations between United States and USSR .
REPORTER: Walter Cronkite
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(Studio) 2 mos. ago, Alabama Governor George Wallace made comments to group of foreign journalists that are just now being publicized. In interview, Wallace discusses pre-WW II foreign policy. [WALLACE - believes United States built up enemies in West Europe, Germany and Japan by American decision to side with USSR and China in World War II.]
REPORTER: Walter Cronkite
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(Studio) Eric Sevareid takes look at position of Secretary of State Henry Kissinger.
REPORTER: Walter Cronkite
(DC) Speed of modern events tends to chew up reputations at dizzying rate; Kissinger feels this most acutely now. Brought to head by surrounding circumstances of Vietnam collapse; details given. Root of disenchantment began with Kissinger's wheeling and dealing among pressure groups. It wouldn't serve country if Kissinger resigned now; details given. Kissinger's reputation and United States respect in eyes of other nations would be helped if Kissinger resigned as head of National Security Council, if President listened to others on foreign policy besides Kissinger.
REPORTER: Eric Sevareid
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(Studio) Hubert Humphrey's 1970 Senate campaign manager, Jack Chestnut, found guilty of campaign financing violation; details given.
REPORTER: Walter Cronkite
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(Studio) Representative Andrew Hinshaw booked on 12 criminal charges covering time when he was Orange Cnty., California, assessor; charges detailed.
REPORTER: Walter Cronkite
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(Studio) New Jersey to have nation's 1st legal numbers game; lottery designed to compete with illegal numbers operation.
REPORTER: Walter Cronkite
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(Studio) President meets with officials of South Korea and Singapore to convince them US not turning back on allies. New Zealand's E. G. Whitlam received such assurances yesterday.
REPORTER: Walter Cronkite
(DC) [WHITLAM - says Vietnam not American's to lose; policy of foreign intervention defeated. Honor of United States and its allies never bound up with survival of Saigon regime.]
REPORTER: No reporter given
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(Studio) In Tucson, Arizona, Jarlette Burdine couldn't cure case of hiccoughs so he called ambulance; on way to hosp. ambulance collides with car; no injuries, but hiccoughs cured.
REPORTER: Walter Cronkite
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