Alternate History 🇺🇸 November 2, 1976: President Nelson Rockefeller wins election to full 4-year term and the aftermath

[Sergeant Foley]

......"We were campaigning in Louisiana, North Carolina and West Virginia during the week when Seymour alerted me about this explosive bombshell from an exposee which revealed the personal dirty secrets of Mayor Koch revealing his most dirty secrets.

I was shocked and stunned by the revelations. It appeared one egotistical news journalist leaked an audio recording of Koch's private conversation to the press, which soon became fodder throughout the entire month and beyond.

Alerting Governor Carey by phone, I told him about the news; "What in the fuck is going on over there?" Carey snarled over the phone. I explained the situation about Koch's private conversations being leaked to the press and news stations covering the scandal."
-Percy Hubert
Senior Campaign Strategist
Excerpt from "The Campaign from Hell: How Lee Atwater's evil sinister dirty tricks propelled Reagan to the White House"

 

[Sergeant Foley]

BREAKING NEWS ALERT: BOMBSHELL EXPOSE REVEALS SECRETS OF NEW YORK CITY MAYOR ED KOCH (D)
*Audio recordings reveal Koch's private conversations confirming details of his personal life.
*Reporters converging onto City Hall; demanding Koch answer questions about controversial audio recordings.
*Mayor Koch cancels press conference; private meeting with senior aides at Gracie Mansion to discuss path forward.
*LGBTQ activists blast Mayor's hypocrisy of living double life.

*Saturday, August 2, 1980: The nation was shocked when news broke that audio recordings of private conversations of New York City Mayor Ed Koch (D), reveal the obvious to the ongoing rumors: Koch was gay and living a double life.

LGBTQ activists blast Koch by accusing him of hypocrisy while living a double life: projecting the quirky politics in public while living a secret lifestyle behind closed doors. "Mayor Koch is a disgrace to everyone in this City, even those who voted for him less than three years ago. Betraying the trust of the voters is unacceptable and we think he should resign because more questions will persist."

During a press conference at City Hall, Mayor Koch cancelled the daily press conference when reporters barged the Mayor with questions about the audio recordings being leaked; "How long have you've been hiding these secrets Mr. Mayor?" "When have these secret audio recordings been tapped of your private conversations?" "Have you've spoken to your partner, who's revealed intimate details of your relationship?"

Annoyed by the pestering questions, Koch walked out of the press conference by bolting out of the room. Less than a few weeks earlier, Koch had spoke at the Democratic National Convention and was previously on the campaign trail for New York State Governor Hugh L. Carey (D), the Democratic Party presidential nominee during campaign swings in New Jersey, Connecticut, Maryland and Pennsylvania.

 

[Sergeant Foley]

BREAKING NEWS ALERT: VEEPSTAKES SHORTLIST NARROWED DOWN; REAGAN STILL TIGHT-LIPPED
Sunday, August 3, 1980
​

The Seattle Times is reporting that former California Governor Ronald Reagan (R), the presumptive Republican Party presidential nominee, has reportedly narrowed down his shortlist for whom would be tapped as Vice President by the time of the upcoming Republican National Convention in Detroit during the week of August 11-14, 1980.

Sources state that United States Senator Richard Lugar (R-IN) informed Reagan that he was not interested in the Vice Presidency, preferring to focus on his current job in the United States Senate.

Speculation has been swirling around the potential contenders such as United States Senator Howard Baker (R-TN), the Senate Minority Leader; Illinois Governor James R. "Big Jim" Thompson (R); former CIA Director George HW Bush (R-TX).
Excerpt from the Seattle Times
Sunday, August 3, 1980

......"With Senators Laxalt and Lugar both pulling out of contention, it had became obvious that the shortlist had come down to three: Baker, Thompson and Bush. Nancy was determined in not letting Ron pick Bush because it's becoming more obvious that she hated him and the entire Bush family's guts due to the bitterness during the Republican Party presidential primaries.

Governor Reagan still remained tight-lipped about whom would he pick as Vice President, preferring to reveal the choice on the third day of the Republican National Convention which was about to begin in less than a week."
Former United States Senator Barry Goldwater (R-AZ)
Spring 1988

 

[Sergeant Foley]

BREAKING NEWS ALERT: KOCH ANNOUNCES RESIGNATION AS NEW YORK CITY MAYOR; RESIGNATION GOES INTO EFFECT ON AUGUST 18TH
Monday, August 4, 1980

......"Due to the constant hyper political climate that has engulfed this great city in the past 48 hours, I believe that it's important that government must go back to the basics of governing and it'll be better served if I step aside as your Mayor."
-New York City Mayor Ed Koch (D)
Press conference at City Hall
4 August 1980
​

Less than 48 hours following the huge political bombshell that exposed a private audio recording of New York City Mayor Ed Koch (D) revealing his most darkest secrets to a close political confidant, Koch called a press conference at City Hall on the morning of August 4th and once again strongly denied the allegations against him.

Koch also detailed many of his accomplishments in office and denounced the leaks as pure hyper partisanship from enemies, who've hated him since his 1977 election.

In announcing his resignation, which Koch confirmed will officially take effect in 14 days, "City Comptroller Harrison Goldin is experienced, smart and intelligent with knowledge having served in the New York State Senate and as City Comptroller. We've got a lot of challenges facing us as one of the largest cities in the Empire State including the world. It's important that this transition from one administration to the next must be smooth and resolve."

Following his resignation speech, Koch left the conference room as reporters hounded questions before they were told to leave.

 

[Sergeant Foley]

@The Immortal Watch Dog This upcoming installment in one of the upcoming chapters is for you.

COMING SOON IN CHAPTER 12 OF THE AMERICAN REPUBLIC
"I am doing God's Work in cleansing the world of That Uppity ******": How Argentine Republic President Lieutenant General Leopoldo Galtieri gave the green-light to Operation Socio that resulted in the assassination of British Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher with international ramifications

​

 

[The Immortal Watch Dog]

Yup, Leo woulda done had he the chance.

 

[Sergeant Foley]

Yup, Leo woulda done had he the chance.

Let's just say Galtieri gives the green-light in having Thatcher whacked.

Plus the kidnapping of Queen Elizabeth II: These will be in Chapter 11.

I will need lots of your help in researching the events that led to the Falklands War.

 

[The Immortal Watch Dog]

Let's just say Galtieri gives the green-light in having Thatcher whacked.

Plus the kidnapping of Queen Elizabeth II: These will be in Chapter 11.

I will need lots of your help in researching the events that led to the Falklands War.

I'll do what I can, but I imagine there wouldn't be a Guerra de Las Malvinas. Será más un invasion de Aegentina por lo que hizo el borracho este.

 

[Sergeant Foley]

I'll do what I can, but I imagine there wouldn't be a Guerra de Las Malvinas. Será más un invasion de Aegentina por lo que hizo el borracho este.

Having watched several episodes of the Argentinian TV Drama 'Padre Coraje' with all of the craziness in that Telenovela (my wife's sister loved that show LOL), let's just say Chapter 11 will get quite super DARK and deadlier with the uglier deterioration of strained diplomatic ties between London and Buenos Aires which escalates with the kidnapping and torture of the Queen and the assassination of the Prime Minister.

I'll be working on an outlined sketch of Charles and Diana, both of whom will likely become King and Queen.... Keeping the majority of the opening sketch of Chapter 11 very tight-lipped.

Chapter 9 will be heavily focused on the 1980 US Presidential election including some of Chapter 10.

 

[Sergeant Foley]

Republican National Convention
Monday, August 11-Thursday, August 14, 1980
Joe Louis Arena
Detroit, Michigan

​

Night One Speakers: Monday, August 11, 1980

*7:00 PM EST: US Rep. Guy Van Jagt (R-MI) nominates former California Governor Ronald Reagan (R-CA).
*7:30 PM EST: United States Senator Jesse Helms (R-NC) nominates former Governor Reagan.
*8:00 PM EST: US Rep. Jack Kemp (R-NY St).
*8:30 PM EST: United States Senator Paul Laxalt (R-NV).
*9:00 PM EST: Pennsylvania Governor Richard Thornbourgh (R-PA).
*9:30 PM EST: United States Senator John Warner (R-VA).
*10:00 PM EST: United States Senator Jacob Javits (R-NY St).
*10:13 PM EST: Vice President Edward W. Brooke, III (R-MA) delivers the Keynote Address.

​

*11:37 PM EST: Day #1 of the Republican National Convention adjourns.

RNC Presidential Nominee Vote, 1976:
Ronald Reagan: 1,939 (97.44%)
John B. Anderson: 37 (1.86%)
George HW Bush: 13 (0.65%)
Anne Armstrong: 1 (0.05%)

Night Two Speakers: Tuesday, August 12, 1980

*7:00 PM EST: United States Senator Nancy Kassebaum (R-KS).
*7:30 PM EST: NAACP Executive Director Benjamin Hooks (R-TN).
*8:25 PM EST: Tennessee Governor Lamar Alexander (R-TN).
*9:13 PM EST: Michigan Governor William M. Milliken (R-MI).
*9:37 PM EST: United States Senator Lowell Weicker (R-CT).
*10:00 PM EST: First Lady Jinks Holton (R-VA) introduces President Holton.
*10:15 PM EST: President Linwood Holton (R-VA) farewell keynote address.

​

*11:00 PM EST: Convention adjourned.

********************
The Decision on whom to pick as Vice President
Wednesday, August 13, 1980
Joe Louis Arena
Detroit, Michigan

​

......"Reagan glanced around and asked those assembled------a group that included Casey, Meese, Wirthing, Hannaford, Deaver and myself------ "Well, what do we do now?" There was no immediate response. No one offered an alternative plan. No one tossed out a name. Expecting instant opposition, I ventured, "We call Bush." Once more, silence inside the room. Reagan again looked at each of us; hearing no objection, he said, "Well, let's get Bush on the phone."

Reagan dove right in. "George," he said warmly, "I would like to go over there and tell them that I am recommending you for Vice President. Could I ask you one thing------do I have your permission to make an announcement that you support the platform across the board?" We could hear Bush agreeing at the other hand. Reagan then left for the convention center where, shortly after midnight, he took the podium to announce his running mate, George Bush."
------Richard V. Allen
"The Bush Dynasty that Almost Wasn't"
Autobiography

 

[Sergeant Foley]

Night Three Speakers: Wednesday, August 13, 1980

*7:00 PM EST: Former US Treasury Secretary William E. Simon (R-CA).
*7:25 PM EST: Former US Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld (R-IL).
*8:13 PM EST: United States Senator Barry Goldwater (R-AZ).
*8:45 PM EST: Former US Ambassador to the United Kingdom Anne Armstrong (R-TX).
*9:29 PM EST: Illinois Governor James R. "Big Jim" Thompson (R-IL).
*10:00 PM EST: Texas Governor William P. Clements, Jr., (R-TX) introduces former CIA Director Bush.
*10:13 PM EST: Former CIA Director George HW Bush (R-TX) acceptance speech.

​

*11:00 PM EST: Convention adjourns.

Night Four Speakers: Thursday, August 14, 1980

*7:00 PM EST: San Diego Mayor Pete Wilson (R-CA).
*7:15 PM EST: Ohio Governor Jim Rhodes (R-OH).
*8:27 PM EST: United States Senator Bob Dole (R-KS).
*9:13 PM EST: United States Senator and Senate Minority Leader Howard Baker (R-TN).
*9:25 PM EST: Former California First Lady Nancy Reagan (R-CA) introduces Governor Reagan.
*10:00 PM EST: Former California Governor Ronald Reagan (R-CA) acceptance speech.

"More than anything else, I want my candidacy to unify our country, to renew the American spirit and sense of purpose..... Never before in our history have Americans been called upon to face three grave threats to our very existence, any one of which could destroy us. We face a disintegrating economy, a weakened defense, and an energy policy based on the sharing of scarcity.
The major issue of this campaign is the direct political, personal, and moral responsibility of Democratic party leadership in the Congress------for this unprecedented calamity which has befallen us."​

*11:00 PM EST: Convention adjourns.

​

POST RNC Convention Polls: August 15, 1980 (Gallup Polling Survey: President )
Former California Governor Ronald Reagan (R): 39%
New York State Governor Hugh Carey (D): 38%

*Following the Republican National Convention, Gallup immediately released a new poll and it reveals a very, very close race between the Governors. While other polls show Reagan surging ahead.

 

[Sergeant Foley]

FINAL INTERNATIONAL PRESIDENTIAL TRIPS MADE BY PRESIDENT LINWOOD HOLTON (SUMMER 1980)

*Italy (Rome; Venice): June 19-24, 1980
State Visit; Attended the 6th G-7 Summit at the Island of San Giorgio Maggiore in the Venetian lagoon. This was the last summit for US President Linwood Holton and French President Valery Giscard d'Estaing (more on him in Chapter 10). This was also the first and only summit for Italian Prime Minister Francesco Cossiga; In the aftermath of the shocking death of then-Japanese Prime Minister Masayoshi Ohira on June 12th, Foreign Minister Saburo Okita led the Japanese delegation and joining him: Finance Minister Noboru Takeshita and Minister of International Trade and Industry Yoshitake Sasaki, who attended the Foreign Minister's meetings in Okita's place instead.

*Vatican City (Apostolic Palace): June 21, 1980
President Holton had an audience with Pope John Paul II at the Vatican.

*Yugoslavia (Belgrade): June 24-25, 1980
Official Visit; Met with President Cvijetin Mijatovic.

*Spain (Madrid): June 25-26, 1980
Official Visit; Met with King Juan Carlos I and Prime Minister Adolfo Suarez.

*Portugal (Lisbon): June 26-30, 1980
Official Visit; Met with President Major General Winfield Gonsalves and Prime Minister Francisco de Sa Carneiro.

*Japan (Tokyo) July 9-10, 1980
Official Visit; Attended funeral service for the late Japanese Prime Minister Masayoshi Ohira; Met with Emperor Hirohito; Bangla President Ziar Rahman; Australian Prime Minister Malcolm Fraser; Thai Prime Minister Prem Tinsulanonda and Taiwanese Sun Yun-suan.

 

[Sergeant Foley]

BREAKING NEWS ALERT: ROK PRESIDENT CHOI KYU-HAH ANNOUNCES RESIGNATION; PAVING WAY FOR MILITARY STRONGMAN GENERAL CHUN DOO-HWAN TO TAKE OVER AS PRESIDENT

ROK President Choi Kyu-hah announcing his resignation as the 10th President on national television.
​

*Saturday, August 16,1980: Addressing the ROK people on nationwide television from the Blue House (Residence of the ROK President), Republic of Korea President Choi Kyu-hah, who has been in office since the assassination of then-ROK authoritarian President Park Chung-hee on 26 October 1979, announced his resignation which pretty much opens the door for military strongman Army General Chun Doo-hwan, who successfully led the 12 December 1979 coup d'etat against Choi's government and also crushed rebellion in the 05.18-27.80 Incident in Gwangju.

During his resignation address, Choi said he was handing over the keys of government to Prime Minister Park Chung-hoon, who will serve on an interim basis until the likely election of General Chun later this month. According to the ROK Constitution, the Prime Minister is first in line to succeed to the Presidency in case of death, resignation or impeachment. "My purpose in resigning is to provide a historic turning point for the building of a new, happy community of stability, morality, and prosperity," Choi said during the nationwide address. "I intend to put an end to our unhappy political history by establishing the precedent of a peaceful transfer of power."

The events leading up to this moment has served as a climax to the meteoric rise to power by Chun, 49, who was a longtime protege to the late President Park. Chun took over the military in December; then the Korean Central Intelligence Agency in April and finally the entire country in May. Foreign newspapers including the Washington Post and Manila Times have both viewed Chun's aggressive moves as quickly consolidating his political power.

​

 

[Sergeant Foley]

COMING SOON IN CHAPTER 9 OF THE AMERICAN REPUBLIC
Monday, September 1, 1980: Chun Doo-hwan and his family moving into the Blue House

​

 

[Sergeant Foley]

THE FALL CAMPAIGN
12:25 PM CST, Saturday, August 23, 1980
​

Following the respective Democratic and Republican national conventions, Gallup released their latesr public opinion poll, which showed a very close race: Governor Reagan was up with 39% of the nationwide vote, Governor Carey at 38% and Congressman Anderson holding 14%.

It seemed possible that the 1980 Presidential election might be so super close and divided that the Democratic-controlled US House of Representatives might have to decide the election; the last time this happened was in 1825 when John Quincy Adams was elected to the Presidency.

TWO PRESIDENTIAL DEBATES OFFICIALLY SET

*Monday, August 25, 1980: The League of Women Voters announced that two major televised debates will take place this Fall: two presidential debates between former California Governor Ronald Reagan (R); New York State Governor Hugh L. Carey (D); US Rep. John Anderson (R-IL).

VENUES OF PRESIDENTIAL DEBATES:

Sunday, September 21, 1980
Baltimore Convention Center
Baltimore, Maryland
Moderator: Bill Moyers
Participants: Former California Governor Ronald Reagan (R): Likely attending debate.
New York State Governor Hugh L. Carey (D): TBD on attending debate.
US Rep. John Anderson (R-IL): Likely attending debate.

Thursday, October 28, 1980
Music Hall
Cleveland, Ohio
Moderator: Howard K. Smith
Participants: Former California Governor Ronald Reagan (R): Likely attending debate.
New York State Governor Hugh L. Carey (D): Likely attending debate.
US Rep. John Anderson (R-IL: TBD on attending debate.

 

[Sergeant Foley]

ZIMBABWE JOINS THE UNITED NATIONS
*Monday, August 25, 1980: Zimbabwe was officially admitted as the 153rd member of the United Nations General Assembly.

ANDERSON TAPS LUCEY AS HIS RUNNING MATE
*US Rep. John Anderson (R-IL) announced he was tapping former Wisconsin Governor Patrick J. Lucey (D) as his running mate for the Vice Presidency.

NEW SYSTEM FOR MICROSOFT
*Microsoft released its first operating system Xenix similar to the Bell Labs system Unix.

INDONESIAN AIRLINES AIRLINER CRASHES; KILLING 37 ABOARD
*Tuesday, August 26, 1980: All 37 people aboard on the Bouraq Indonesia Airlines airliner for Far Eastern Air Transport were killed when the Vickers Viscount nosedived as it was making its approach to Jakarta.

CHUN DOO-HWAN ELECTED 11TH REPUBLIC OF KOREA PRESIDENT; TAKING OFFICE ON SEPTEMBER 1ST
*Wednesday, August 27, 1980: The National Conference for Unification gathered in the Jangchung Arena to elect Chun Doo-hwan as the 11th President of the Republic of Korea. He garnered 2,524 votes with 99.96% of the vote because he was the only candidate running; Chun is expected to be inaugurated on September 1st replacing former President Choi Kyu-hah.

US REP. MICHAEL MYERS (D-PA) CONVICTED OF ACCEPTING BRIBES FROM FBI ABSCAM INVESTIGATION
*Friday, August 29, 1980: US Rep. Michael "Ozzie" Myers (D-PA) became the first member of Congress since the Civil War, to be convicted of accepting bribes during the FBI's Abscam investigation. Myers, who along with three co-conspirators was convicted, would go on to being expelled on October 2nd by his colleagues in the US House of Representatives by a vote of 376-30.

 

[Sergeant Foley]

Good Morning folks. Here's an updated outlined sketch for what the remainder of Chapter 9 including parts of Chapter 10 will look like:
*Chapter 9: Last Half
*Fall 1980
*Personal PoV's (Fall 1980)
*National and International Headlines (Fall 1980)
*Atwater unleashes the aggressive dog whistling attacks against New York State Governor Hugh L. Carey (D) and his wife New York State First Lady Evangeline Carey.
*Highlights of the 1980 Presidential Debates in Baltimore and Cleveland.

*Sketch for Chapter 10:
*Final days of the 1980 Presidential campaign.
*Tuesday, November 4, 1980: CBS News Election Night Coverage with Walter Cronkite, etc.,
*Results on the Presidency; US House of Representatives; United States Senate; US State/Territory Governorships.
*Concession Speech.
*Victory Speech.
*Post Election Analysis: November 5, 1980.
*The Transition Begins
*National and International Headlines (Fall 1980)
*Personal PoV's (National: Fall 1980)
*Personal PoV's (International: Fall 1980)
*The Holton's final holidays in the White House.
*Wednesday, January 14, 1981: President Holton delivers final State of the Union Address before Joint Session of Congress.

 

[Sergeant Foley]

Outlined Sketch for Chapter 11 of The American Republic:
*Tuesday, January 20, 1981: Inauguration Day festivities
*First 100 Days.
*Personal PoV's (Spring 1981)
*National and International Headlines (Spring 1981)
*Installments on Entertainment Industry
*Personal PoV's about 'Hart to Hart'; 'TJ Hooker'; 'Chips'.
*Sports Installments: MLB, NBA, NFL, College Football.

 

[Sergeant Foley]

The Brooklyn Boxer vs The Smooth Hollywood Superstar
Monday, September 1, 1980
​

Unlike 1976, where then-Alabama Governor George Wallace (D) won the Democratic Party presidential nomination which angered liberals, moderates and independents, which resulted in seeing Wallace getting his ass whooped badly by Rockefeller that year, the Democrats had emerged out of the DNC Convention united and slightly optimistic.

Several cormers of the party weren't impressed with New York State Governor Hugh L. Carey or his running mate Georgia Governor George Busbee; many had good reason to be nervous: by nominating another New Yorker as their nominee for the Presidency (most recent was FDR who won four consecutive terms in 1932, 1936, 1940 and 1944), critics had defined the Democratic Party as too "New York-ish", part of the "Uppity Eastern Establishment" and the biggest of them all: "Know it All Yankees from up North" in the eyes of Middle America.

Despite Busbee being a Southerner on the ticket, many living in Middle America just weren't going to pull the lever for the Carey/Busbee ticket: "They don't represent traditional American values", "This Carey fellow speaks for those lazy freaks up North, he does not speak for me in Middle America: the flyover country," quipped one conservative Blue Dog Democrat from North Carolina.

Pollster Pat Coddell was alarmed by some of the polling and responses from the typical basic questions when asking voters in the Midwest and the South including parts of the West. "We've got to deploy our best assets down in the South because Reagan is aggressively campaigning on the issues and policies that they like. I am nervous about November, so unless we respond with discipline and focused, we'll be looking at being shut out of the White House until probably the 1990s at the rate the Republicans are aggressively going...."

Seeing the odds stacked against him, Governor Carey was known as your father or grandfather's typical old school Democrat: hard-edged, blunt-talking union man, who didn't have any hesitations of punching somebody in the mouth if necessary. Considering the polls still had a very close race, the Carey campaign ran several television campaign commercials in several Battleground States which could be the deciding difference in November by reminding voters of the following: Nixon's divisive presidency; Watergate; Nixon's resignation in disgrace; Ford pardoning Nixon and the backlash; disastrous handling of the Vietnam War, etc., and presented them with the simple message: "After 12 years of Republican control of the White House, it's important to ask the American people this simple question: "Had Enough? Vote Carey!".

While the Carey campaign was gaining momentum, somewhere there was an egotistical ambitious political animal, who was determined in exposing the real backstory of New York State First Lady Evangeline Goluetas Carey.....timing it right before the presidential debates with ramifications.

Following the Republican National Convention in Detroit, Reagan controversially delivered a campaign speech at the Neshoba County Fair located in the outskirts of Philadelphia, Mississippi, the town where three civil rights workers were violently murdered.

"Programs, like education and others should be turned back to the states and local communities with the tax sources to fund them. I believe in states rights. I believe in people doing as much as they can at the community level and the private level." In response, Governor Carey blasted Reagan for interjecting "hate and racism" by the "rebirth of dog-whistles and coded words by using states rights." Other Southern governors blasted Reagan's speech by calling it tone-deaf and other denigrating comments.

According to anonymous sources, President Holton demanded a closed-door meeting with Reagan at the White House. Holton along with Vice President Brooke both put Reagan on full-blast for delivering a campaign speech at the infamous Southern town known for murdering three civil rights workers.

Less than two days afterwards, Reagan appeared at the Urban League convention in New York State, where he said, "I'm committed to the protection and enforcement of the civil rights of black Americans. This commitment is interwoven into every phase of the plans I will propose." He also said he would deliver enterprise zones to help with urban renewal.

 

[Sergeant Foley]

CHUN DOO-HWAN OFFICIALLY INAUGURATED AS REPUBLIC OF KOREA'S 11TH PRESIDENT IN SEOUL

​

*Monday, September 1, 1980: Chun Doo-hwan, the military strongman, who launched a successful coup d'etat on 12 December 1979 against then-ROK President Choi Kyu-hah, then eventually succeeded in taking over the Korean Central Intelligence Agency and other government intelligence agencies in April 1980 and finally the entire country itself with the 05.18-27.1980 Incident with the controversial violent deadly crackdown in Gwangju, was inaugurated as the 11th President of the Republic of Korea before an estimated 8,800 in attendance inside the Jamsil Arena in Seoul.

​

GOTTHARD ROAD TUNNEL OPENS IN THE ALPS
*Friday, September 5, 1980: The Gotthard Road Tunnel opened in Switzerland as the world's longest highway tunnel at 10.1 miles (16.3 km), which stretched from Goschenen to Airolo beneath the Swiss Alps' Saint-Gotthard mountain range. During the opening ceremony, a school bus became the first vehicle to traversing the tunnel.

GIEREK OUT AS FIRST SECRETARY OF THE RULING POLISH UNITED WORKERS' PARTY
*Saturday, September 6, 1980: Polish United Workers Party First Secretary Edward Gierek was removed from office by the Party's Central Committee following the concessions made by the government to the Solidarnosc trade union. The previous day, the government had reported that Gierek was admitted to the hospital for a "heart ailment" and followed at 1:30 AM in the morning with the announcement in similar fashion to 10 years earlier in regard to the announcement of the dismissal of Gierek's predecessor in 1970. Replacing Gierek as First Secretary was Stanislaw Kania.

51 OUT OF 52 NOMINATED ACTORS DIDN'T SHOW UP IN ATTENDING THE 32ND PRIMETIME EMMY AWARDS
*Sunday, September 7, 1980: During the 32nd Primetime Emmy Awards, which was held in Pasadena, California. However, 51 out of the 52 nominated actors chose not to attend the televised festivities. This boycott by celebrities came during the ongoing strike by members of the Screen Actors Guild (SAG) and the American Federation of Television and Radio Artists (AFTRA). Only Powers Boothe attended the ceremony, who won the award for Outstanding Actor in a Dramatic Special.

TROOP MANEUVERS ON GERMAN SOIL
*Monday, September 8, 1980: Both the United States and the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) allies had commenced war games in West Germany while the Soviet Union and their Warsaw Pact allies did similar military exercises. NATO's Autumn Forge exercise had involved more than 250,000 troops from 11 countries in land, air and sea operations and was being coordinated from RAF Gutersloh.

ROMANCE REVEALED BETWEEN CROWN PRINCE CHARLES AND LADY DIANA SPENCER

​

*The Sun, the highest-circulating newspaper in the United Kingdom, became the first to revealing the romance of Crown Prince Charles and Lady Diana Spencer with the headline: "HE'S IN LOVE AGAIN! LADY DI IS THE NEW GIRL FOR CHARLES?"