60 MINUTES {OPERATION CORKSCREW; "THE DAY AFTER" CONTROVERSY; SISTER JUANITA IN NICARAGUA} (TV)
Summary
One in this series of news magazine programs. In the first segment, Harry Reasoner reports on "Operation Corkscrew," a would-be sting operation organized by the FBI that went embarrassingly wrong. Hoping to uncover corruption in the Cleveland, Ohio municipal court, Agent Bob Graham enlisted the help of bailiff Marvin Bray to go undercover and "pretend" to bribe a judge, not realizing that Bray was in fact a con man with a record. Bray, intending to keep the "bribe" money, recruited two unwitting imposters, Marvin Harris and Betty Smith, to impersonate two of the judges, Clarence L. Gaines and Lillian Burke respectively. Graham and the other agents failed for many months to notice the switch, despite meeting with the "judges" several times, until the real Burke appeared on television and the agents realized that it was not the same individual. Special Agent Roger Young admits that the case was handled badly and without the necessary scrutiny, and Gaines and Burke voice their frustration that they were not only suspected of accepting bribes, but successfully impersonated by two people of dissimilar ages and appearances. Bray was ultimately sentenced to two to five years in prison, though Harris and Smith received harsher sentences and are currently appealing the rulings.
Next, Ed Bradley discusses the controversy surrounding the upcoming television film "The Day After," which depicts the devastating consequences of a nuclear attack, explaining that anti-nuclear activists have somehow secured an advance pirated copy of the film and intend to use it as an educational device. Others, however, like conservative pastor Jerry Falwell, state that the film is biased propaganda and that ABC has been "duped" into showing political content disguised as entertainment. ABC Entertainment President argues that it is simply a "what-if" story, and screenwriter Edward Hume adds that it does not have a political slant, though Bradley notes that it is set to air shortly before the much-debated installation of the Pershing II missiles in West Germany and has therefore been interpreted by many as a pointed message.
Mike Wallace then discusses the "liberation church" controversy in Nicaragua, in which Sister Juanita and many other politically-involved Christians have been branded Communists because of their alliance with the Sandinistas, the country's democratic socialist party. They argue that religion should not be a hierarchy and should come "from the people," and Pope John Paul II, who recently visited the country, was visibly frustrated by hecklers at a public appearance and scolded Father Ernesto Cardenal on the tarmac for his political involvement. Sister Juanita and others explain that their God is a "worker god," not a figure of royalty, and that revolution and religion go hand-in-hand, particularly in matters of combating poverty and suffering. Another priest points out that "Christian Marxism" is supported by the Bible's many messages of equality and sharing, and Archbishop Miguel Obando y Bravo speaks out in support of the "rebels," condemning the government's media censorship of their messages and calling for a free election, though Wallace explains that the majority of Nicaraguan Catholics prefer a more traditional interpretation of religion and that the radical movement is still largely restricted to the country's big cities.
Andy Rooney offers a brief, humorous segment about President Reagan's recent trip to Japan and the reports of the extreme efficiency of Japanese workers, explaining that he himself is a master of procrastination. The program concludes with some viewer letters about previous episodes and a brief follow-up on the story about the charges brought against the Amway Company for tax evasion and customs fraud. Includes commercials.
Details
- NETWORK: CBS
- DATE: November 13, 1983 7:00 PM
- RUNNING TIME: 0:56:55
- COLOR/B&W: Color
- CATALOG ID: B:07052
- GENRE: News
- SUBJECT HEADING: News; Education/Information
- SERIES RUN: CBS - TV series, 1968-
- COMMERCIALS:
- TV - Commercials - AT&T telephone services
- TV - Commercials - Avis car rental services
- TV - Commercials - Epson personal computers
- TV - Commercials - Federal Express shipping services
- TV - Commercials - Hertz rental car services
- TV - Commercials - Lincoln automobiles
- TV - Commercials - Mercedes-Benz automobiles
- TV - Commercials - NCR computer technology
- TV - Commercials - RCA Digital Command Center remote control
- TV - Commercials - Texas Instruments home computers
- TV - Commercials - WaterPik dental appliance
- TV - Commercials - Wausau insurance company
CREDITS
- Don Hewitt … Executive Producer, Writer
- Philip Schoffler … Senior Producer
- Patti Hassler … Associate Producer
- Mimi Edmunds … Associate Producer
- Jane Bradford … Associate Producer
- Merri Lieberthal … Unit Producer
- Arthur Bloom … Director
- Al Wasserman … Writer
- Harry Moses … Writer
- Barry Lando … Writer
- Harry Reasoner … Anchor
- Ed Bradley … Anchor
- Mike Wallace … Anchor
- Andy Rooney … Anchor
- Morley Safer … Anchor
- Clarence L. Gaines … Interviewee
- Marvin Harris … Interviewee
- Betty Smith … Interviewee
- Lillian Burke … Interviewee
- Roger Young … Interviewee
- Jerry Falwell … Interviewee
- Brandon Stoddard … Interviewee
- Edward Hume … Interviewee
- Everest Bertram … Interviewee
- Miguel Obando y Bravo … Interviewee
- Marvin Bray
- Ernesto Cardenal
- Bob Graham
- Pope John Paul II
- Ronald Reagan