Five Decades of Fear & Loathing: Volume I (1971-1981)

[Herbert Garrison.]

Thursday, December 1st, 1977: The Lockheed's top-secret stealth aircraft project, designated Have Blue, precursor to the U.S. F-117A Nighthawk, makes its first flight.
Saturday, December 3rd, 1977: Bowing to pressure from Sheik Abd Ibin Baaz and other clerics, King Khalid signs the death warrants for fifteen of the thirty men on the Sheik's list of "irredeemables." Fourteen of the men are beheaded over the next week. One, Prince Abdel bin-Turki, whose crime was to marry a Swedish actress, manages to escape and flees into exile in the United States.
Sunday, December 4th, 1977: Malaysia Airlines Flight 653 is hijacked and crashes in Tanjung Kupang, Johor, Malaysia, killing all 100 passengers and crew on board.

President Ersin of Turkey reaches an agreement with U.S. Secretary of State William Scranton to resume Turkish participation in NATO.
Tuesday, December 6th, 1977: Prince Bandar bin Abdul-Aziz Al Saud, who is under house arrest, writes a tract which blames the oil and the wealth it produces for Saudi Arabia's social ills and "un-Islamic corruption." His tract calls the oil "Satan's Alcohol" and essentially demands that all of the oil wells and production facilities be destroyed. The tract is subsequently smuggled out and becomes part of Sheik abd ibn Baaz's sermons.
Wednesday, December 7th, 1977: President Maamum al-Kuzbari of Syria declares the Turkish incursion into Syria to be an act of war and he calls on the allied coalition to defend Syria. The Turkish have established a security zone around the northern borders, comprising roughly of about a third of Syrian territory. The remaining two thirds are under Iraqi or Allied coalition control.
Thursday, December 8th, 1977: The Christian Democrats try to bring a vote of censure against Italian Prime Minister Berlinguer’s government on the grounds that they have violated Italian law by hosting the convicted Ayatollah Khomeini on Italian soil. The Christian Democrats imply that the Communist Berlinguer used Khomeini to destabilize the Shah’s regime, in furtherance of a plot by the Soviet Union to destabilize Iran and install a communist government on the Persian Gulf.

In his defense, Prime Minister Berlinguer points out that it was the previous Christian Democrat government which let Khomeini into the country in the first place. He denies any involvement in a conspiracy, as – the Prime Minister emphasizes – the Iranian cleric is himself an anti-communist of the most conservative kind. The Communist government in the end beats back the effort to censure them.

This consolidates the Berlinguer government’s hold on power, at least in the short term, as his opponents look opportunistic in their charges. Berlinguer has also had some success in reviving the Italian economy through mixed market and state initiatives, which the previous Christian Democrat government did not do, and as such his popularity increases. He is also widely regarded as a “Mr. Clean” in the less than clean business of Italian politics.

The failure to use the Khomeini trial to dislodge the Communist government sets the P-2 conspirators to work in developing other solutions for removing the left-wing government.
Saturday, December 10th, 1977: France agrees to provide military support and troops to help defeat the Angolan troops in Shaba province in Zaire, in return for a commitment by Mobutu to evacuate the remainder of the CAR. With much of the former Katanga region under rebel control, Zaire’s President has no choice but to acquiesce to France’s demands. The Zairian withdrawal from the Central African Republic leaves their northern neighboring state ungoverned and destroyed, but results in the normalization of relations between Zaire and France, which has short term benefits for the security and economic situation in the large Central African nation.
Sunday, December 11th, 1977: Former Senator John Tunney (D-CA) announces he will run for Governor against Barry Goldwater Jr. in 1978. Tunney, who did not seek reelection in 1976, has been eying a return to politics since leaving the Senate, where he felt he was less effective as a legislator. Polls show Tunney enjoying a solid eight-point lead over the polarizing Governor Goldwater.
Monday, December 12th, 1977: White House Press Secretary Lynn Nofzinger announces that the President will undertake a tour of several critical non-aligned nations towards the end of the month, with visits to Egypt, India, Turkey, and Yugoslavia scheduled to take place.
Tuesday, December 13th, 1977: A DC-3 charter plane carrying the University of Evansville basketball team to Nashville, Tenn., crashes in rain and dense fog about 90 seconds after takeoff from Evansville Dress Regional Airport. 29 people die in the crash, including 14 members of the team and head coach Bob Watson.
Wednesday, December 14th, 1977: The United States vetoes an attempt by the United Nations Security Council to pass a resolution condemning Morocco for its military action against the Polisario Front in Western Sahara.
Friday, December 16th, 1977: Sheik Abd Ibn Baaz calls for the execution of the other fifteen men on his list of "the corrupt." Most have fled the country, and Sheik Adb uses their departure - which was allowed by the Royal Authorities - to demonstrate that the Royal government has contempt for Islam.
Sunday, December 18th, 1977: Zairian forces withdrawal completely from the Central African Republic, which is largely under control of the CAIF and French forces in the wake of the war. François Bozizé, leader of the resistance during the war, is installed as the new leader of the Central African state.
Monday, December 19th, 1977: Secretary of State Scranton travels to Turkey ahead of a planned presidential visit to negotiate the Turkish withdrawal from northern Syria. President Ersin and the Secretary are unable to reach an agreement over the withdrawal of Turkish forces from the country, which Ersin insists is necessary for the stability and security of his country.
Wednesday, December 21st, 1977: South Vietnamese and Latin American mercenaries in the employ of the Rhodesian Defense Forces raid the village of Nakoma in Northeastern Botswana causing an international sensation when they kill a number of innocent villagers as well as ZPLF guerilla fighters.
Friday, December 23rd, 1977: Elvis Presley stages a Christmas concert and "prayer-in" for American troops in Syria. The concert takes place at Fort Gavin outside of Damascus. After the concert, Elvis announces that he will study scripture in the Holy Land.
Monday, December 26th, 1977: President Reagan departs Washington for Egypt, flying with top aides and the First Lady to Cairo onboard Air Force One for the first leg of Reagan’s planned international tour.
Tuesday, December 27th, 1977: A General Strike is declared across Iran in solidarity with the oil workers. The General Strike, which allows the activities of the ECNS to continue, otherwise all but shuts down the Shah’s government and puts an effective halt on the economy of Iran.

In a one-on-one meeting with President Sadat, President Reagan attempts to dissuade Sadat from forming a stronger alliance with the Iraqi regime of al-Bakari and Saddam Hussein, warning that such ties would damage the warming relations with Israel. Reagan also privately agrees to back up the Egyptian governments military support for the Syrian government of President al-Kuzbari, if the Egyptians agreed to keep their military mission in Syria away from the Golan Heights region, a demand Sadat counters that he can’t guarantee can be met.

Reagan also meets with King Hussein of Jordan, the Shah of Iran, and Crown Prince Abdullah of Saudi Arabia. Originally the President had planned to visit Iran and Saudi Arabia as a part of his trip, but it was decided to have the Iranian and Saudi leaders meet him in Egypt because the Secret Service objected to the level of instability in Iran and Saudi Arabia.
Wednesday, December 28th, 1977: President Reagan arrives in Belgrade, Yugoslavia, where an ageing Marshall Tito greets him alongside Premier Dzemal Bijedi on the tarmac. Reagan and Tito than sojourn for a private discussion about improving relations between the global Non-Aligned Movement and the United States, before attending a lavish state banquet together.
Thursday, December 29th, 1977: Traveling from Belgrade to Ankara, President Reagan meets with Turkish President Ersin, where Reagan is able to lure the Turkish back into NATO as Ersin’s military regime begins to rollback the authoritarian nationalist policies of the Turkes government.
Friday, December 30th, 1977: President Reagan makes a state visit to India. He fails to persuade Prime Minister Desai to ease back on his policy of local partnerships, though his dangling of the possibility of a trade treaty with the Indians alarms their traditional Soviet associates.

[username5243]

Farewell 1977, hello 1978...

I have the distinct feeling, however, that 1977 was very much a "breather" year compared to what is to come...

[Herbert Garrison.]

Farewell 1977, hello 1978...

I have the distinct feeling, however, that 1977 was very much a "breather" year compared to what is to come...

You are definitely on to something. 1977 was relatively boring compared to 1978, 1979, and 1980. I'm currently up to September 1980. Thanks for reading!

[Herbert Garrison.]

Credit to KingSweden24 of AH.com for writing the timeline Bicentennial Man, which inspired events in this particular chapter.
Sunday, January 1st, 1978: Returning from a whirlwind tour on New Years Day, President Reagan’s allies hail the administrations successful efforts to restore NATO to its pre-1973 position, while critics warn that his more aggressive approach to the Soviets endangers world peace.

Former Congressman Pete McCloskey (R-CA) announces he will challenge Barry Goldwater Jr. in 1978 as an independent candidate in the upcoming gubernatorial election.
Monday, January 2nd, 1978: Chinese state media issue a one sentence statement announcing the “resignation” of Jiang Qiang as Chairwoman of the People’s Republic of China; the position remains vacant for the time being as speculation mounts in the west about the fate of “Madame Mao.” Most China-watchers believe Mao Zedong’s widow has been the victim of the latest of the younger Mao Yuanxin’s purges. The position of Chairman of the Presidium is not filled immediately, and remains vacant for the next two years.

In an alarming event that shocks and horrifies California, Charles Manson escapes Folsom prison with the help of two unknown female followers. A nationwide manhunt for Manson commences as the nation’s most notorious cult leader remains at-large, with the FBI putting him at the top of their most wanted list.
Wednesday, January 4th, 1978: The IMF reports that the nationalist rule of Prime Minister Turkes has ruined the economy of Turkey, as has the on-going low intensity civil war with the Grey Wolves and the PKK. The IMF predicts it will take years for a Turkish government to rebuild the damage, especially with high oil prices.
Friday, January 6th, 1978: Riots break out in Saudi Arabia amidst anti-regime demonstrations. Anti-regime protestors are agitated by the fact that Crown Prince Abdullah met with President Reagan in Egypt.
Sunday, January 8th, 1978: President Reagan, in an appearance on NBC’s Meet the Press, is questioned over the ongoing diplomatic dispute over the Crown of St. Stephen, which the communist government of Hungary claims has been stolen by the United States after WWII. President Reagan roundly rejects any proposal to hand over the crown to Hungary so long as the nation remains a one-party Soviet puppet state.

Paddy Donnegan, then Taoiseach of Ireland, called for a British declaration of intent to withdraw from Northern Ireland. The statement was supported by many in the nationalist community in Northern Ireland.

ZPLF guerillas kill fourteen white Rhodesian farmers in a cross-border raid into Rhodesia.

Syria begins to mobilize a self-defense force which is a heavily armed police force for border defense and internal security.

Prince Nouf, a grandson of King Ibn Saud, founder of Saudi Arabia, appears in Beirut as the personal emissary from Sheik Abd bin Baaz to the PJO.
Tuesday, January 10th, 1978: Laos Nationalist forces backed by the North Vietnamese Army fight a three-day battle near Muang Son in northeastern Laos. Casualty rates are estimated at over twenty thousand on the nationalist side. Chinese and Pathet Red forces also suffer extremely high casualties.

Pedro Joaquín Chamorro Cardenal, a critic of the Nicaraguan government, is assassinated. Riots erupt against Somoza's government, tipping the country into full scale civil war. 50,000 turned out for his funeral, with most assuming that Somoza had ordered his assassination (evidence implicated Somoza's son and other members of the National Guard). A nationwide strike, including labor and private businesses, commenced in protest, demanding an end to the dictatorship. At the same time, the Sandinistas step up their guerilla campaign in the country, launching a Cuban backed armed insurgency.
Wednesday, January 11th, 1978: The Israeli government votes to strengthen the defenses of settlements in the occupied Sinai, a direct provocation aimed at testing Sadat’s commitment to peace talks.
Thursday, January 12th, 1978: President Reagan telephones the Shah to persuade him that it is time to step down and allow a “cooling-off” in Iran. The Shah begins to understand that he is cornered, but still refuses to stand down in favor of his son and heir, much to Reagan’s frustration.
Friday, January 13th, 1978: Senator and former Vice President Hubert Humphrey (D-MN) dies at the age of 66 from bladder cancer at his home in Waverly, Minnesota. His body is transported that night from Minnesota to Washington, where he lies in state at the United States Capital building. Governor Wendall Anderson vows to name a replacement to Senator Humphrey’s vacant seat in the coming days.
Sunday, January 15th, 1978: Super Bowl XII is held at the John McKeithen Memorial Superdome in New Orleans, Louisiana, with the Dallas Cowboys winning 27-10 over the Denver Broncos. The broadcast of the game is interrupted by breaking news out of Panama…

Walter Cronkite

Sunday, January 15th, 1978.

CBS Studios.

9:01 PM, New York, NY.

[1]

[2]

ANNOUNCER: We are interrupting Super Bowl XII with breaking news…we go now to CBS studios in New York to Walter Cronkite…

WALTER CRONKITE: This is a CBS special report…we are interrupting our broadcast of Super Bowl XII to bring you news of disturbing developments coming out of Panama, where the country’s self-described “Maximum Leader” Omar Torrijos has just announced that his regime is annexing the Panama Canal zone…there are already reports coming in at this hour that indicate that a massive Panamanian attack on the Canal Zone is indeed underway….I repeat that, the Panamanian military has launched a massive surprise attack against the American controlled Canal Zone. We go live now to our correspondent in Panama City….

Ronald Reagan

Sunday, January 15th, 1978.

The White House.

11:15 PM, Washington, D.C.

[3]

Good evening. I am coming onto the air tonight to inform the American people of recent developments that have transpired in Panama Canal; this morning, in a surprise attack, the Panamanian National Guard under the direct orders and command of the so called “Maximum Leader” Omar Torrijos moved against the Panama Canal Zone with brute force. They were able to successfully seize control of American military installations as well as critical infrastructure within a matter of hours, despite the heroic and fierce resistance of our forces on the ground, who bravely held off the onslaught for hours despite sustaining a great many casualties in the midst of the chaos.

At this hour, most of the Canal Zone is now in the hands of enemy forces. We believe that the Panamanian attack was supplemented by foreign mercenaries, most likely Colombian communist rebels, and potentially other foreign irregular forces as well. This cowardly and unspeakable attack on the Canal Zone is a direct attack on the United States. Make no mistake about it. And no attack against the American homeland will ever be allowed to stand. We will defend our treaty-held territory and assets overseas with great vigor, and no red pest shall ever be allowed to bully, intimidate, or attack America without facing the overwhelming fire and fury of our armed forces. We will always act swiftly and strongly when the peace of our hemisphere is threatened by forces of tyranny.

I have instructed the Secretary of Defense to prepare for a military retaliation against the Panamanian regime and any other foreign actors involved in the illegal and unjustified annexation of the Canal Zone. I am giving General Torrijos an ultimatum – withdraw all forces from the Canal Zone immediately and leave the country within 48 hours. To not do so will result in the United States initiating military operations against the occupiers at a time of our choosing. Tomorrow I shall go before a joint session of Congress and ask for the authorization needed to initiate a proper response to this illegal and unjustifiable act of aggression. Not since Pearl Harbor has the homeland come under so grave a threat; but just as we did nearly forty years ago, we as Americans will rise to the challenge together, with grit, determination, and unrelenting resolve.

My message to the “Maximum Leader” tonight is simple; we are not going to listen to any of your twisted lectures on his history. The fact is that the Panama Canal Zone is an internationally recognized overseas territory of the United States. The Panama Canal is ours. We built it. We own it. And by God, we’re keeping it. May God Bless America and may God Bless our armed forces.
Monday, January 16th, 1978: Day two of “Operation Balboa” - the Panamanian onslaught on the Panama Canal Zone - continues; President Reagan requests the United States Congress authorize military force to retake the Canal Zone from the Panamanian occupiers. The President also publicly accuses Cuban troops and FARC rebels from Colombia of dawning Panamanian uniforms and participating in the attack. Immediately after Reagan addresses the joint-session of Congress to request this authorization, Fidel Castro takes to the airwaves in Havanna, addressing a large pro-Torrijos rally in which he accuses the United States of preparing to invade Cuba. Castro then controversially orders troops to encircle the American base at Guantanamo Bay, sparking concerns that the conflict in Panama could grow out of hand.

UN Ambassador Jeanne Shaheen protests the Panamanian actions before the UN Security Council, but the Soviet Union vetoed a resolution demanding the immediate return of the Canal Zone to the United States.

The ECNS confronts the Shah with an ultimatum indicating that he should appoint the ECNS as an interim government and that he should abdicate in favor of his son Reza, who will become the new Shah in name, with real political authority passing to the ECNS. The Shah resists this, but quickly finds that he has little support.

President Reagan delivers a speech to a joint session of Congress on the night of his planned State of the Union address, imploring members of the House and Senate to adopt the resolution authorizing him to conduct military force against the Panamanians to retake the Canal Zone.
Wednesday, January 18th, 1978: The House of Representatives votes 429-3 to adopt the Panama War Resolution, authorizing military force to retake the Canal Zone. Three Representatives did not vote, while the three lone dissenters are Congresswoman Shirley Chisholm (D-NY), Congressman Ron Dellums (D-CA), and Congressman Ron Paul (R-TX). Paul’s vote in particular effectively ends his career in Congress, having only been elected narrowly on the Reagan coattails in 1976. The motion similarly is approved by the Senate, which votes 97-3 in favor of adopting the resolution. The three dissenters in the Senate are Senators Jerry Brown (D-CA), Ramsey Clark (D-NY), and Mike Gravel (D-AK).

Immediately after the authorization is passed by Congress, President Reagan meets with Secretary of Defense Rumsfeld to weigh a military response. Two task forces (named appropriately “Roosevelt” and “Hay” after Teddy Roosevelt and John Hay) on each side of the Isthmus are deployed towards Panama, with the USS Enterprise immediately moving east across the Pacific to reach the shores of Panama City while the USS Forrestal setting course for Panama in the Atlantic. The planned military attack involves American planes gaining air superiority in the skies, before dropping paratroopers in to retake the occupied American military bases and rescue the hundreds taken as prisoners-of-war by the Panamanians. From there, the operational plan is to seize Colon and Panama City and subdue the Torrijos loyalist forces remaining after the aerial bombardment.

Meanwhile, Secretary of State Scranton travels to Costa Rica to call for the immediate release of all American prisoners in Panama, as increased scrutiny of the Reagan administration’s lack of advanced knowledge of the planned Panamanian attack grows. There are some calls for Secretary of State Scranton and Secretary of National Intelligence William Casey to resign. The Torrjos regime refuses to release any American POWs until the United States recognizes the annexation of the Panama Canal.

The European Court of Human Rights made its ruling on the case of alleged ill-treatment of internees during 1971. The case had been initially referred to the European Commission by the Irish government on 10 March 1976. On 2 September 1976 the European Commission on Human Rights decided that Britain had to answer a case of ill-treatment of internees and referred the matter to the European Court of Human Rights. The Commission found that the interrogation techniques did involve a breach of the Convention on Human Rights because they not only involved inhuman and degrading treatment but also torture. The European Court of Human Rights, however, decided that the Commission was wrong to use the word 'torture' but did agree that the internees had been subjected to 'inhuman and degrading treatment'.
Thursday, January 19th, 1978: The 101st Airborne’s famous “Hot Company” is deployed to Guantanamo Bay as a deterrent to Cuban forces that had encircled the base. Their presence is not meant to be permanent and within a matter of days will be deployed to Panama.

Actor Ed Asner announces he will run for Governor of California in 1978 as a progressive Democratic candidate, setting him on a collision course with the more moderate former Senator John Tunney.
Friday, January 20th, 1978: The first American airstrikes against Panamanian forces are launched; American jets quickly seize control of the skies, cratering runways and bombarding Panamanian National Guard installations across the country. They inflict hundreds of casualties on enemy forces on the first day of what is being called “Operation Big Stick.” Special Forces are also airdropped into the isthmus to begin reconnaissance missions and to harass and destroy enemy infrastructure. As the aerial attack continues, General Torrijos accuses the United States of killing civilians and threatens to blow up the locks of the Panama Canal in response, a move that could close the canal for months or even years and cause international economic havoc.

Officers and troops under Colonel Azhari’s control shoot their way into the headquarters of SAVAK in Tehran and arrested many of the operatives and officials they found there. The National Officer’s Patriotic Group gains physical control over SAVAK’s records and archives.
Saturday, January 21st, 1978: American troops begin arriving in neighboring Colombia and Costa Rica, where the pro-Washington regimes there are strongarmed into hosting American troops in preparation for a major push into Panama. In Colombia, the American arrivals are immediately under attack from FARC rebels, who harass American and Colombian air bases in the country in solidarity with the Panamanian government.
Sunday, January 22nd, 1978: Secretary of Defense Rumsfeld travels to Guantanamo Bay, where he warns Cuba that the United States will not “in any way, shape, or form” tolerate Cuban intervention in the Panama crisis. With their forces tied down in Angola, Mozambique, and Somalia, the Cubans have little in the way of “volunteers” to spare for Panama, which is an ironic inverse of America’s overstretched armed forces.

In an appearance on NBC’s Meet the Press to defend his vote against the Panama resolution, Congressman Ron Paul (R-TX) warns that America’s armed forces are stretched too thin between Southeast Asia, Syria, and now the Panama Canal. Paul calls on President Reagan to withdraw all American troops back to the hemisphere and embrace an “America First” foreign policy. Paul’s criticism of the war and the Reagan administration earn him many enemies in the Texas Republican Party, but also win him acclaim within the growing Libertarian Party.
Monday, January 23rd, 1978: American planes have gained complete air superiority over Panama, continuing strikes against Panamanian anti-aircraft installations and other military infrastructure. The USS Enterprise meanwhile reaches the western shores of the Panamanian isthmus, setting up a naval ring around the country. From the aircraft carrier, air raids are conducted against defensive infrastructure being erected around Panama City. Meanwhile, the USS Forrestal led task force sails ever closer to Colon.

The Emergency Council for National Salvation forms a new government in Iran with ex-Admiral Mahdani as Prime Minister and Shapour Baktiar as Minister of Finance. Mehdi Bazargan, as Minister of Justice, will oversee a “truth commission” inquiry into the excesses of the Shah’s secret police. Another of the new government’s first acts is to repeal the Shah’s order banning all political parties. The Shah’s political party, Rezak, is declared disbanded.
Tuesday, January 24th, 1978: In reprisal for the January 8th ZPLF raid, the Rhodesian Air Force bombs a ZPLF camp and related refugee center in Southern Zambia. President Kenneth Kuanda calls Prime Minister Bursey’s decision to bomb the camp within Zambia’s sovereign borders as an act of war and threatens to intervene militarily on behalf of the ZPLF in response.

The Shah of Iran abdicates in favor of his son Reza, who becomes a figurehead leader. The former Shah goes into exile in Switzerland, with Admiral Mahdani taking over as Prime Minister with his new Deputy, Nader Jahanbani, a senior officer in the Iranian Air Force.
Wednesday, January 25th, 1978: Governor Wendell Anderson (D-MN) appoints Hubert Humphrey’s widow Muriel Humphrey, the former Second Lady of the United States, to her late husband’s seat in the Senate. She will serve until a special election can be held in November 1978 to fill the position for the remaining four years of the term. Senator Muriel Humphrey (D-MN) does not indicate whether or not she will run for a full term in her own right.
Thursday, January 26th, 1978: Bowing to pressure from Sheik Abd bin Baaz and his followers, the Saudi authorities release popular anti-regime firebrand Juhayman al-Otaibi.

The USS Constellation battle group encounters an old cargo ship being pursued by two People's Liberation Navy ships in the Pacific, four hundred miles northwest of Hainan Island. The U.S. carrier task force chases off the PLN ships and then boards the leaky freighter.

On board the U.S. Navy finds approximately 120 refugees near starvation (and 70 corpses). The survivors were taken to a refugee center on Taiwan. The survivors tell tales of horrible dislocations and crackdowns by the PRC authorities. This particular group of refugees had been part of a fishing collective on Hainan which had risen against the PRC government and been subjected to a brutal crackdown as a result. According to the refugees over 10,000 people were killed or put to death by the PLA forces sent in to restore order. At least 100 people considered to be ring leaders were crucified by the PLA as an example to others. The rising had come as a result of a protest over a meagre rice ration and the fact that the local fishermen were not permitted to keep any of their catch to feed themselves and their families with.

The 190 refugees had commandeered an old cargo ship in a local dry dock to escape. U.S. authorities estimate it would have sunk had the Constellation group not come across it.
Friday, January 27th, 1978: American forces continue to flow into Costa Rica and Colombia as Secretary of Defense Rumsfeld warns that the United States might be forced to call up National Guard units as part of the second phase of Operation Big Stick.
[1] Still from a YouTube video.
[2] Still from a YouTube video.
[3] Still from a YouTube video.

[hurricanehink]

I like the changes in this TL - having Reagan win in 1976 and adding to the military chaos around the world - Panama, Syria, Asia. Looking forward to seeing how it evolves. Keep up the good work!

[username5243]

Called it!

(Although, I see you too have been reading BCM. Can also highly recommend.)

It also thematically makes sense - this sort of thing was probably more likely when the US at least in part "won" in Vietnam, and this seems like the sort of foreign policy cluster that was quite common in the original story. Things might get even more of a mess coming up if you keep the upcoming Middle East chaos similar to the original.

[KaiserDave]

Horrified and scared as to what P-2 is going to do in Italy.

[Herbert Garrison.]

Update inbound!

Called it!

(Although, I see you too have been reading BCM. Can also highly recommend.)

It also thematically makes sense - this sort of thing was probably more likely when the US at least in part "won" in Vietnam, and this seems like the sort of foreign policy cluster that was quite common in the original story. Things might get even more of a mess coming up if you keep the upcoming Middle East chaos similar to the original.

The Middle East will (mostly) go similar to the original work, though events in Panama will make the American invasions of Arabia and later China in 1979 and 1980 in the original timeline impossible. The original author didn't have a war in Panama, so the US was able to make those kind of troop commitments, but that won't happen here. As a result, China does not balkanize.

[Herbert Garrison.]

Saturday, January 28th, 1978: Concerned by the new Indian government’s westward drift, Soviet Deputy Premier Grigory Romanov leads a delegation of Soviet officials on a three-day tour of India. The talks and negotiations that take place over the course of the weekend end with the Soviets and Indians agreeing to retain numerous existing treaties as well as implement further trade and loan agreements.
Sunday, January 29th, 1978: A bomb explodes at King Abdulaziz University in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia. This is apparently the result of a technical failure in a home-made bomb factory being operated by some engineering and chemistry students without the knowledge of the faculty. As the Saudi authorities begin an investigation into the cell, it becomes apparent that one of the survivors – a 20-year-old student named Osama Bin Laden – was likely the ringleader of the group. A manhunt begins for the young student, who flees to neighboring South Yemen undetected for the time being.
Monday, January 30th, 1978: President Reagan again issues a final ultimatum to Omar Torrijos: leave Panama or face military invasion. At a rally in Panama City, Torrijos refuses to pull back troops and flee the country, instead announcing a state of emergency as an American invasion looms hours away.
Tuesday, January 31st, 1978: Operation Big Stick commences. American paratroopers land near the town of Gatun, taking Panamanian defenders near the locks by surprise before moving on to attack the occupied Fort Davis, where several POWs are rescued. From Fort Davis, the Americans establish a beachhead for more paratroopers to arrive while others land on the swampy beaches north of Colon amphibiously, with both forces moving from the east and west in a pincer attack against the already beleaguered Panamanian troops still remaining in the city. American troops reach the city center after hours of fighting against National Guard and Popular Militia forces under the command of Manual Noriega, Omar Torrijos’s most trusted deputy in the Panamanian military.

Meanwhile, on the other side of the isthmus, American troops land in three points along the Pacific coast of Panama. The largest amphibious landing takes place near the town of Veracruz, with American forces overrunning the weak defenses and establishing a beachhead on the west coast before moving onwards to Fort Kobbe, which is similarly overrun and recaptured.

Arthur Burns steps down as Chairman of the Federal Reserve Board after eight years in the position. President Reagan nominates Paul Volcker, the President of the Federal Reserve Bank of New York, to succeed him.
Wednesday, February 1st, 1978: Huele a Quemado (“smells like burning”), the destruction of the locks of the Panama Canal, takes place as American forces push north from Fort Kobbe as part of an effort to attack Fort Clayton and the Miraflores locks. Panamanian troops, using large amounts of dynamite imported quietly from the Eastern Bloc (predominately East Germany and Bulgaria), destroy the locks that control the flow of water through the canal. Within hours, Lake Gatun’s draft is down by several feet as water flows in the wrong direction outside of the canal.

The destruction of the Panama Canal’s locks effectively renders the canal useless for travel, and will take months – if not years – to repair. The shuttering of the canal sends stocks plummeting as concerns about yet another oil shock spread like wildfire on Wall Street. There are also ecological consequences of the large volumes of freshwater flowing into the Atlantic and Pacific Oceans, including dead fish washing ashore by the thousands.
Thursday, February 2nd, 1978: American forces manage to pacify Colon after days of low intensity resistance from the popular militias that Torrijos had formed in anticipation of a war with the United States. Forces stationed in neighboring Colombia meanwhile secure the border roads going into Panama before pushing into Darien province, where they find fierce resistance from Panamanian troops under Torrijos direct command who had fled into the jungles and are practicing guerilla warfare. The tropical combat scenes remind many American viewers of the scenes they had witnessed in Vietnam; indeed, many of the soldiers taking part in Operation Big Stick had previously been deployed to South Vietnam.

After recapturing the badly damaged locks at Miraflores, the American army begins preparations for a thrust into Panama City, where Omar Torrijos is believed to still be located and personally directing the Panamanian resistance to the American invasion. American troops stationed in Costa Rica meanwhile push into the city of David with minimal resistance, though General Noriega’s forces are regrouping in the jungles of the surrounding area in preparation of a guerilla campaign against the American occupation force.

Wall Street suffers its worst day since 1929, with the Dow down 13%. The stock market will lose nearly 20% of its collective value by Friday as the reality that the Panama Canal – one of the most critical trade arteries in the world – will be shut down indefinitely while costly and time-consuming repairs are made to the badly damaged locks. Economic forecasts look increasingly grim as the “Panama Shock” ripples across the world.
Friday, February 3rd, 1978: American forces begin a push into Panama City as Torrijos reportedly flees the capital he had once vowed to die in. There is fierce resistance to the American attack from local militias, FARC rebels still active in the capital, and the remaining Panamanian National Guard forces. The highest American casualties are sustained near the districts of Balboa and San Felipe, while the American force moving from Colon southwards down the canals are able to retake San Juan in central Panama, opening the route for an attack on Panama City from the north.

A nail bomb kills fourteen Catholic schoolgirls aged 9 – 12 and injures twenty-six others outside of the St. Hilda’s Catholic School for Girls in Belfast. The bomb had been planted by loyalists; however, the murders of the schoolgirls were widely condemned by the broader loyalist community.
Saturday, February 4th, 1978: The battle of Panama City continues on a near street-to-street basis. American casualties are at 432 at this point, with over four thousand injuries sustained in combat across the isthmus.

Enraged by the American intervention in Panama, tens of thousands of pro-Sandinista demonstrators take to the street in Managua, calling on President Somoza to resign. The Somoza family and their allies in the military crackdown on the protests.
Sunday, February 5th, 1978: Cuban forces pull back from Guantanamo Bay, ending a tense situation that once threatened to drag Cuba into the Panama conflict. Fidel Castro continues to express his solidarity with the Panamanian cause as Omar Torrijos wages a guerilla insurgency against American forces.

Israeli jets bomb a Syrian National police force encampment near the Golan Heights.

Colonel Jan Breytenbach of the South African Special Forces is sent to Nicaragua to act as an advisor to the Somoza regime.
Monday, February 6th, 1978: After refusing to flee Panama City alongside Torrijos, Panama’s figurehead President Demetrio Lakas surrenders to American forces who have seized the presidential palace. Torrijos denounces his former puppet President as a “traitor” and encourages the masses to take vengeance on him.

Burmese dictator, General Ne Win, travels to Peking as the first official foreign guest of Mao Yuanxin to visit China since the death of elder Mao in September of 1976. Noticeably absent from the meetings with the Burmese delegation are Mao Yuanxin himself, instead choosing to be represented by Premier Wang Hongwen. Mao’s widow Jiang Qiang, who was until recently China’s nominal head of state, is also not seen during the duration of the visit.

Captain John McCain announces he will run as a Republican candidate for Senate in Virginia after Senator William Scott (R-VA) confirms he will not stand for reelection in 1978. McCain is parachuted into the race by the Republican establishment, who use his war-hero star power to propel him to political stardom.
Tuesday, February 7th, 1978: With Panama City under American control (despite small pockets of resistance from urban guerilla units), Secretary of Defense Donald Rumsfeld arrives in the warzone for the first time to inspect the damage to the Panama Canal Zone in person.
Wednesday, February 8th, 1978: President Mitterrand of France makes a state visit to India. While in India he discusses ideas of mixed economic development with Prime Minister Desai and other Indian leaders. Mitterrand is also looking for new trade opportunities in the sub-Continent.
Thursday, February 9th, 1978: Rhodesian special forces aided by international "specialists" and South Vietnamese mercenaries conduct a series of raids into Zambia and Botswana to attack ZPLF camps and staging points, as well as logistical support networks. In the process they attack Zambian and Botswanan police and military posts. This has the effect of not only infuriating the Zambian and Botswanan governments, but also of contributing to political instability in both countries.
Friday, February 10th, 1978: Singapore hosts the first ever meeting between South Vietnamese Foreign Minister Tran Que (supposedly on a state visit to Singapore to promote trade) and Le Douc Tho of the North Vietnam Politburo (there secretly). The meeting is to discuss Chinese incursions, through the Pathet Red, into Laos and to develop a common policy in the interest of both halves of Vietnam.
Saturday, February 11th, 1978: The PLO and the Phalange conclude an informal treaty carving-up Beirut along sectarian lines. This agreement - the so called "Treaty of the Green Line" ushers in an uneasy truce between the two groups in central Lebanon. The Lebanese state is not consulted in this and has increasingly become marginalized.

Juhayman al-Otaibi and Sheik Adb ibn Baaz lead another massive demonstration in Saudi Arabia. They are confronted by the National Guard, who in turn are confronted by units of the regular army and the Mutaween in a situation which evolves into a stand-off, and then brief violence before the National Guard backs-off.
Sunday, February 12th, 1978: President Reagan announces at a White House press conference that the Panama Canal Zone has been resecured and the Panamanian National Guard scattered. American troops in Darien province face fierce opposition from the last remanent of Panama’s army, believed to be under the command of Torrijos, who remains at large.
Monday, February 13th, 1978: With the support of Senator John Grady (R-FL), archconservative former Governor Claude Kirk announces he will again run for Governor of Florida in 1978. Kirk had served as Governor of Florida from 1967 through 1971, having won the 1966 election but subsequently defeated for reelection in 1970 and again in 1974.
Wednesday, February 15th, 1978: US Customs and FBI agents arrest three men of Middle East origin, two Palestinians and one Lebanese, who were attempting to smuggle arms and ammunition into the United States through the port of Baltimore.
Thursday, February 16th, 1978: Major Oliver North of the Marine Corps, working on detached duty with the CIA, arrives in Nicaragua with other Special Forces operatives with the mission to train and advise the Nicaraguan National Guard and to conduct counter-insurgency operations against the FSLN.
Friday, February 17th, 1978: The Washington Post reports on the rising profile of Senator Jerry Litton (D-MO) in Washington, with the headline speculating that the Missouri Senator might make a dark horse candidacy in the Democratic presidential primaries.

Twelve people, all Protestant civilians, were killed and 23 badly injured when an incendiary bomb exploded at the restaurant of the La Mon House Hotel, Gransha, near Belfast. The bomb had been planted by the PIRA. Canisters of petrol had been attached to a bomb which was left on a window-sill of the restaurant. An inadequate warning had been given and the hotel was being cleared when the bomb exploded. Many of those killed were burnt to death. Seven of the dead were women. There were three married couples among the dead. All those who died were attending the annual dinner-dance of the Irish Collie Club. A PIRA statement announced that the bombing had been in retaliation for the St. Hilda’s massacre two weeks before.

Ted Kennedy

Saturday, February 17th, 1978.

The Kennedy Compound.

7:45 AM, Palm Beach, FL.

[1]

The Senator strolled with Paul Kirk down the sandy beaches of Palm Beach, going virtually unnoticed by beachgoers as they passed. The air was warm, perhaps unusually warm for February even in the tropical playground of Palm Beach, and Kennedy, still drunk from the night before, could not even determine the exact day of the week it was. “It’s already March, Paul” said Senator Kennedy, “pretty soon I’ll be campaigning across the country for Democrats up and down the ballot. I just want to enjoy life for a little while. Lay low while I still can.”

“Have you given a little more thought to 1980?” asked Kirk, a longtime senior aide and ally of Kennedy.

“I don’t know why people still bark up this tree” Kennedy lamented with a sigh, “I’m old news now.”

“Do you think the Democrats will nominate another Washington outsider from the south? They tried it with McKeithen, and they tried it with Wallace, and both times it did not take. They’re going to be looking for a proud northern liberal this go around, someone who can unite the party and restore the magic of….well, of Camelot.”

“Then why would they go for me at this point? I lead in all the polls, but if Birch or Askew runs, I’m not so sure I’d win.”

“Well” Kirk replied, “I don’t think Birch or Askew will even run if your current position in the polls holds.”

“We’ll see Paul” said Ted, “but to be honest, my heart just isn’t in it this time. Not now. Not yet.”
Sunday, February 19th, 1978: Two PJO assassins kill prominent Egyptian newspaper editor Youssef Sebai and then rounded up several Arabs who were attending a convention in Nicosia as hostages. As Cypriot forces were trying to negotiate with the hostage-takers at the airport, Egyptian troops decided to launch their own assault without authorization from the Cypriots. Since Cyprus was still under the control of foreign troops, including some U.S. Army units operating under U.N. command, the U.N. command allowed the entry of the Egyptians to rescue their countrymen. The U.N. forces acted as a buffer between the Egyptians and Cypriot civil police. It was widely understood that the U.N. allowed the Egyptian raid to go forward since mainly Egyptian nationals were involved, and it presented an expedient way to end the crisis with minimal involvement from either the U.N. forces or the still-to-be tested Cypriot Armed Police.

Inspired by what is occurring in Italy and France, Hemvati Nandan Bahuguna, then Minister of Chemicals and Petroleum in Desai's government begins moves to formulate an Indian Progressive Socialist Party on the Mitterrand/Berlinguer model which could allow for a mixed economy.

In Syria a water carrier poisons five Senegalese troops serving with the allied forces.
Monday, February 20th, 1978: American troops capture the heart of Panama City against crumbling Panamanian opposition, with large sections of the city secured by American forces even though sporadic sniper attacks and drive-by shootings continue; General Wallace Nutting, the chief American military commander in charge of operations in Panama, reports that the American army will likely have full control of the city and Canal Zone by the end of the week. The manhunt for Omar Torrijos continues, with President Reagan deeming him “Public Enemy #1” in a speech at the Pentagon alongside Secretary of State Scranton and Secretary of Defense Rumsfeld.
Tuesday, February 21st, 1978: Secretary of Defense Rumsfeld visits Panama for the first time since the American military retook the Canal Zone. There remains resistance in the jungles from pro-Torrijos forces, where Torrijos and his top lieutenant Manuel Noriega remain at large. In the three weeks since the destruction of the Panama Canal’s locks, the price of gasoline has skyrocketed again as oil imports are stalled.

Nationalist Lao forces are defeated and forced to retreat from the city of Muang Khoua in North Central Laos. Unconfirmed reports indicate that the Pathet Red forces are being supported by Communist Chinese artillery and engineering units.

King Khalid of Saudi Arabia has a serious heart attack and is rushed to the United States for emergency medical treatment. Sheikh Adb ibn Baaz calls the King's heart attack "Allah's judgement on the corrupt den of snakes who dare to call themselves Kings and Princes over the faithful."

Congresswoman Marilyn Lloyd (D-TN) announces she will run for Senate in Tennessee in 1978, challenging incumbent Senator Howard Baker.
Wednesday, February 22nd, 1978: The Greek Cypriot province of the Cyprus Confederation lodges a formal protest with both the UN and the Egyptian government over the Egyptian commando raid. Two days later (February 24) the Greek Republic also files a complaint with Cairo and with the UN for allowing it to occur.
Thursday, February 23rd, 1978: Vice President Saddam Hussein of Iraq accuses Kuwait of undercutting the "counter-Zionist resistance solidarity" of OPEC on the oil price issue in a speech before the Arab League. He also makes a case that Kuwait is in fact a historic province of Iraq and that it should not be selling oil without "coordination" with Baghdad. Hussein falls just short of calling Kuwait an illegitimate state, but his remarks do lead many (including the Kuwaitis) to question Iraq's position with regard to Kuwaiti sovereignty.
Saturday, February 25th, 1978: President Ersin of Turkey announces that the Turkish population of Cyprus are "one and indivisible" from the Turkish population of the mainland. While this is warmly received in Turkish Cyprus, other nations consider this remark unhelpful.

The Greek Cypriots (and their supporters in Greece) see it as just short of a declaration of war.
Sunday, February 26th, 1978: U.S., U.K., and South Vietnamese troops occupy a portion of the eastern Beqaa Valley in an effort to end PJO assistance to insurgents inside Syria.
Monday, February 27th, 1978: Israeli Jets strike at PJO camps in Southeastern Lebanon.
[1] Taken from National Parks Service.

[username5243]

I have a strong suspicion that a Democrat is taking back the White House in 1980. Heck, they're probably going to do pretty well in the 78 midterms...