RIPPLE SALVO… #406… “HEY, HEY, L.B.J.: HOW MANY KIDS DID YOU KILL TODAY?”… but first…
Good Morning: Day FOUR HUNDRED SIX of a return to the Vietnam war and the volatile and bloody summer of 1967…
15 APRIL 1967… HOMETOWN HEADLINES and LEADS from The New York Times on a rainy Saturday in NYC…
Page 1: “Throngs to Parade to U.N. Today for Anti-War Rally”... “Opponents of the war in Vietnam began converging on the city yesterday for a demonstration today that is expected to draw many thousands of persons to Central Park and to a rally outside the United Nations building. The police said they were preparing for a crowd numbering from 100,000 to 400,000. Mayor Lindsay called on demonstrators to exercise their right to dissent peacefully and quietly. More than 3,000 police have been assigned to the demonstration and been instructed to ‘be courteous and maintain total objectivity’ during the protest…A similar protest is planned in San Francisco… The organizers call themselves the Spring Mobilization Committee to end the War in Vietnam.”… (see RIPPLE SALVO below for how this landmark event played out)…
Page 1: “4,500 GIs Flown to Border Region of South Vietnam”... “A United States Army brigade of 4,500 men has been airlifted to reinforce the Marine units in South Vietnam’s embattled northern provinces. The 196th Light Infantry Brigade, whose arrival was announced yesterday is the first major Army unit assigned to the I Corps area, which embraces five provinces…The Marines, whose advance units landed in March 1965 now number 73,000 men and are Commanded by Lieutenant General Lewis Walt. The 196th is led by BGEN Richard T. Knowles, who will report to LGEN Walt.”… Page 1: “U.S. Raiders Err: 41 Vietnamese Die”... “Two United States Air Force F-100 jets dropped their bombs off target in early morning darkness today and one hit a South Vietnamese army battalion’s position. Vietnamese headquarters said 41 soldiers were killed and 50 seriously wounded. The bombs fell in the coastal plain 23 miles northwest of Quinhon. The accidental bombing was the worst of its kind since 2 March 1967 (six weeks).”… Page 1: “Johnson Hails Conference”… “Ecuador Spurns Final Pact”... “Johnson described the conference as ‘extremely valuable’ and said, ‘We have set our priorities for the next stage.’ Ecuadorian President: ‘We have rejected it completely because it does not satisfy the aspirations of our people in the aspects that are regarded as fundamental for achieving the rapid economic and social development of Latin America.’ “…
Page 3: “Liu Said to Seek showdown:… “Liu Shao-chi Chian’s Chief of State, has demanded meeting of the Communist Central Committee for a showdown meeting with Mao Tse-tung. Moa’;s attacks on Liu have gained little since Liu remains as head of state and holds his seat in the politburo.”… Page 1: “Treaty Pledging Peace in Space Backed in Senate”… “The Senate Foreign Relations committee approved without dissent today an international treaty providing for the peaceful exploration of space….The treaty consists of a preamble and 17 articles and is backed by 79 nations.”… Page 2: “Nixon Urges Halt to War Criticism”... “Richard Nixon arriving here today for three days of conferences urged Democratic critics of President Johnson’s war policy to declare a ‘a moratorium on the kind of criticism that gives aid and comfort to the enemy.’... ‘That is a major factor in prolonging the conflict by stiffening the enemy’s will to resist.’ “… Page 2: “Westmoreland Reports No End of War in Sight“… “General William C. Westmoreland believes that although there are many friends favorable to the United States and its allies, it is impossible to say how long the Vietnam war will last. ‘I can’t see any end in sight.’… also: ‘Victory will be a very fragile thing unless the political war matches the military pace.’ “…
Page 8: “Legion Backs Extension of Draft”... “The National Commander of the American Legion John E. Davis today urged extension of the present military draft act with retention of full authority of local and state draft boards. ‘A so-called lottery violates the principle of placing the individual where his service would be most needed by the nation.’ “… Page 13: “The Second SR-71 Spy Plane in 15-Months Crashes”… in New Mexico. One of America’s top-secret spy planes, the SR-71 reconnaissance jet, exploded and crashed last night about 15 miles northwest of here (Las Vegas). The two Air Force majors in the jet ejected safely and were rescued.”…
Page 13: “Dr. King Supported In Warnings On War”... “The Social Justice Department of the National Council of Churches supported yesterday the Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.’s recent warnings that expenditures on the war in Vietnam were crippling the anti-poverty program. ‘Dr. King had once again focused out attention on the relationship between a growing commitment to military expansion and the daily deterioration of economic development at home and abroad,’ the 48-member department said in a unanimously approved resolution.”…
15 APRIL 1967… OPERATION ROLLING THUNDER… New York Times (16 April reporting 15 April ops)… Page 6: “505th Plane Lost in North”… A United States spokesman announced today the loss of the 505th American aircraft in action over North Vietnam. The plane was an F-105 Thunderchief, its pilot was Major Paul R. Craw of Wichita, who was rescued (see RTR for 14 April)…
“Vietnam: Air Losses”(Hobson) There were two fixed wing aircraft lost in Southeast Asia on 15 April 1967…
(1) A C-123K of the 311th ACS and 315th ACW out of Tan Son Nhut crashed on landing when the nose landing gear failed. All five men in the crew survived.
(2) A C-130B of the 20th TCS and 463rd TCW out of Clark AFB crashed at Bao Loc killing three of the six man crew. SSGT DAVID GLOVER, SSGT DONALD KANNEL, and A1C DAVID CHANEY perished in the accident. The aircraft failed to slow on landing and the pilot chose to make a go-around. The aircraft got airborne but failed to clear a small hill, crashed in a ravine and in the ensuing fire the cargo of ammunition exploded… Bad day at Bao Loc fifty years ago on this date…
RIPPLE SALVO… #406… Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. gave a speech in Los Angeles on 25 February 1967 he titled, “The Casualties of the War in Vietnam.” MIGHTY THUNDER posted that speech on this website on 23 February 2017. The speech was a tell on where Dr. King was taking his inspirational leadership skills and motivational speaking talents for the rest of his life. He alone understood the power that could be harnessed by combining several single issue advocates under one umbrella or rainbow. The 25 February speech was just the beginning. His performance at the United Nations on 15 April 1967 was another critical event in his move to the van of the anti-Vietnam war movement in the United States. Here is the New York Times report of the day of anti-war demonstrations and Dr. King’s speech on Saturday, 15 April 1967, 50 years ago today…
“100,000 Rally at U.N. Against War”…
“Thousands of anti-war demonstrators marched through the streets of Manhattan Saturday and then massed in front of the United Nations building to hear United States policy in Vietnam denounced… The number of demonstrators was estimated between 100,000 and 126,000. The expected crowd was put between 400,000 and 100,000. It was the largest peace demonstration staged in New York since the Vietnam war began. the parade was led by Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., Dr. Benjamin Spock, and Harry Belafonte. On the march the younger members chanted: ‘Hell no, we won’t go.’ and ‘Hey, hey L-B-J, how many kids you kill today.’
“About 70 young men gathered at Sheep Meadow in Central Park to burn their draft cards. they were joined by others and more than 200 cards were burned at last count. The ceremony was conducted to chants of, ‘Resist, resist.’ Many wore daffodils and chanted ‘Flower power.’ it was the first large draft-card burning in the protests against the Vietnam war, although groups of up to a dozen have publicly burned their cards.
“Dr. King repeatedly called on the United States to ‘honor his word’ and ‘stop the bombing of North Vietnam.’…’I would like to urge students from colleges all over the nation to use this summer and coming summers educating and organizing communities across the nation against this war.’ A Vietcong flag was raised in Central Park.
“There were several floats in the parade including one with Pete Seeger with several children singing folk songs, including Seeger’s “This Land is Your Land.” Most of the signs had been authorized by the organizers. slogans were: ‘Stop The Bombing’; ‘No Vietnamese Ever Called Me Nxxxx’; and ‘Children are Not Born to Burn.’…
“The demonstrators were under constant challenges by anti-demonstrators. More than 2,000 police were on hand at the U.N. building to keep order and the two groups separate.
“Dr. King told a reporter as he was departing the demonstration was ‘just a beginning of a massive outpouring of concern and protest activity against this illegal and unjust war.’
“Stokely Carmichael, leader of the Student Non-Violent Coordinating Committee also spoke. He spoke against a backdrop of shouts of ‘black power, black power’ and described the United States presence in Vietnam as ‘brutal and racist’ and that he was against drafting young men, particularly young black Americans.”
“The anti-demonstrators carried signs that said: ‘End Hanoi Sanctuary’; ‘Support Our GIs’; and ‘Uncle Ho Wants You–We Don’t’ “… New York City had 3,000 police on duty, the largest patrol since the Khrushchev visit in 1961.”
Dr. Martin Luther King had cast his lot… to the chagrin of the President…
Lest we forget… Bear