this is "through the decades," a unique hour-long time capsule. we look back at this past week. the first of many tragedies that have haunted a promient american political family. "again for the kennedys it was death ..." an american president takes a radical step to battle inflation "i am today ordering a freeze on all prices and wages." and the start of a comic book character that became a global phenomenon "his popularity just seems to endure. i guess nobody really knows ..." those stories and more in a different kind of television experience, where we relive, remember and relate to the events and experiences that are cemented in history.

and i'm ellee pai hong. and i'm kerry sayers. and i'm your host, bill kurtis. this is "through the decades." day after day here we play witness to the enormity of history, the power of people and events to shape our world and capture our attention this week in august, we have "relived, remembered and related" to the scandals, the controversies, the iconic debuts and more that all happened "through the decades" america's economy was facing another recession. richard nixon was facing re- election. he result was a dramatic re- thinking of the united states' role in the global economy which has had a lasting impact on the value of the dollar today. "the range of actions i have taken and proposed tonight on the jobs front, on the inflation front, on the

monetary front, is the most comprehensive new economic policy to be undertaken in this nation in four decades." in 1971, america's economy was facing a crossroads. paying for the vietnam war, aiding other countries and expanding social programs had stretched the value of the dollar. it was a dollar that since world war ii was linked directly to the value of gold. but with inflation soaring back and forth from highs not seen for two decades, president nixon knew he needed to do something before the '72 campaign, if re-election was in his future. on august 15, 1971-- nixon froze america's price tags and paychecks hoping to calm inflation and re- set the dollar's standing in the world. "this is a peculiar period, unlike one we ever had. wage and price controls in peace time

and then a supply shock, which was the only one that's hit us since 1776, and policy wasn't quite sure what to do." policy wasn't quite sure what to do." following world war ii, the world needed economic stability to recover. in the summer of 1944, world leaders met in the new hampshire town of bretton woods to plan a path forward. "tre were three institutions that were proposed for bretton woods. the first was the international monetary fund that was going to manage the exchange rates. the seconds was called the international bank for reconstruction and development, better known as the world bank, which was going to make loans. and the third institution was the international trade organization."

they agreed all currencies in the agreement would value themselves against the u.s. dollar. the dollar would be backed by gold at the fixed rate of $35.00 per ounce. currencies were, by design, forced to stay relatively stable at the expense of potential rapid growth. but as japanese and other markets recovered -- america started paying out more for imports. "by the end of the '60s, there was a run on the dollar the u.s. government was anxious to stop." "a trade imbalance along with the run on the dollar have become almost acute. so what the president decided to do was swallow all the bitter medicine at once in hopes of a quick cure." facing a crisis, nixon brought 15 advisers to a secret meeting at camp david over a weekend. when they returned august 15, they had devised a plan that would shake up the entire system as it had been

known to that point. "there was a demand from the rest of the world that the u.s. do something about inflation and what they did was to say 'we are freezing wages and prices' hoping that that would convince other countries that we were serious about doing something about inflation and stop the gold flow." "i am today ordering a freeze on all prices and wages throughout the united states a period of 90 days. in addition, i call upon corporations to extend the wage-price freeze to all dividends." "tonight's speech by the president was a tacit admission that his economic game plan of the past has not worked, so now he has a new one." "this was the first and to date only time in u.s. history that wages and prices have been frozen in peace

time." the president's new plan to freeze prices and wages s designed to stop inflation in its tracks. "nobody likes to have their wages froze but if the prices stay the same it's gonna work out good, i think." "would you be willing to pay the price of having your wage stay the same?" yes. very, as long as the food prices and everything else stay the same, they're killing us."" "i think it was too little too late. they're wasting a lot of money, along with the watergate scandal. and they're letting the poor guy, the little guy suffer. i don't think it's enough, seriously." the little guy suffer. i don't think it's enough, seriously." "psychologic, i think this is the boost that the country needs. to strengthen the dollar which in turn, i hope, should strengthen the stock market then make the foreign countries think that we're in better shape." "i don't know how serious they were about stopping inflation. i do know that the purpose was to give the rest

of the world the impression that we were serious about inflation and managing the inflation." the price and wage freeze was an attempt to simultaneously keep inflation and unemployment down. the latter being crucial to nixon's re-election hopes the following year. "i think he's right. i think a freeze should be put on food. i feel that it's important because things have gotten out of hand. i think he did a very good job." "my guess is that as of now, and i repeat as of now, it would be quite favorable because of the impact it's had already because of the leadership shown by the president. but what will happen a month-and-a-half from now, i have to be cautious, no one can foretell because it will depend upon what will happen in the meantime." through the '72 election, americans saw the improvement they were asking for and nixon won another four-year term in a landslide.

the relief from the freeze was short lived. "any first-term econ student learns these kinds of controls cause shortages and i think they knew that. they were hoping it would be a short-term policy and not cause too much disruption." "the president has not foreclosed any option. he very much hopes that the freeze can end at the end of 90 days. you know his antipathy toward controls over any protracted period of time." but he continued to bring the concept back multiple times but the success was not reproduced. by the end of 1973, inflation sky-rocketed to more than eight percent, nearly double what it was in 1971. "the market just reverted back to what prices would have been had there been no controls."

nixon wanted to prop up the economy and it stayed high long enough for him to get re-elected. but his price and wage freeze policy only put off the inflation problem and it took three more presidents to solve the economic puzzle of those times. our journey continues. a celebrated american family stalked by tragedy. "good evening. once again, the kennedy family is stealing itself to deal with tragedy. after take-off last night from new jersey, a small plane carrying 38-year old john f. kennedy, jr., his wife and sister-in-law, vanished on approach to the massachusetts island of martha's vineyard. the rise and fall of a device that made an undeniable impact on american society and the construction of a wall that would symbolize a world divided. it's still ahead on "through the decades." few families in american history

have commanded as much intrigue as the kennedys and not so much because of what they've gained but rather, because of what they've lost. a series of tragedies, spanning generations, known collectively as the kennedy curse. one that began in august of 1944. somewhere high above england, joeseph kennedy junior was at

the controls of a b-24 liberator loaded with over twenty thousand pounds of explosives. his mission - fly the bomber to a safe altitude then bail out while two trailing aircraft would take control of the vacated b-24 via radio and steer it into a target. but on august 12, 1944, kennedy's mission didn't go as planned some of the explosives aboard his plane detonated prematurely. the man meant to carry to kennedy name straight to the office of the white house was gone and the family's presidential ambitions fell to the next in line, joe's younger brother, john f. kennedy. "i've been working for a long time, nearly eighteen months, moving around massachusetts. i'm a congressman and it's a big jump from congress to the senate." with good looks, charisma and

charm, john f. kennedy would become the face of rejuvenation for an america on the cusp of the modern world and in november, 1960, he would capture the destiny that had so heavily landed on his shoulders. "i do not shrink from this responsibility, i welcome it! i do not believe that any of us would exchange places with any other people or any other generation. the energy, the faith, the devotion which we bring to this endeavor will light our country and all who serve it." but like his brother before him, tragedy lingered not far behind in the form of an assassin cutting short a presidency and another kennedy life. "from dallas, texas, the flash apparently official. president kennedy died at one p.m. central standard time, two o'clock eastern standard

time some thirty-eight minutes ago." if there was a force of resilency for the kennedy family in the wake of such a calamity, it was bobby. "i am announcing today my candidacy for the presidency of the united states. i do not run for the presidency merely to oppose any man but to propose new policies." the torch now belonged to the kennedy's third oldest son. "we can start to work together. we are a great country and a selfless country and a compassionate country and i intend to make that my basis for running in the period over the next few months." months the young candidate would never see as the cruel hand of fate would reach out and strike him down. "if there's a doctor in the house i want to see him right here. everybody else, please stay back."

another flag draped coffin and another kennedy to mourn. "from his parents and from his older brothers and sisters, joe and kathleen and jack, he received an inspiration which he passed on to all of us." once more, misfortune forced the reshuffling of the kennedy's political destiny. but almost as soon as teddy, the family's youngest son assumed that role, another disaster was ready and waiting. "again for the kennedys it was death but this time the death of an innocent woman. one of the many bright, attractive young people drawn to the center of things by the magnetic magic of the kennedy name and fame." barely a year after the death of bobby kennedy, teddy drove off a bridge on chappaquiddick island killing his 28-year old passenger, mary jo

kopechne. "david, the kennedy family reaction to crisis in the past has always been remarkable. how has the family reacted this one? have they been involved in this talk tonight?" "well harry, they always draw together in any crisis and i think that they've done this again. i think the striking difference here is that in the past their tragedies and their griefs have been things that they've always been willing to share, openly with the public but in this instance they haven't done that." ted kennedy would survive the ordeal relatively unscathed not only physically but politically as well. though the curse so callously attached to the kennedy name would endure into the next generation. "good evening. once again, the kennedy family is stealing itself tonight to deal with tragedy. after take-off last night from new jersey, a small plane carrying thirty- eight year old john f. kennedy junior, his wife and sister-in-law vanished on

approach to the massachusetts island of martha's vineyard." while it's true time has changed the kennedys as it does all things, nothinghas chartered the family's course quite like tragedy. an off-the-cuff joke by a president turns into a political controversy. "the soviet union today turned president reagan's weekend off- the-cuff remark about bombing the russians, quote, astonishing, irresponsible, and that was just for openers." the little care free car that became synonymous with corporate greed. and as we chart a new course with cuba, we look back at sweeping changes in policy that led to a mass exodus of families seeking freedom. families seeking freedom.

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in the '80s, tensions between washington and the soviet union reached highs not seen in decades. nuclear war was a prime issue but a jokepresident ronald reagan made in august of 1984, crossed the line. "the soviet union today termed president ronald reagan's off the cuff remark about bombing the russians quote 'astonishing. irresponsible.' and that was just for openers." "saturday morning. white house press headquarters in santa barbara reporters and technicians waited for the president's usual weekly five minute radio address from his ranch 25 miles away. normally they hear nothing until he goes on the air but a few minutes before the broadcast was supposed to begin, technicians plugged into one of the two white house audio lines, heard mr. reagan come

into the room and start chatting. they began recording. then the president testing the sound level made this remark." "all right, my fellow americans, i am pleased to tell you today that i've signed legislation that will outlaw russia forever. we begin bombing in five minutes." "only two news organizations, cbs news and cable news network recorded the president's complete ad lib. the remark did not go out over the press room speaker system and was not heard by reporters. the white house maintained the remark was off the record because the major networks have a standing agreement not to use what mr. reagan says during microphone tests but other journalists learned of the line yesterday and reported it." "the white house is hoping the incident will just fade away. spokesman larry speaks under orders not to comment bounced the story to the state department which bounced it right back to the white house." "i'm not going to take it any further. if the white house

wants to address it, that's up to them." "the white house is worried about ridiculing cartoons that have beg to appear. the washington post block shows the president pushing the button laughing 'ha-ha. it's just a joke. this one's not even connected.'" "the white house is uneasy over the mistakes and the prospects that the democrats might exploit them in political ads." "walter mondale and other democrats were quick to denounce the president's remark as poor judgment at the least and frighteningly revealing at the worst." "whatever was intended and i assume it was a joke, many may not accept it as such. the president has to be very, very careful with his words." "perhaps it's in moments of that sort that the real feelings come out which is the most dismaying and distressing possibility." "republicans after consultation with the white house tried to minimize the significance of the remark." "i don't think that's too

serious. ronald reagan's a funny guy. i think he was just sort of warming up and getting in the mood for that five minute commentary." "i think that they understand that he is trying to say to the soviet union that we are not gonna be a bunch of patsies." "privately, white house officials describe themselves as sweating bullets over mr. reagan's one liner. they fear he is vulnerable because some critics see him as a war monger and they dread what the democrats may do with the president's joke but they were relieved it wasn't reported immediately and they're hoping that it will just fade away." still ahead.. the rise of a coin operated device that is now a relic of the past and the construction of a physical and symbolic boundary between democracy and communism. the change of time

the change of time is often most visible in the advancement of technology. and in august of 1981, ibm introduced the standard for a future that would see the computer become a ubiquitous feature. "the idea of the small computer has become so big that the giant of computer companies, ibm, is busy marketing its new, small computer." that new small computer arrived on august 12, 1981. "well, today i'm pleased to tell you that we're introducing the ibm personal computer. it's a landmark announcement for our division and our company. and we believe it will set a new standard for the industry. here

it is, the ibm personal computer. it puts a lot of power in a small package with many competitive features." concept to completion took twelve months. a remarkable turnaround for the time. and given its capacities - "it plays bridge. it plays checkers. it balances checkbooks. it could be used for a typewriter. it could be used for word processing applications. it can communicate with other personal computers over the telephone line." i.b.m.'s personal computer was unlike anything anyone had ever seen. the p.c, as we'd come to know it, was born and information technology would never be the same. "i personally believe today's announcement will take its place among such historic events as the introduction of the punch card, direct access storage devices and network technology." today, many of us carry our cell phones with us at all times but there was a time in

history, when folks lined up at pay phones to make calls. and the once-standard device got its start in august of 1889. nearly two decades after the invention of the telephone, the device debuted as "public" in 1889. the world's firstpay phonerang from the bank at the corner of main street and central row in hartford, connecticut. as the story goes, the device's inventor, william gray, needed to borrow a phone to call a doctor for his wife. but when a nearby factory refused, he came up with the idea of "public telephones." after a few failed prototypes, gray successfully patented the "coin-controlled apparatus" for phones on august 13, 1889. it was attached to the public phone at the hartford bank in connecticut. gray's design it used a small bell to signify the operator when money was deposited. but the main difference from the pay phones we know today is gray's design had users pay afterthe call. it wasn't until 1898, western union introduced the "pre-pay" system we're familiar with today. in 1963, gilbert toys gave the

world a toy called 'plane away' meant to solve all your toy airplane woes. "now, let's look at our product. gilbert airplanes for 1963 and he in 1963, gilbert toys gave the world a toy called plane away. most rugged, easiest to fly planes ever made with a1963 addition to the fleet, the sporty gilbert musketeer which also features automatic co-pilot and muffler." "you know, i think if you could invent something that would hold the plane while you start it. then you could

fly it by yourself." "we have it for you. we call it 'plane away'. you can control it while you're flying." "and here's something else for you too. ready? 'bombs away!' we call it 'bomb away' and to complete the package, take a look. just part of the new packaging story for 1963." in august of 1961, the foundation of an ongoing conflict was laid across the city of berlin, a wall that for nearly thirty years would choke the free movement of thousands. "i am edward r. murrow. for a little while, i want to review with you the great conflict of our times. one which demands and must get the

attention and the involvement of each one of us." that conflict was between democracy of the west and communism of the east and by 1961, it would zero in on the city of berlin. after world war ii, germany was divided into four zones of occupation - one french, one british, one american and one soviet. and it was clear from the early goings that the soviets had their own self-interests; the expansion of the eastern bloc. "the black portion of the map is the communist-dominated part of the world controlled by the soviet union and the chinese communist regime." within the soviet's zone of occupation was berlin which was also split. leaving the soviet union with control of the eastern section of city creating a stark juxtoposition sarcastically referenced in this film produced by

the united states army signal corps. "according to them, west berlin is a base for intrigue and imperialist assault on east berlin and east germany, where a man has a chance to enjoy the finer things in life." fearing that so-called "imperialist assault" the soviets tightened their grip on east berlin restricting emigration even making attempts to blockade west berlin. but those efforts only fostered greater defection. hundreds were leaving for the west every day and fearing the dissolution of communism in germany, the soviets resorted to concrete and mortar. on august 13, 1961, construction began on the berlin wall. "daily, the harassment by the east germans goes on. they have sealed off famed st. hendricks cathedral and west

germans can no longer worship at the church where their forefathers were christened and were buried. the communists have never learned that they can never erect a wall between the faithful and their god. the boots of east germans soldiers on never ending patrol sound the tattoo of oppression." the wall, supplemented by guard towers and barbed wire, stretched for miles. suddenly and cruelly cutting the city of berlin in half. "a young couple in east berlin separated from the bride's mother in the west wave to the tearful woman. scenes of heartbreak that are daily occurrence as families are torn apart by the wall of hate." "the communist internationals blue print for conquest speaks for itself. but the will for freedom cannot be chained." in the years that followed, the "will for freedom" would play out in dramatic escape attempts

by a desperate many, trapped in their own city. "here is a grim tug of war. east berlin secret police are attempting to pull this woman back up into communist captivity." pretty soon, the berlin wall became the face of not just a city divided but the world split in two by very different ideologies. but the world split in two by very different ideologies. enslaved, all are not free. when all are free, then we look and look forward to that day when this city will be joined as one and this country and this great continent of europe in a peaceful and hopeful globe."

the suppression wrought by the berlin wall would linger for years. its stretches of concrete forming a grotesque scar of the cold war era but as an object of such intense contempt, it would eventually meet its demise. "the berlin wall. once, it divided east from west. now, on its way to becoming an artifact of history. this is the cbs evening news, dan rather reporting tonight from in front of the brandenburg gate in berlin, germany. good evening. these are the sights and sounds of the continuing celebration of germans about the symbolic, not the literal, at least not yet, but the symbolic tearing down of the berlin wall." germany would formally reunite a year later. but for a country afflicted by decades of turmoil figuring out where to go

would be a cautious process but one that germany finally had the freedomto make. if there's one obsessionmost cultures throughout the decades have shared, it's the fantasy of the super- human and few names have embodied that fantasy quite like spider-man. the center-piece of what's become an empire, thanks to the obsession of many that all began in august of 1962. by the early 1960s, there was already a gluttony of comic book superheroes but a lot of them lacked an important trait - relatability. so when marvel comics' head writer, stan lee, was coming up with ideas for a new character creating someone teens could identify with took precedent and on august 10, 1962, that creation made its first appearance on the cover of "amazing

fantasty number fifteen." his name - spiderman. "i thought what will i call him? and it seemed to me that fly- man wasn't good, insect-man didn't sound good. mosquito-man was awful and then it hit me spider-man and it was an epiphany." *laughs spider-man was an immediate hit and less than a year after being introduced, became a series all its own. spider-man's alter-ego, peter parker, struck a chord with comic books fans everywhere. "it's easy for people to empathize with spider-man. i mean he has the same worries as most people. how does he make a living?" "he worries about his health. he's as apt to get an allergy attack or sinus attack, an in- grown toenail as anybody else." spider-man had the benefit of being intensely ordinary. a teen navigating the trials and tribulations of adolescence while at the same, having a

unique spark of super-human power. it's a formula that would lead spider-man straight to the top of the marvel empire. "people knew that spider-man would be a popular character and great at the movies but they didn't know how great." "spider-man's web isn't just snaring bad guys." "i want to go see it because it looks really cool." "or comic book junkies." "he does a lot of things that i like to do." "but a new army of arachnid aficionados." "it's all about peter parker." "and, it's about a movie that could make a billion dollars, a first." "spidey and friends have given marvel enterprises a story book ending." spider-man's role in popular culture remains prominent. a symbol of the ordinary capable of doing something extraordinary. something that never seems to lose its luster in a society obsessed by such an attribute. "he just seems ... his popularity just seems to endure. i guess nobody really knows the actual reason why but

uh it certainly is very gratifying to us." a seemingly harmless car becomes known as a death trap and before relations began to cool between cuba and the u.s. thousands of refugees take to the open sea, thirsty for freedom. thirsty for freedom.

in this 1960s ad, the new influence of the beauty industry is on full display selling us on the perks of luxury and bombshell looks. "some shampoos are thin, but liquid prell is thick and luxurious. try it. liquid prell's rich lather lets you become anything you want. a living doll, a good looking tomato, an enchantress. you like that. lovely. your hair glows with fire. okay enchantress, turn someone into a pussy cat. meow. liquid prell. extra rich shampoo." in the late '60s, the dominance of detroit was being threatened. the volkswagen beatle led an invastion of what we now call sub-compact cars. american automakers scrambled to get their answer into production, cars like the ford pinto. by the time the calendar

flipped to the '70s, the pinto was in the middle of a scandal-- one that would leave an impression detroit is still struggling to shake. "ford motor company was accused today of building pintos for six years with gas tanks that the company knew would rupture in a rear-end collision." exactly one year after roger mudd's broadcast on cbs news, on august 10, 1978, ford's pinto saga would erupt on an indiana highway. "on august 10, near dunlap, indian, this 1973 pinto exploded and burst into flames after it was struck from rear by an oncoming van travelling about 50 miles an hour. the pinto's passengers, two indiana sisters and their cousin, burned to death." by this time, the pinto's design problems were at the center of a national controversy but the crash in indiana led to a ground breaking case. "in june, the ford motor company recalled 1.6 million pintos and

mercury bob cats made between 1971 and 76 because of government complaints about the fuel tank. at least 59 deaths have been connected with fiery rear end crashes involving pintos. there's up to 50 civil suits stemming from pinto crashes. at least six have been resolved out of court. but today an alcart, indiana grand jury indicted ford on criminal charges involving a fatal pinto crash. an action one lawyer called unprecedented." after a month of investigating the crash, an indiana grand jury charged ford with three counts of reckless homicide. something never done to a corporation before. "the design and engineering and manufacturing of the pinto motor vehicle was inappropriate and recklessly done and that ford motor company came to know of the defects in the pinto motor vehicle and did nothing about it."

"and though ford motor company engineers testified that the pinto's design was safe, yesterday, an auto design consultant told the grand jury the car's fuel tank was extremely vulnerable." "the pinto fuel tank is located very close to a very flimsy rear bumper. the bumper, as i've said before, does little more than reflect sunshine." "the grand jury decided not to indict the driver and instead charged ford with criminal homicide and criminal recklessness." ford's pinto debuted in 1970 as their firstsmall-fuel economic car. within two years, evidence from a case in california proved ford knew of the tank's weakness but design costs were strict. by 1978, ford voluntarily recalled tanks put in nearly two million pintos. production on the car would end in 1980, the same year the trial in indiana closed.

"and today after a small town jury found the company not guilty, prosecution and defense took differing views of the road ahead." "handed the verdict forms to gerald stefart who announced three times not guilty. once for each count of the indictment against the first corporation ever to be tried on reckless homicide charges." "does this vindicate the ford motor company, you think, in the eyes of the public?" "i think it should really. you know, the pinto has been maligned for years with articles that are unfair, one- sided. we have a chance to present our side of the story." today, ford's pinto scandal is shared in business ethnics classes as the price corporations must weigh when it comes to keeping costs down and benefits high. before roller hockey and "the snowball" had to come the original roller skate. not happy with the earliest versions, one man went back to the drawing board and fathered

the birth of the wheeled-shoes we know today. it was a path that culminated with the opening of the first public roller rink in august of 1866 from as far back as the 1740s, humans have been trying to put wheels on their feet. for the first 120 years, they were stiff. wheels attached to boards making it hard to turn or stop. then came along james l. plimpton, a new york inventor with greater aspirations for the roller skate. in 1863, he pantened what we know now as the modern roller skate. by adding two axels, it allowed skaters to lean one way or another to steer. plimpton called them the "rocker skates" and turned his eye to making them a popular way to spend time. after clearing out a floor at his furniture store and leasing out skates for a couple years, he helped found the "new york roller skating

association." with promotion of the hobby or sport being its priority, the newly-formed n.y.r.s.a. headed out of town to form the first public roller skating rink in the united states. on august 11, 1866, the association headed to newport, rhode island and rented out a floor of a resort hotel called "the atlantic house." they converted the dining room into an area to skate and armed with plimpton's skates, starting renting the wheels out to anyone who wanted to give it a try. it was the birth of the modern roller rink, the place americans have been falling on their butts for more than 150 years. as the u.s. attempts to re- establish diplomatic relations with cuba, we look back at the landmark decision that led to freedom for thousands of cubans who weren't all welcomed to their new home with open arms. their new home with open arms.

august 1994, an uprising in cuba would travel to the states. thousands of locals stood up to their dictator craving a life of democracy. in august of that year, fidel castro told them to go and lifted the block for cubans toflee from the island. "the cuban people continue to crowd the beaches of havana and set sail in those flimsy boats." "young cubans fed up with the islands crippled economy are still setting out to sea by hundreds in these makeshift boats. with no opposition from the cuban government, many carried their newly made crafts right through the streets of havana." before august 13, 1994, cubans fled in secrecy and if their 90-mile voyage to florida was successful, the u.s. welcomed their arrival. but after a massiveanti-

government riot in havana erupted, fidel castro blamed the protests on u.s, it's economic embargo and its immigration policy openly accepting cuban refugees. so, eight days later, he lifted the ban on his end unleashing a mass exodus of more than 35,000 cubans headed for freedom. "the governor of florida says the state can't handle it anymore. the non-stop flood of refugees from cuba. they are pouring in by the hundreds and today governor lawton chiles declared an emergency and appealed to the federal government for help." "he has turned the desire of his people to escape his rule into a tool with which to pressure the united states to change its policy." and six days after castro opened the door, washington closed theirs. "president clinton took action today to stop the flood of cuban refugees into the united states. he officially ended a nearly 30-year-old open door policy. cubans will no longer be granted automatic

political asylum." "people in the entire united states do not want to see another mariel boat lift. they do not want to see mr. castro able to export his political and economical problems to the united states." "we urge the people of cuba to remain home and not fall for this callous maneuver." because once they left cuba, they weren't welcome back nor backed by the u.s. instead, clinton ordered the coast guard to pick up rafters and send them to guantanamo bay. "the controversial new policies that call for the indefinite detention of all cuban immigrants and tighter economic restrictions against cuba were recommended by the powerful cuban-american lobby. it's leader insists these painful measures are necessary." "we have to sacrifice the short term gain in return for the liberation of cuba." the following month, washington reached a deal with havana allowing 20,000 cubans a year to enter the u.s.

but this did not include the thousands stranded at guantanamo. "getting to the united states is now at least a possibility for rafter children and their relatives but for 20,000 other cuban detainees, at this point the end is nowhere in sight." the wet feet-dry feet policy, part of the 1966 cuban adjustment act was reaffirmed by president clinton in 1995. it allows cubans who reach u.s. land on their own to stay. but those captured at sea are sent back to the island. it's an agreement that still stands today. even washington and havana moved to restoring diplomatic relations in 2015 setting up embassies, opening up travel restriction and ending embargos. travel restriction and ending embargos.

same plan. new phone. or a new plan. and a just in case.

add a new line. or three. and unlimited talk and text for unlimited tweens. take a carrier store detour at target, and upgrade to a shiny new everything. and now when you buy a phone, get 20% off your target run. all things mobile. all in one place. our journey continues monday. a president comes clean about an affair with a now imfamous intern. and we look back at how a nondescript farm in upstate new york would become the site of a defining moment of the '60s. it's monday, august 17, on "through the decades." that'll do it for us today. i'm bill kurtis. one more look back at this week "through the decades"

you'd do that for me? really? yeah i'd like that. who are you talking to? uh, it's jake from state farm. sounds like a really good deal. jake from state farm, at three in the morning? who is this? it's jake from state farm. what are you wearing jake from state farm? uh, khakis. she sounds hideous. well, she's a guy so... another reason more people stay with state farm. get to a better state.

>> this team is pure genius. scorpion, cbs monday in. cbses sports, your home for the nfl and "thursday night football". s.e.c. football and the masters, the pga championship and pga tour. march madness and the cbs sports family of nerks. coming this football season, your home for super bowl 15. cbs sports, expect it here. the cbs sportsdesk is presented by century limbing. >> welcome to the cbs sportsdesk presented by centurylink. coming up, third round coverage of the season's final major. preseason nfl action last night, the second overall pick in the draft marcus mayor oat avenue struggled a bit but had this