A fire broke out at 11:30 p.m. on the Greek cruise ship Lakonia, as it carried over 1,000 passengers and nearly 400 crew while still 180 miles (290 km) from its first port of call, on the island of Madeira. Most of the guests were at a dance at the ship’s ballroom. Many of those aboard were British vacationers. In all, 128 people died. The vast majority of them had escaped the fire but were found in their lifejackets, dead of hypothermia.
Emilio de los Santos resigned as the chief of the civilian triumvirate that had been installed to rule the Dominican Republic on after the overthrow of Juan Bosch on September 26. De los Santos, who quit in protest against the military’s harsh treatment of leftist rebels, was replaced as the nominal president by Donald Reid Cabral.
Eighteen crewmen of the sunken French freighter Douala were picked up alive by the Canadian coast guard today from two lifeboats but four other men were dead of exposure after almost two days adrift in the icy Atlantic. Seven other crew members of the Douala were missing and presumed drowned. There were 29 aboard the vessel, bound for Marseilles, France, when it went down in a storm yesterday off the Canadian Maritime provinces.
The men, 19 in one lifeboat and 3 in the second, were picked up about 50 miles southeast of Port aux Basques, a coastal Newfoundland town. Four of them had died of exposure, the air force said. Sixteen survivors from one boat were taken to the one-doctor, two-nurse hospital in this tiny fishing village by air force rescue units. The hospital had 30 available beds. Dr. Charles Le Grow is in charge. Two survivors from the second boat were being taken to the French-owned islands of St. Pierre et Miquelon, south of Newfoundland. The hospitalized seamen, a spokesman said, “are not in good shape. As a matter of fact, they were in bad condition when brought in.”
Cambodia today charged that the United States is “interfering” in its affairs in a plot to keep this southeast Asian nation out of the communist camp. Prince Norodom Sihanouk, the chief of state, warned the United States that Cambodia would never sacrifice what he termed its liberty and independence by joining either the western or communist blocs. Sihanouk was replying to reports reaching here that Secretary of State Dean Rusk was anxious to see French political influence spread to Cambodia. Cambodia recently renounced American economic and military aid. The reports coming mainly from Paris said Rusk was pushing a campaign to get that aid replaced by France rather than any communist nation.
Hundreds of West Berliners formed new lines in freezing weather early today to get one-day passes to visit their relatives in East Berlin. The lines began forming before midnight outside the permit offices even as other West Berliners streamed back through the checkpoint passages in the Berlin wall from a Sunday in the family circle after 28 months of separation. On Saturday and yesterday a total of 31,000 West Berliners went into the east sector, according to the official East Germany news agency ADN. With the 3,000 who went over on the first day of the operation that made a total of 34,000 so far.
The applicants for new permits faced a wait of 13 hours before the scheduled opening of the offices. Even after that they would have to endure hours of waiting for the permits. Communist authorities announced they have approved 358,000 permits for one-day visits in the four days the permit offices have been open. These are available only to West Berliners. Their relatives and friends in East Berlin cannot return the visits because they are still imprisoned behind the concrete wall and barbed wire fences. There were pathetic scenes of parting at the wall, as the westerners hurried to meet the midnight deadline.
Gun battles broke out in several quarters of Nicosia on the island of Cyprus tonight between Greek and Turkish Cypriots. A gun battle also took place at Cyprus army headquarters. As this reporter drove past army headquarters a rifle shot rang out followed by a fusillade of rifle and machine gun fire.
Volleys of shots were heard throughout Nicosia. Hotels, bars, and restaurants closed. Streets were deserted by pedestrians and motorists. Residents turned off the lights in their houses. Police armed with rifles and bayonets turned this reporter away from Nicosia police headquarters. They shouted: “Get away, there’s a war on, now. There’s no time for newspapers.”
First reports said one man was killed in the gun battles. Three Greek Cypriots were admitted to the Nicosia General hospital with bullet wounds. Many more casualties were being picked up by ambulances touring the streets of Nicosia. Thousands of Turkish Cypriots earlier attended the funeral of a Turkish man and woman killed yesterday when police opened fire into a crowd. At least 10 other persons were injured in clashes between Greek and Turkish Cypriots.
Two robbers open fire in the rectory of Christ the King Roman Catholic Church in Ottawa, Canada, during the noon mass and kill two women and a man. Then one of the bandits commits suicide as police close in. Police say Roger Binnette, 21, shot himself. His brother, Reginald, 17, surrenders. The victims were Miss Alberte Guindon, the rectory housekeeper; Paul Mercier, a parishioner, and Miss Doralice Bechard, who lived in an apartment on the third floor of the rectory.
Patriarch Athenagoras, spiritual leader of the eastern Orthodox church, reports his meeting with Pope Paul VI in Jerusalem on January 6 has been approved by the patriarchs of Belgrade, Bucharest, Alexandria, and Antioch. He is awaiting replies from the church leaders in Athens and Moscow.
The stage has been set for formal agreement by the six Common Market nations on agricultural policy and tariff bargaining with the United States.
American exchange students at Moscow University reported a Soviet propaganda picture exhibit of racial violence in the United States has been wrecked.
The Soviet press claim that President Kennedy fell victim to “Murder Inc.” is typical of the traditional Marxist ways of viewing news developments in the Communist and capitalist worlds.
Emilio de los Santos, president of the three-man junta ruling the Dominican Republic, resigned.
A U.S. Senate committee plans to investigate whether “powerful American business interests” helped finance the recent overthrow of the Juan Bosch government in the Dominican Republic.
Prospects were fading tonight for ending one of the most confused, prolonged, and unnecessary hassles in the history of Congress. House Democratic leaders were rallying forces to pass tomorrow or Tuesday, the 3-billion-dollar foreign aid money bill, containing the proposal that the White House be permitted to guarantee credits to communist nations. Both the House and Senate, however, were so snarled in parliamentary switches that it is doubtful that the program can be passed before Friday, if it can be passed then.
Further, the congressional situation is so entangled that it is questionable whether there will be any sine die adjournment of the 88th Congress. The first session may very well run into the second, which is to begin January 7. The 88th Congress, although heavily Democratic in both the Senate and House, has been sitting for 11 months, which is a peace time record, without an imposing record or without even finishing routine business such as appropriation bills to keep the wheels of government rolling. Some of the delay has been due to the coalition of southern anti-spending Democrats with Republicans. Ironically enough, however, the current involved stalemate has been occasioned by the so-called liberal wing of the Democratic party.
Liberal Democrats skipped out of town gaily to enjoy Christmas at home, leaving the party’s leadership handicapped in efforts to clear roadblocks in the House Rules Committee and to muster enough votes to overwhelm the Republican-Democratic coalition. Liberals frequently talk a good fight, but they don’t like to sacrifice their own convenience or comfort. The result is they have hamstrung their leadership and President Johnson.
The 30-day period of mourning for John F. Kennedy was brought to a close in the United States as President Johnson presided over a candlelight service at the Lincoln Memorial, followed by a lighting of the Christmas tree in front of the White House. Starting the next day, December 23, American flags were raised from half-staff to full-staff once again.
President Johnson paid tribute to the late President Kennedy this evening at a candlelight service attended by thousands of residents of the nation’s capital. President Johnson likened Kennedy to Abraham Lincoln, and said that “we did not bury their dreams and their visions” when the nation buried the two victims of assassination. The ceremony, outdoors at the Lincoln memorial, was held as the 30-day mourning period for Kennedy drew to its close. Tomorrow the nation’s flags go to full staff again, the Christmas wreaths will replace the crepe at the White House.
Like the thousands in attendance, President Johnson held a candle in his hand as the solemn service began. It was lit for him by three clergymen who had brought a torch, lit from the eternal flame at Kennedy’s grave in Arlington National cemetery. They were the Right Reverend Monsignor George L. Gingras, the Reverend Mr. Walter E. Fauntroy, and Richard K. Lyon, representing the Catholic, Protestant, and Jewish faiths, respectively. The lighting of the President’s candle was the signal to all those in the throng assembled to do honor to Kennedy’s memory to light their candles.
Paul Robeson returned to the United States after a self-imposed exile of five years, most of it in the Soviet Union. The African-American singer, former football star and Communist activist, had departed the U.S. in 1958 after a nine-year fight for an American passport.
The Washington Post published an editorial by former U.S. President Harry Truman, entitled “Limit CIA Role to Intelligence”. “I think it has become necessary to take another look at the purpose and operations of our Central Intelligence Agency,” Truman (who had established the agency in 1947) wrote. “There is something about the way the CIA has been functioning that is casting a shadow over our historic position and I feel that we need to correct it.” CIA Director Allen Dulles tried, unsuccessfully, to persuade the former president to retract his statement.
Adlai Stevenson says he is willing to run for Vice President if President Johnson asks him, but concedes Johnson “never has mentioned it to me. I certainly won’t seek it,” he adds in an interview on NBC-TV’s “Meet the Press.” Stevenson says he does not believe the Soviet Union wants Red China in the United Nations. Stevenson suggests Russian leaders feel that Red China, sitting in the U.N., will dilute Moscow’s control over the communist bloc.
Richard Honeck, free after spending 64 years in an Illinois prison, begins a new life in an 8- by 40-foot mobile trailer home. The Menard parolee, at 84, allows “it will be nice” to go outside when he wishes. He terms his niece’s trailer abode “very cozy” compared with a tiny prison cell. Honeck is believed to have just finished the longest prison term of any man alive today in the United States.
George Murphy, a former film star and spokesman for the movie industry, is the first announced candidate for the Republican nomination for United States senator from California. The Rev. Bob Richards, one-time Olympic pole vault champion, is considering entering the race. Murphy was active in former Vice President Nixon’s unsuccessful bid for the Presidency and the California governorship. Richards describes himself as a conservative and Murphy has many close associates in the conservative wing of the Republican party.
Chairman Howard W. Smith of the House Rules Committee virtually concedes that a civil-rights bill will be passed in 1964 but calls the pending bill unconstitutional.
A heavy snowstorm that dropped as much as 14 inches in some areas swept through the Deep South, coating highways with ice and making some impassable.
The Communications Satellite Corp. announced it has requested proposals from industry for design of a global commercial network.
AFL Football:
Len Dawson threw four touchdown passes today to lead the Kansas City Chiefs to a 48—0 rout of the New York Jets in an American Football League game played in 9-degree temperatures. It was the final game of the season for both teams and the third victory in a row for the defending champion Chiefs. Kansas City finished third in the Western Division with a 5-7-2 won-lost-tied record. 5-7-2 won-lost-tied record. The Jets finished last in the Eastern Division with a 5-8-1 mark. New York, playing under different ownership and called the Titans, also finished last in the Eastern Division last season, with a 5-9-0 record. Dawson completed 13 of 20 passes for 222 yards. His four touchdown passes increased his total for the season to 26, high in the league. His scoring aerials today went for 82 yards to Frank Jackson, 15 yards to Jack Spikes, 11 yards to Dick Johnson, and 46 yards to Abner Haynes. Last month, the Jets shut out the Chiefs, 17—0. It was the first time the Kansas City club had been blanked. Kansas City’s triumph was the first shutout suffered by the Jets. Kansas City’s defense was almost as outstanding as its offense. The Chiefs intercepted three Jet passes and recovered four fumbles. Jerry Mays, a defensive tackle, turned one of the fumble recoveries into a touchdown. Mays picked up the ball on the Chiefs’ 42 and ran 58 yards for a fourth-period touchdown. Spikes, who kicked five of six extra-point conversions, scored the first touchdown early in the first period on a 1-yard run. Bobby Hunt, a defensive back, set up the score when he intercepted Galen Hall’s pass on the Chiefs’ 41 and returned the ball to the New York 37. Hunt intercepted two passes and recovered one fumble.
Oakland Raiders quarterback Tom Flores passes for 6 touchdowns against the Houston Oilers. Mike Mercer’s 30-yard field goal in the fourth quarter gave the Oakland Raiders a 52—49 victory over the Houston Oilers today in the highest scoring game in the four-year history of the American Football League. The Raiders posted their eighth straight victory, as Mercer kicked the 3-pointer with 4 minutes 37 seconds left to play and the score tied at 49—49. Clem Daniels of Oakland broke the league rushing record with 1,098 yards for the season. The previous record, set last season, was held by Cookie Gilchrist of Buffalo. The 101 points scored by both teams were 8 more than the previous high of 9 set when the Chargers, then in Los Angeles, beat New York, 50—43, in 1960. Art Powell, the Raider end, caught four touchdown passes, setting a single-game record. The offensive show was highlighted by the passing of Tom Flores of Oakland and George Blanda of the Oilers. Flores hit on 17 of 29 pass attempts for 407 yards and six touchdowns. Blanda hit on 20 of 32 pass attempts for 342 yards and five touchdowns. Blanda holds the league record for touchdown passes in a game with seven. All told, the Raiders gained 588 yards after going through the first quarter without a first down. They needed 10 points in the final quarter to win. Flores threw touchdown passes of 7 yards to Ken Herock, 56 to Daniels and 81, 20, 45 and 22 to Powell.
The San Diego Chargers won the Western Division championship of the American Football League today by defeating the Denver Broncos, 58—20. The Chargers finished the season with an 11-3 won-lost record, one game ahead of the Oakland Raiders who had a 10-4 mark. Halfback Paul Lowe, who scored twice and gained 183 yards in 17 carries, paced the Chargers, who tallied the first four times they had possession. Lowe sat out most of the last quarter. The Chargers never trailed after George Blair kicked a 17-yard field goal in the first quarter. The kick broke a 7—7 tie. San Diego, which set a team record for points scored, set up its first two touchdowns with a fumble recovery and a pass interception. George Gross, a tackle, recovered Gene Mingo’s fumble on the Denver 14, and Lowe scored at 1:49 of the first period. Bob Mitinger, a linebacker. intercepted Don Breaux’s pass on San Diego’s 45 and ran it to Denver’s 32 to set up the Chargers’ second touchdown. A 28-yard razzle-dazzle play that involved a hand off to Keith Lincoln, a lateral to Tobin Rote and a pass to Don Norton put the ball on Denver’s 4. Bob Jackson then scored from the 2 at the start of the second quarter. Breaux kept Denver in the game in the first half, completing eight straight passes at one point. He connected with Don Stone on a 10-yard scoring pass for the Broncos’ second touchdown. The defeat was Denver’s seventh in a row but its first to San Diego after three straight victories. Lionel Taylor, Denver’s league leading pass receiver, caught five passes for 80 yards. The game turned into a rout in the last quarter, which was highlighted by a 42-yard touchdown run of a recovered fumble by Chuck Allen, a San Diego linebacker.
New York Jets 0, Kansas City Chiefs 48
Houston Oilers 49, Oakland Raiders 52
Denver Broncos 20, San Diego Chargers 58
Born:
Peter Najarian, NFL linebacker (Minnesota Vikings, Tampa Bay Buccaneers), in San Francisco, California.
Jamie Kurisko, NFL tight end (New York Jets), in Nyack, New York.
Giuseppe Bergomi, Italian soccer football player (for Internazionale Milan) who appeared on the Italian national team’s 1982 FIFA World Cup championship squad, and again in the 1986 and 1990 World Cup competitions; in Milan.
Died:
Gian Giorgio Trissino, 86, Italian equestrian who became (in 1900) the first Italian to win an Olympic gold medal.
History Diaries 