Last Train From Berlin

[FC]

Outstanding book by reporter Howard K. Smith. He lived in Nazi Germany. I can’t praise this book enough. I Picked it up from a free book rack at VA. I’m not quite done yet, but I can give it away if one of you wants it. I’ve also been scanning my WW2 magazines from the early 70s too, if somebody wants me to email issues. My brother and I got them around 1972 from a lady when we mowed her yard.

[AzRednek]

I remember Howard K Smith doing the nightly news on ABC. I never had any idea he lived in Nazi Germany and I don’t recall him speaking with an accent. Smith had tough competition, competing against Cronkite on CBS and the Huntley Brinkley team on NBC. I don’t recall the reason Smith left, don’t know if he retired or was given the boot for low ratings. He was replaced by Max Robinson the first black guy in the highly competitive news hour on the big three networks. Robinson was good but I missed Smith.

At the time CBS and NBC jumped on the Ted Kennedy and Nelson Shield whom headed the then National Coalition to Ban Handguns band wagon. Shield’s org eventually morphed into Sarah Brady’s org. Nelson Shields real first name was Peter. I assume he adopted Nelson as the street slang back then Peter Shields was a monicker for condoms. Shields is credited with coining the phrase Saturday Night Special. 

[FC]

I remember the evil, "Saturday night specials". 

Smith was American, but spoke fluent German. He was the last American journalist to get out of Germany before war with the USA. There's a lot of insights into the mentality of the Nazis and the average German's frame of mind. 

[AzRednek]

16 hours ago, FC said:

I remember the evil, "Saturday night specials". 

Smith was American, but spoke fluent German. He was the last American journalist to get out of Germany before war with the USA. There's a lot of insights into the mentality of the Nazis and the average German's frame of mind. 

I didn’t see it but heard about it. Pretty sure it was CBS but possibly NBC. They did a special making a big deal out of the cheap handguns often sold in pawn shops. Early 70’s I imagine the cost was in the twenty dollar range. CBS also did a special if I remember right was titled Guns of Autumn. The program made deer hunters look like a bunch of blood thirsty animals. I remember the so called Saturday Night Special bill introduced by Kennedy and others. With the name the average person would assume it was related to the cheap guns often called suicide specials by gun people. By the time the legislation was written. A common S&W 38 Special revolver with a four inch or shorter barrel would have been banned. Obviously it never passed but the antis went to war against handguns. It was during that era Senator Barbra Boxer went on national TV saying. “If I only had the votes Mr and Mrs American turn them in”. If the Demoncrats are ever successful severely restricting semi auto rifles. They will come for our handguns next. If President Harris and her token side kick manage to pack the Supremes. It will only be a short time and Boxer will get her dream.

[FC]

I remember Guns of Autumn. Guys fighting over geese that got shot at by multiple men.