Pro-Castro Communists step up their terror campaign in Caracas, Venezuela, by attacking a Roman Catholic church, shooting at the British ambassador’s residence, and setting fire to a movie theater and a political club. Guerrillas speed by the residence of Ambassador Sir Douglas Busk in the country club suburban area and fire a machine gun burst at second story windows, breaking two. No one is injured. In the attack on the church, five armed men tie up five priests and hold worshipers inside at gunpoint. They force the parishioners to turn over money and jewels.
The U.S. Navy today said that a new torpedo which also flies as a missile before dropping a nuclear depth charge miles away will be put aboard 12 to 15 Thresher-class submarines by the end of next year. The new long-range weapon, called the Subroc, was described at a press briefing as a “major breakthrough” in meeting the threat of missile-firing enemy submarines. The Soviets have 465 submarines, and intelligence sources believe at least 10 of these with nuclear power plants can fire missiles up to 350 miles.
The range of the sub-killing Subroc [for submarine rocket] is secret, but the navy said it was “several times” that of a conventional torpedo used for the same work, which is about 10 miles. The Subroc — 21 inches in diameter, 20 feet long, and approximately 4,000 pounds in weight — can be fired from the conventional torpedo tubes aboard Thresher-class subs. The navy said a complex highly accurate fire control system aboard submerged submarines with digital computers can send the weapon to the target area from information obtained by either optical, radar, or sonar equipment tracking the enemy.
Dr. Ralph E. Lapp, a physicist who worked on the wartime Manhattan Project, said today that satellites are providing excellent photographs of Russian missile installations. Dr. Lapp, speaking at Queens College, said that the information gathered by high-powered cameras in our satellites should be revealed to the American people. Dr. Lapp said satellites had “enormous implications” for Soviet military strategy.
Pope Paul VI closes second session of 2nd Vatican Council. The second period of Second Vatican Council closed, exactly 400 years to the day after the closing of the Council of Trent on December 4, 1563. When the Sacrosanctum Concilium, the proposed reform of Roman Catholic liturgy, was placed before the Council Fathers, the vote was 2,147 to 4 in favor. As one commentator would note later, “Ritual conformity to language, postures and gestures in liturgical celebrations. yielded to a new way of commemorating the mysteries of salvation history. Latin gave way to the vernacular; altars were turned around, and priest celebrants faced their congregations. The congregation that attended mass in a passive and generally silent manner was transformed into a fully active and conscious assembly which celebrated the liturgy. In short, the content and form of ritual worship in the Roman Catholic Church were considerably modified and corrected.” Another commentator opines that it “also affected, directly and indirectly, worship in most mainstream Western Protestant churches.”.
Christophe Soglo, the military officer who took control of Dahomey in a coup d’état two months earlier, forced the resignation of former president Hubert Maga from the provisional government, accusing Maga of involvement in an assassination attempt.
The United Nations Security Council unanimously (11 to 0) adopted Resolution 182 condemning the apartheid policy of the Government of the Republic of South Africa. The U.N. Security Council renewed its effort to force an end to racial discrimination in South Africa and set in motion a Norwegian conciliation plan.
Legislators of Britain and the six Common Market nations went on record against the U.S. proposal for a multilateral nuclear force within NATO.
French President Charles de Gaulle revived a threat to sabotage the European Common Market if his five partners fail to agree on agricultural policy
The White House announced that Canadian Prime Minister Lester B. Pearson will visit Washington January 22 for a one-day foreign policy meeting with President Johnson.
The United States retaliated in the chicken war with the European Common Market by increasing import duties for West German pickup trucks, French brandy and other commodities.
Malcolm X was suspended from the Nation of Islam (Black Muslim) movement by Elijah Muhammad. The 90-day suspension came after Malcolm’s earlier remarks about the Kennedy assassination; at the end of the suspension, Malcolm would announce that he was leaving the Black Muslim movement entirely.
The bodies of two children of the late President Kennedy and Mrs. Kennedy were reburied privately at his side in Arlington National cemetery tonight. The children were a girl born dead in 1956 and a son, Patrick Bouvier, who died 39 hours after his birth last August 9. Arrangements for the reburial, requested by Mrs. Kennedy, were made in secret. The national cemetery is closed to the public at sundown.
Pierre Salinger, White House press secretary, who made the announcement, said: “On behalf of Mrs. Kennedy I am announcing that Patrick Bouvier Kennedy, born on August 7, 1963, died on August 9, 1963, and an infant girl, dead at birth on August 23, 1956, have joined their father, President Kennedy, in the Arlington National cemetery. Patrick was buried at Brookline, Massachusetts, and the little girl in Newport, Rhode Island. They were brought to Washington today on the family plane, the Caroline, and were accompanied by Senator Edward M. Kennedy. The family was in Arlington for the interment, at which Bishop Hannan presided.”
The House approves the first Johnson-endorsed bill — providing for the spending of 600 million dollars on a third cotton subsidy. The bill would make it possible for textile manufacturers in this country to buy cotton at the same price as their world competitors. The vote is 216 to 182, with seven senators voting present.
Rumors fly that Chicago Mayor Daley is slated for a post in the Johnson cabinet. According to rumors rife in the capital, he is to become secretary of commerce, Luther Hodge’s job, and Hodges is to get a White House post. Daley denies the report, but friends insist it is true.
Senator Dirksen, Illinois minority leader, breakfasts with President Johnson and assures him that there will be a tax cut bill next year. It will be acted upon speedily, the senator says, and will be retroactive to January 1. President Johnson is expected to submit to Congress in January a budget calling for 101 billion dollars the largest in history.
President Johnson asks support of both organized labor and the business community “to move this country forward in all areas.” Johnson tells the AFL-CIO executive council that his goal is 75 million jobs, or 15 million more than the present level. Speaking to the advisory business council, the President promises that his administration will not “harass you or persecute you, we want to help you.”
Legislation is introduced in both houses of Congress to confer the power to compel testimony under oath, subject to the penalty of perjury, upon a Presidential commission appointed to study the Kennedy assassination. The seven-man commission, headed by Chief Justice Earl Warren, will hold its first meeting today in the National Archives building.
More closed-door hearings have been scheduled by the Senate Rules Committee as it continues its investigation of Robert G. Baker, the resigned secretary of the Senate’s Democratic majority.
Attorney General Robert F. Kennedy returned to his desk at the Justice Department but did not say how long he plans to remain there.
President Johnson saluted the “noble patriotism” of Rufus W. Youngblood, Secret Service agent who shielded Mr. Johnson with his own body during the Dallas shootings.
The Senate ended seven months of uncertainty over the continued importation of Mexican farm workers by voting to extend the program for another year.
As the Warren commission prepared to launch its investigation into the Kennedy assassination, FBI Director J. Edgar Hoover warned the nation against “hate mongers” whose fanaticism has killed “decent Americans.”
The American Medical Association’s house of delegates at its 17th clinical meeting in Portland, Oregon, votes to undertake an all-out study on smoking after a survey shows that the death rate among cigarette smokers is more than double that among nonsmokers. The organization says it hopes to find out exactly which human ailments are “caused or aggravated by smoking.” The study involved 34,975 men over 40 who smoke a package or more of cigarettes per day and a similar number who did not smoke.
In Lemont, Illinois, the Argonne National Laboratory put its new “zero gradient synchrotron” into operation, which was described as opening a “new era in physics”.
Boston Bruins’ right wing Andy Hebenton sets a new NHL record by playing in his 581st consecutive game in 2-2 tie with Chicago Black Hawks; reaches 630 straight games.
Cleveland trades outfielder Willie Kirkland to the Orioles for outfielder Al Smith and an estimated $25,000.
Detroit pitcher Jim Bunning is traded to the Phillies with catcher Gus Triandos for outfielder Don Demeter and pitcher Jack Hamilton. Not a smart move for Detroit as Bunning will win 75 games for Philly over the next 4 seasons.
Dow Jones Industrial Average: 755.51 (+3.69).
Born:
Sergey Bubka, Ukrainian pole vaulter (Olympic gold, 1988; World Championship gold, 1983, 1987, 1991, 1993, 1995, 1997), in Luhansk, Ukrainian SSR, Soviet Union. In 1985, he became the first person to clear six meters; in 1991, at 6.10m, he became the first to clear 20 feet. His last record, 6.14 meters (20 feet, 1 3/4 inches) has stood since 1994.
Bernardo Brito, Dominican MLB pinch hitter and left fielder (Minnesota Twins), in San Cristobal, Dominican Republic.
History Diaries 