The John Batchelor Show

1905 QUEENSLAND
El Niño Brings Extreme Australian Rain
Jeremy Zakis reports from New South Wales on unpredictable weather driven by a monster El Niño event. After warning of flash droughts, meteorologists forecasted the wettest El Niño on record following heavy rainfall. Sydneysuffered three to four inches of rain, causing severe drainage backups and slowing down city transportation. (1)

1904 PERSIA
Espionage Networks Behind Clandestine Iranian Arms
Craig Unger, Part Two: Working alongside investigative journalist Robert Parry, Unger uncovers a vast international intelligence network involving the Safari Club, Israeli military intelligence, and rogue arms dealers. Crucial government documents hidden in an abandoned congressional restroom reveal secret wiretaps and illicit weapons transfers flowing directly to Iran. Although official congressional inquiries dismissed the October Surprise allegations, high-level Iranianofficials and archival evidence confirm that clandestine arms deals were brokered. Minutes after Ronald Reagan takes the official oath of office on Inauguration Day in January 1981, Iran finally releases fifty-two American hostages, completing a momentous, highly controversial chapter in modern presidential history. (2)

1705 PERSIA
Hostage Crisis Politics And Covert Negotiations
Craig Unger, author of Den of Spies, Part One: In April 1980, the catastrophic failure of a secret American military rescue mission in Iran leaves eight servicemen dead and President Jimmy Carter politically crippled. Taking advantage of Carter’s vulnerability, Ronald Reagan’s presidential campaign hires former OSS intelligence officer William Caseyas campaign manager. Fearing a pre-election hostage release that could boost Carter, Casey secretly builds a covert international espionage network. Unger examines allegations that Republican operatives negotiated with Iranianofficials in Madrid and Paris, offering illicit arms shipments in exchange for delaying the release of fifty-two American hostages until long after the 1980 presidential election. (1)

1776 NY
Arson Accusations And Unresolved Historical Inquiries
Part Two: Following the catastrophic blaze, British military authorities detain dozens of suspected rebel arsonists caught carrying turpentine, matches, and other flammable materials. Disagreeing over underlying motives, both political sides launch intense propaganda campaigns to sway public opinion regarding the destruction. General George Washingtonpublicly denies involvement while privately acknowledging the major strategic benefit of the burn. Key suspects, including intelligence agents like Abraham Patten, are executed or die in brutal captivity. In 1783, British General Guy Carleton conducts an extensive formal inquiry into pump sabotage and incendiary caches, yet ultimate historical responsibility for the conflagration remains an unsettled historical mystery. (2)

1776 NEW YORK
Revolutionary Conflict And The Manhattan Conflagration
Part One: In the spring of 1776, General George Washington arrives in New York City to establish a Continental Armybase while facing a deeply divided, suspicious loyalist population. The British fleet soon commands the harbor, forcing two-thirds of the civilian population to flee. After severe American defeats on Long Island, military leaders debate destroying Manhattan to deny the British valuable winter quarters. Although Congress explicitly forbids burning the city, Washington considers this decision a major strategic error. Around midnight on September 21, a massive fire erupts, rapidly destroying lower Manhattan as strong winds drive the flames through vulnerable wooden civilian structures. (1)