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Mar 21

Kennedy Sees No Evidence of Impending Cuban Attack

Mar. 21, 1962 - President Kennedy said today that he had no evidence of an impending Cuban attack on the U.S. naval base at Guantanamo Bay. He added at his news conference that the U.S. was always prepared to defend any territory under its responsibility. The President’s statement was made in response to a question about possible plans for increasing the base’s defenses in view of reports of a Cuban military buildup. The President said that “we are always concerned about the

Mar 21

First Lady Arrives in Pakistan

Mar. 21, 1962 - Mrs. Jacqueline Kennedy arrived in Pakistan today to a rousing welcome in which the accent was on the nation’s friendly bonds with the U.S. The President’s wife flew to Lahore after a carefree half hour with Prime Minister Jawaharlal Nehru at the conclusion of her visit to India. They dabbed each other with moist red powder to mark one of the happiest of Hindu holidays. Shortly after being presented with twin tiger cubs in Mr. Nehru’s garden in New Delhi, the

Mar 21

French Battle Right-Wing Terrorists in Algeria

Mar. 21, 1962 - French military policemen battled with Right-Wing terrorists in the center of Oran, Algeria, for two hours today. European snipers fired at the gendarmes from housetops as others threw grenades out of windows at them. The gendarmes shot back and called up armored cars. At least 14 persons were injured, with casualties evenly distributed between the gendarmes and civilians. Six of the injured civilians were arrested and liable to be tried by the newly establish

Mar 21

Khrushchev Agrees to Talks on Cooperative Space Ventures

Mar. 21, 1962 - Premier Khrushchev accepted today President Kennedy’s proposal for talks between the two countries on practical cooperation in space research. In a message to Mr. Kennedy, the Soviet leader declared that problems of exploration and peaceful use of outer space “demand an extensive pooling of scientific and material resources by states.” While cautioning that cooperation in space would be limited until conclusion of an agreement on complete disarmament, Mr. Khru

Mar 20

Sociologist C. Wright Mills Dead at 46

Mar. 20, 1962 - C. Wright Mills (pictured), author and Professor of Sociology at Columbia University, died today of a heart attack in his home in Nyack, N.Y. He was 46 years old. Mr. Mills, who was on leave of absence, had just completed a book, “The Marxists,” which is scheduled for publication soon. Mr. Mills, who was once called a “somewhat angry sociologist,” was a hard-working Texan who wrote books that were both scholarly and popular. He once said: “Whether I have writt

Mar 19

Mrs. Kennedy Rides Elephant in India

Mar. 19, 1962 - Mrs. Jacqueline Kennedy rode an eight-foot-high elephant around a 17th-century palace courtyard today. After the elephant had stomped about for 10 minutes, Mrs. Kennedy said, “Good-by and thank you” to both the driver and the elephant. The elephant, a 35-year-old female named Bibia (baby) raised a front leg and its trunk in salute. Later, the wife of President Kennedy went to the sprawling white home of the Maharaja of Jaipur and his Maharani, Gayatri Devi, a

Mar 19

Nixon Claims Kennedy Flouted Security Restrictions in 1960 Campaign

Mar. 19, 1962 - Richard M. Nixon has charged in a new book that President Kennedy endangered security restrictions in 1960 with his campaign call for intervention in Cuba. Mr. Nixon wrote Mr. Kennedy had been given a secret intelligence briefing in which he was told that the Eisenhower Administration was training Cuban exiles for an invasion of Cuba. The briefing was given by Allen Dulles, then director of the C.I.A., Mr. Nixon said. It came before Mr. Kennedy declared on Oct

Mar 18

First Lady Welcomed to Jaipur, India

Mar. 18, 1962 - Mrs. Jacqueline Kennedy received today the traditional welcome that Rajasthani Indians accord a woman they respect and love: she was garlanded and got a dab of brown paint on her forehead. A coconut encased in silver — a symbol of a highly auspicious occasion — was also presented to her. President Kennedy’s wife arrived in Jaipur, the capital of Rajasthan, by air from Udaipur. Before leaving Udaipur, Mrs. Kennedy attended mass in the small chapel of St. Paul’s

Mar 18

White House Hails French-Algerian Cease-Fire as "Historic Accomplishment"

Mar. 18, 1962 - The White House hailed the French-Algerian cease-fire today as a “historic accomplishment.” In a statement approved by President Kennedy, hope was expressed that the opportunity “will be quickly seized” to carry out the settlement of the Algerian nationalist rebellion. Pierre Salinger, White House press secretary, issued the statement, which said: “The U.S. supports these efforts toward a mutually beneficial solution and welcomes the agreement. It provides a s

Mar 18

🚨Cease-Fire Ends Algerian War

Mar. 18, 1962 - A cease-fire ending the Algerian war was signed in France today by French and Algerian delegations. The document terminating the seven-year rebellion will go into effect throughout Algeria at noon tomorrow (6 a.m. EST). The accord ended the long fight between the French Republic and the Algerian rebels’ National Liberation Front for control of the vast North African territory. It opened a new phase in the resistance of the Secret Army Organization (OAS), made

Mar 17

Soviets: U.S. Fighting "Undeclared War" in Vietnam

Mar. 17, 1962 - The Soviet Union accused the U.S. today of fighting an “undeclared war” in South Vietnam and demanded the immediate removal of American military personnel. At the same time, Moscow defended incursions into South Vietnam by Viet Cong guerrillas as a “national liberation movement.” The statement asserted that the guerrillas had been prevented from toppling the Government of President Ngo Dinh Diem only by the presence of U.S. troops. The statement insisted that

Mar 17

U.S. Army Helicopters Pursue Viet Cong Close to Cambodian Border

Mar. 17, 1962 - United States Army helicopters flew within a half-mile of the Cambodian frontier Thursday to land Vietnamese troops. This region is the haunt of Hoa Hao, a Buddhist sect often in arms against the Government of President Ngo Dinh Diem. The sect sometimes cooperates with Viet Cong guerrillas. The object of the attack by Government forces was to flush guerrillas from trees and brush along a canal and strafe them as they fled across open fields toward the frontier

Mar 16

Mrs. Kennedy Continues Tour of India

Mar. 16, 1962 - Mrs. Jacqueline Kennedy paid a visit today to the holy Hindu city of Benares. Later, Mrs. Kennedy received a cheering reception as she arrived in Udaipur, a one-time major capital of princely India. Tens of thousands of Indians surged about the open car that carried the First Lady from the airport to the palace of the Maharana of Bhagwasinghji. At Benares, Mrs. Kennedy rode in a launch up and down the murky green Ganges, the most sacred river in Hindu mytholog

Mar 16

Khrushchev Issues Nuclear Warning to U.S.

Mar. 16, 1962 - In a speech calling for disarmament and the early conclusion of a German peace treaty, Premier Khrushchev warned the U.S. that it was defenseless against Soviet rocket bombardment. Mr. Khrushchev said the new Soviet rocket could circumvent the radar and detection devices of the early warning line the U.S. has established at a cost of billions of dollars in an arc extending from northwestern Canada to Greenland and the British Isles. In Washington, there was no

Mar 15

Plane Carrying 93 U.S. Soldiers Disappears in Pacific

Mar. 15, 1962 - A Flying Tiger Line Super Constellation carrying 107 persons, including 93 U.S. soldiers, disappeared during a night flight from Guam to Manila early today. It was presumed to have crashed at sea. An Army spokesman in Washington said the soldiers were bound for Saigon to join the growing force of U.S. military men in South Vietnam. The passengers also included three South Vietnamese enlisted men. There were four women in the civilian crew of eleven. A vast air

Mar 15

Mrs. Kennedy Explores India, Sees Taj Mahal Twice

Mar. 15, 1962 - Mrs. Jacqueline Kennedy took a short course in Indian history today. It began with a tour of the sprawling abandoned city of Fatehpur Sikri, which dates to the 16th-century reign of the Mogul Emperor Akbar the Great. It ended with a visit by moonlight to India’s fabled white marble mausoleum, the Taj Mahal. The wife of the President went to the 300-year-old Taj Mahal twice. After her first visit, shortly before sunset, her car was mobbed by surging, cheering c

Mar 15

McNamara: U.S. Personnel in Vietnam Return Fire from Viet Cong

Mar. 15, 1962 - Asked today about the United States’ huge military training program in South Vietnam, Secretary of Defense Robert S. McNamara (pictured) said: “I think our mission in South Vietnam is very clear. We are there at the request of the South Vietnamese Government to provide training.” He at a press conference that “there has been sporadic fire aimed at U.S. personnel and in some minor instances they’ve had to return that fire.” It is believed that nearly 4,000 U.S.

Mar 14

President Kennedy Says Youngest Brother Runs for Senate "On His Own"

Mar. 14, 1962 - President Kennedy said today that Edward M. Kennedy, his youngest brother, was running “on his own” in the primary campaign for Senator from Massachusetts. “I will not take part in that campaign, except I will go to vote in the primary in September,” the President said at his news conference. However, Attorney General Robert F. Kennedy, another brother, hinted that the President might campaign for Edward if he won the right to opppose George Cabot Lodge, the p

Mar 14

VIDEO: President Kennedy's Press Conference

Mar. 14, 1962 - Here is video of President Kennedy’s press conference today. #JFK #jfkfiles #1960s #jfkennedy #jfkmemorial #jfklibrary #jfkpresident #jfkquote #history #historylover #historybuff #historychannel #HistoryLesson #podcast #HistoryMuseum #historylovers #politics #coldwar

Mar 14

Mrs. Kennedy Befriends an Elephant in India

Mar. 14, 1962 - Mrs. Jacqueline Kennedy made friends with an elephant today. “She’s so cute,” the President’s wife said after a 10-minute visit with the 600-pound animal. The 11-month-old elephant is named Urvashi, after a mythical dancer in an ancient Hindu court. The animal was taken from the Delhi Zoo to Prime Minister Jawaharlal Nehru’s garden for the First Lady to see. Later, Mrs. Kennedy went riding and jumping on horseback with mounted bodyguards of the Indian Presiden