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Contrast the current situation with the one in 1979. At that time, actions by the Board of Governors on discount rate changes were reported promptly, but there was no press release subsequent to an FOMC policy action and FOMC meeting minutes were released with a 90-day delay. On Sept. 19, 1979, the Board of Governors voted by the narrow margin of 4-3 to approve a ½ percentage-point increase in the discount rate, with all three dissents against the increase. This information generated the public perception that the Fed officials were sharply divided and, therefore, that the Fed was not prepared to act decisively against inflation. John Berry, a knowledgeable reporter at the Washington Post, observed that “the split vote, with its clear signal that from the Fed’s own point of view interest rates are at or close to their peak for this business cycle, might forestall any more increases in market interest rates.”(9) However, the interpretation of the “clear signal” was erroneous. On that same day, the FOMC had voted 8 to 4 to raise the range for the intended funds rate to 11-1/4 to 11-3/4 percent. More importantly, three of the four dissents were in favor of a more forceful action to restrain inflation.(10) Neither the FOMC’s action, the dissents nor the rationale for the dissents were revealed to the public under the disclosure policies then in effect. The result was to destabilize markets, with commodity markets, in particular, exhibiting extreme volatility.