Anwar Sadat's assassination added to chaos in Middle East

Egyptian President Anwar Sadat was gunned down in a grenade and machine-gun attack as he reviewed a military parade in a Cairo suburb on Oct. 6, 1981. The assassination of the 63-year-old Sadat topped the news for the month of October 25 years ago.

The Egyptian president, who had met with Israeli leader Menachem Begin at Camp David in 1978 during the Carter administration, was shot by men wearing army uniforms. The assassins opened fire from a jeep, then jumped out and charged the reviewing stand, firing automatic weapons and hurling grenades. Palestinians and leftist Lebanese militias in Beirut fired guns in the air in celebration of the news.

The assassination caused concern for the future of the Middle East, especially from former presidents Jimmy Carter and Gerald Ford. Both said they believed Sadat was important to the stability of the region. President Reagan praised Sadat as "a humanitarian unafraid to make peace."

Israel's Begin flew to Cairo for Sadat's funeral and held talks with Sadat's successor, Hosni Mubarak. Reagan did not attend the funeral because of reports that he might be assassinated, an act believed ordered by Libyan strongman Moammar Khadafy.

Unrest in the Middle East already was prevalent. Days before Sadat's assassination, 40 people were killed as a bomb exploded in Palestinian offices in Beirut. Witnesses said the blast destroyed several offices of the Palestine Liberation Organization and no fewer than a dozen vehicles.

On their return from Sadat's funeral, Carter and Ford told reporters they believed that, at some point in the near future, the United States would have to negotiate with the PLO if it wanted to help bring peace to the Middle East. Both presidents spoke out more strongly than they had during their administrations, and both reaffirmed that the PLO would have to acknowledge Israel's right to exist. Their comments drew criticism from Israeli officials.

In other news a generation ago:

Here to stay: The U.S. Supreme Court refused to order the Tennessee Valley Authority to move its headquarters from Knoxville to Muscle Shoals, Ala. The justices, without comment, left intact a ruling that allowed TVA to remain in Knoxville, where the agency's board and 3,000 workers are based.

Prayer ruling: Acting on an Arizona case, the high court also refused to allow group prayers during optional student assemblies at public schools. Without comment, the justices left intact rules that barred such prayers at the school in Chandler, Ariz.

Rise of China: The Soviet Union had said no, but China said yes to an invitation to host a pavilion at the 1982 World's Fair in Knoxville. China's decision, after two years of negotiations, was a big milestone in the fair's progress. It was the first appearance at an international exhibition for China since 1904.

Downtown legacy: The death of Charles E. Krutch, retired chief photographer for TVA, brought an important gift for downtown Knoxville. Krutch, who was 94, left $1 million for the city to purchase and maintain a park in the central part of the city. Krutch Park, near Market Square, is the legacy.

No to bingo: An opinion from state Attorney General William Leech put bingo operations in jeopardy for churches, schools and charity groups. Leech said that any charity group sponsoring bingo in Tennessee could not have expenses, including prizes, of more than 25 percent of the proceeds. An official with the state's charitable solicitations division said, "It is now almost impossible to comply with the law."

Sign of the times: White Stores, a Knoxville-based grocery operation, said it would begin opening on Sundays, although store officials dismissed the reports as rumors. The company operated 45 stores in East Tennessee, 20 in Knoxville.

First-class costs: Postal Service officials said they believed the new 20-cent postage rate for first-class mail should last for at least two years. The Postal Service raised the price of a stamp from 18 cents to take effect Nov. 1. The cost of a first-class stamp had been raised from 15 cents in March 1981.

Barrels and barrels: The Strategic Petroleum Reserve, the nation's insurance against cutoffs in foreign oil supplies, stored its 200 millionth barrel of oil. However, the process was much slower than predicted. It had taken six years to reach that milestone. The reserve, in underground salt caverns in Louisiana and Texas, was supposed to have 500 million barrels by December 1980.

College bound: Eight out of 10 high school students said they planned to attend college, according to a Gallup Poll Youth Survey. The poll results reflected high expectations at a time when the U.S. Census Bureau reported that only six out of 10 teenagers actually were entering college.