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News stories from Sunday April 27, 1980
Summaries of the stories the major media outlets considered to be of particular importance on this date:
- Secretary of State Vance's resignation is expected to be announced Monday, mainly because of his opposition to the rescue attempt in Iran, State Department officials said. His successor is expected to be Deputy Secretary of State Warren Christopher. Meanwhile, two administration officials warned that the United States might again resort to military force to release the hostages. Defense Secretary Harold Brown and Zbigniew Brzezinski, the President's national security adviser, suggested that allied cooperation on sanctions was necessary to avoid a turn to what Mr. Brown called additional "extreme actions." [New York Times]
- Iranian officials displayed the bodies of the American servicemen killed in the unsuccessful rescue attempt. The bodies were brought to the American Embassy compound in Teheran in an Iranian military plane from the desert area where the men were killed and shown to reporters. The Iranians insisted they had the remains of nine bodies, though Washington officials said that eight men had died. An Iranian official said that he had seen the remains of more bodies -- perhaps 20 -- at the site where two American aircraft collided. [New York Times]
- Four of the surviving servicemen who took part in the unsuccessful attempt to rescue the hostages in Iran were being treated for burns in the tranquil setting of Brooke Army Medical Center near San Antonio. Another serviceman was taken to Wilford Hall Air Force Medical Center at nearby Lackland Air Force Base for treatment of a leg injury. All were expected to recover, an Army physician said. [New York Times]
- Guerrillas in Bogota released their remaining 18 hostages at the Dominican Republic Embassy, which they seized on Feb. 27. A Cuban commercial airliner arrived in accordance with the release agreement and took 12 of the hostages, including the United States Ambassador to Colombia, Diego Ascencio, and the guerrillas to Havana. The terrorists apparently left with several suitcases full of money.
The hostages from Bogota hugged their former captors in an emotional farewell when they arrived in Havana. There were 16 guerrillas -- 10 men and six women -- and most still wore masks. The first guerrilla to alight was "Commandante Uno,"who made a victory sign. [New York Times]
- A record number of distress calls from Cuban refugee boats were received by the Coast Guard as a storm swept across the Straits of Florida. At least four sinkings were confirmed. There were no known deaths, but there were reports that a boat with 200 persons aboard might have sunk after leaving the Cuban port of Mariel.
Concern over Cuban refugees is mounting in Miami, where officials fear that city services might be overwhelmed with a new influx in the next few days as the weather clears in the Straits of Florida. About 2,800 Cubans have arrived in the city since Prime Minister Fidel Castro announced that Cubans were free to leave their country, but Miami officials estimate that the the number of refugees might rise to 250,000. They said that Washington had offered little hope of assistance. More than 500,000 Cubans have come to the Miami area since the Castro revolution. [New York Times]
- Six prison employees were seized by 35 apparently unarmed inmates at the Indiana State Prison in Michigan City, and three were later released. A group of 200 other inmates barricaded themselves inside another section of the prison but were holding no hostages, the officials said. [New York Times]
- Cities are being closed out of the bond market as traditionally low interest rates on municipal bonds have reached record highs in recent weeks, often far above the rates that cities may pay under state laws. As a result, some cities are unable or are having difficulties in borrowing for capital outlays, and it is expected that it will be long time before they can go back to the bond market. [New York Times]
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