Hi Arlo,
This was back in the early 80's. I'm not no longer in the ops business but in thoses days the only real contact for overfly permissions for us was via AFTN.
Now that we have the internet and other better comms I would hpe things improved.
An example of how good AFTN was, to a point was demonstrated a few years later to me after I received a phonepatch from another companies aircraft to tell me that they had overflown an airfield in Angola and seen one of our aircraft on the ground and it was burning.
After ringing various alarm bells in the company I started sending SS prority messages to Angolian ATC units asking for any information that they may have on the aircraft. Given the high priority the AFTN system sends a message back when your telex has passed thru each comms centre. These were received as far as Algeria but never any message from AFTN centres south of there.
We later found out that Unita guerillas had attacked the airfield and had captured the crew who were subjected to a forced march across country before being released some time later.
http://aviation-safety.net/database/...?id=19841229-0
I won't say this was the most demanding shift as it quickly passed over to management.
Certainly the my previous post was a very busy shift for two of us on the night shift although later when the night shifts were down to one person you could have some real challenges when the weather didnt behave as forecast and you were rerouting more than one flight and also trying to arrange handling etc for the diversions.
I recall one were an L382 was inbound for EGKK when the weather dropped below minima and we then found that contrary to the forecast so did the alternate (EGSS). I had that aircraft head to two other possibles but being in a queue of other diversions they didnt get there before these airfields also dropped below minima. We ended up, I believe, in EGHH. That was a challenge simply because I had to keep an eye on the weather but also keep in touch regarding his fuel state which began to get me concerned.