Wednesday, May 4, 1977
THE MICHIGAN DAILY
Page Nineteen
Arledge to head ABC news
NEW YORK (AP) - The 'appoint-
ment of Roone Arledge as president of
ABC news and sports precipitated an
internal struggle with worried news ex-
ecutives who feared his spectacular in-
novations in sports coverage might bring
a show business element into the news.
But the struggle "was completely re-
solved in Arledge's favor" by the time
the new post was announced Monday,
according to informed network sources,
and the f5-year-old TV sports wonderman
now has total authority over the future
shape and style of ABC news.
NEWS EXECUTIVES reportedly back-
ed an attempt by outgoing news chief
William Sheehan to have continuing ac-
cess to ABC president Frederick Pierce
even if Arledge became overall boss of
the division. They thought this might
help control any overly theatrical plans
by the man who created the "Wide World
of Sports" in 1%1 and who introduced
the instant replay, stop-action and slow
motion camera techniques to sports re-
porting.
But Arledge was given both the title
and the power, with Sheehan his sub-
ordinate. When the new appointments
were announced an ABC network news
editor grumbled to his colleagues, "now
the new ABC symbol is going to be a
jockstrap."
Apprehension over the future shape
of the news has not been overcome by
Arledge's recent protestations that he
doesn't intend to parallel the movie "Net-
work" and having dancing girls opening
the evening news" to improve ratings.
The network news program is reported-
ly steadily losing ground despite the ex-
pensive addition of newscaster Barbara
Walters.
ARLEDGE ASSERTED that he would
"never tamper with journalistic prin-
ciples" to improve the news.
But even if it does mean defending
journalistic principles against show busi-
ness, many ABC news people are de-
lighted that at last they have a presi-
dent who will wield enormous powers.
"Never in the past has an ABC news
chief been in such a favored position in
the organization," a staffer said. "Ar-
ledge is big. He'll have access to money.
That means more satellite broadcasts
from overseas, more budget. This thing
could be a positive step forward. We
have never had that kind of clout be-
fore."
Arledge
Woman, 88, cleared
of Nazi spy charge
PHILADELPHIA t') - For 36
years Margaret Wunderle beg-
ged generals, admirals and pres-
idents to celar her of charges
that she had been a Nazi col-
laborator.
Now, after a letter to Presi-
dent Carter and an investigation
by his staff and the Navy, she
has been vindicated.
AND WHILE the 80-year-old
Wunderle admits "this is an
awful excitment for me," she
says "somebody could have
cleared this up" long ago.
in mid-1941, Wunderle was
tired from her job as a senior
teictihone operator at the Phila-
detphia Navy Yard after the
\ay notified her she was "e-
titbly reported" to be a Nazi
m tpathizer.
fhe firing was based on infor-
mation supposedly volunteered
by a cos-worker. When she pro-
tested her innocence, the Navy
nsiercd:
YOU HAVE been retiably re-
yted to have demonstrated in
. >ir actions and your speech an
vi terence to and enthusiasm for
the existing Nazi adminis-
ons of the German govern-
"'"t. You have maintained
ysai contact with that country
by 'event visits there."
I was never in Germany in
ty life," Wunderle recalled yes-
le rday, "and I never belonged
to tiny German organization."
iUt W'underle's parents were
fritmr Germany, and in those
date, she said, "the word Nazi
became a synonym for Ger-
mas." It became almost impos-
sible for her to find a job and
she has been unemployed most
Of time since then.
TO PAY LEGAL bills and
"lust to keep on living" she
remortgaged her house and 'old
her sewing machine and the
fitistly's piano. She also re-
ceires a disability pension earn-
ed as a Navy clerk during World
War L.
Wunderle has written to every
tresident since she was acctisod.
After the Korean War, she per-
sonally asked Gen. iouglas
MacArthur for help.
"tie said he didn't want any
n",re to do with potitics," she
satd. During the Nixon ters,
henry Kissinger returned her
"liE CAI LED we back, hat
idat do anything." she said.
'ie was down in the basement
si the White House then, right
h'rte he got so powerful.
This year she wrote to Presi-
dent Carter: "For 25 years I
have been and still am a pris-
oner in these United States of
America."
Carter's staff asked the Navy
to investigate and last week Jo-
seph McCullen Jr., an assistant
secretary of the Navy, repfied:
"Your dismissal with preju-
dice was improper . . . I sin-
cerely regret that this injustice
has remained for so many
years."
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