News on this day in 1948 began with breaking news from New Delhi that Mohandas Gandhi had been shot and killed. Reports were sketchy at first and it wasn't until the second of the two newscasts on this post was broadcast on the evening of the 30th that the full shock and grief of what had happened became apparent.
But during the morning newscast, after the initial reports and a bio on the life of Gandhi, news resumed and reports on the Opening Day of the 1948 Winter Olympics, the trials and tribulations of Capitol Hill and the Spy Trial in Canada filled up the broadcast. Also Cold War news with Russian protests over U.S. warships anchored off the Italian coast, seen as a show of support to the Anti-Communist government.
Domestic news included political scuffles on Capitol Hill over price controls on grain for Whiskey, Tax bills, the problems with Dixiecrats and the cold front sweeping over the Northeast.
Other news included a report on the opening of The Mikado for the first time in Japan, to mixed and curious reviews since the Opera had been banned prior to this. France voted to cancel 5,000 Franc notes, creating an uproar with the holders of those notes.
The second newscast, NBC News Of The World Night Special reported on reactions throughout the world of the Gandhi assassination with an exclusive report from the BBC and an eyewitness account of the assassination, as well as a wrapup on news of the day, including activities during the first day of Winter Olympics.
An extraordinary day in history for January 30, 1948.
