Panama took her charge of aggression against the United States to the Council of the Organization of American States tonight after intensive day‐long efforts to settle the dispute had failed. Panama’s goal is to force the United States to agree to revise the Panama Canal Treaty of 1903. Her grievances under the treaty led to the present crisis. Panama’s chief delegate, Dr. Miguel J. Moreno Jr., delivered a formal note at 10:30 P. M. to Dr. José A. Mora, Secretary General of the O.A.S., for transmittal to Dr. Juan Bautista de Lavalle of Peru, chairman of the Council. The note, requesting an urgent Council meeting, was to be delivered during the night to all 20 O.A.S. delegations. The chairman will decide tomorrow on a date for the meeting, which will probably be held Friday.
The Panamanian note was known to emphasize that conditions that led to the bloody riots at the Canal Zone on January 9 and 10 persisted and could result in new disturbances. Panama is requesting that the Council meet as a ministerial level “organ of consultation” under the provisions of the 1917 inter‐American reciprocal-assistance pact. It was understood that the United States would not oppose a full airing of the deepening crisis with Panama. Such a debate, a high United States official said tonight, will “give us a chance to make our position clear before the world.” The final collapse of the mediation efforts, a collapse in the offing since last night, came shortly after 6 P.M., when Dr. Moreno and Ellsworth Bunker, United States representative at the O.A.S., held their second meeting of the day.
Diplomats involved in the conference on Cyprus said today that the United States had indicated it would contribute troops to an international peace ‐ keeping force for the embattled island if two conditions were met.
- That the Government of Cyprus give its approval, which it has not done.
- That the treaty of guarantee under which Britain, Greece and Turkey have the right to intervene in Cyprus to maintain the status quo be suspended for three months. Turkey has not agreed to this condition.
Greece and Turkey have given their tentative approval to a combined force in Cyprus, which would be drawn from nations of the North Atlantic Treaty Organization. The agreement of Greece and Turkey, which had been brought nearly to the point of war over the Cyprus dispute, was made possible today when Greece acceded to Turkey’s demand that troops from both countries participate. Britain, in her continuing efforts to broaden the force, and thereby relieve her military burden in Cyprus, has gained tentative promises from Italy, France, and West Germany to furnish troops. More than 2,500 British troops have been patrolling the island republic or holding positions between the Greek and Turkish communities since the bloody communal fighting during Christmas week.
The 1964 Winter Olympics opened in Innsbruck, Austria. After 1,350 athletes from 36 nations paraded past the Bergisel ski jump, Austrian skier Josef Rieder (who had won the 1958 World Championships in skiing but who never won an Olympic medal) lit the Olympic torch, and Austrian President Adolf Schärf declared the games open.
A communiqué from the neutralist faction of Laos said today that Communist North Vietnamese and pro‐Communist Pathet Lao forces had launched a strong attack in southern Laos. A neutralist source described the situation as serious. Supported by artillery and tanks, the forces now are driving toward Thakhek, 140 miles southeast of this administrative capital, after pushing back neutralist and right‐wing troops, the source said. Thakhek, on the Mekong River, controls roads leading to the capital and to North Vietnam. The neutralist source, a military official, said four North Vietnamese battalions and six Pathet Lao battalions drove the neutralist and right‐wing force from positions on a plateau at Na Kay, 18 miles northeast of Thakhek.
A communiqué from the neutralist army command said Na Kay had been abandoned, but described the retreat as orderly. The defending force was estimated at one neutralist battalion and two right‐wing battalions, a total of about 1,800 men. North Vietnam has repeatedly denied it has soldiers in Laos. It is known, however, that North Vietnam and Communist China supply the Pathet Lao. The neutralist source said he had no doubt that North Vietnamese were participating in the fighting. The neutralist official said the attackers were pushing southwestward toward Thakhet and last were reported less than 9 miles from it.
France moved today toward acceptance of a Chinese Communist condition on diplomatic recognition by declaring that the “two Chinas” thesis had no meaning in international law. A statement, circulated shortly after a Cabinet meeting, also included a broad hint that France would support Peking for admission to the United Nations. Yesterday an official spokesman denied that there was any “condition” that France would end diplomatic ties with Nationalist China. Alain Peyrefitte, Minister of Information, reported that President de Gaulle and his ministers had discussed the dispute that arose with Peking because Paris continued to maintain diplomatic ties with Nationalist China after having recognized the Communist Government. Yesterday, the Chinese Communist Foreign Ministry issued a virtual demand that France break relations with the Nationalists and end the “two Chinas” policy established Monday when France announced recognition.
The United States charged today that Soviet aircraft brutally shot down an unarmed American jet training plane over East Germany yesterday, thus “causing the needless death of three officers.” A State Department protest to the Soviet Union, which an official said was put “in the strongest terms,” called the incident “a careless and inexcusably brutal act of violence against an unarmed aircraft that accidentally strayed over the demarcation line between West and East Germany.” Secretary of State Dean Rusk, upon returning to Washington this evening from his trip to Japan, called the downing of the plane a “shocking and senseless act” and “the sort of thing that ought not to happen.” The Soviet Union issued its own protest earlier, charging a “gross provocation” and reporting the death of the crew of three. But Moscow did not say outright that the United States plane, a small swept-wing, two‐engine T‐39, had been shot down. In its protest, the State Department referred explicitly to the “shooting down” of the plane.
Secretary of State Dean Rusk met with President Chung Hee Park today and assured him that the United States would “continue to stand guard” with South Korea against Communist aggression. A joint communique after an hour‐and‐a‐half meeting said: “President Park and Secretary Rusk reaffirmed the friendship between their two countries and pledged themselves to continued cooperation in the economic, military and political fields. Mr. Rusk flew to Seoul for a five‐hour stopover after talks in Tokyo. The major subjects for discussion at the Park‐Rusk meeting were known to have been South Korea’s normalization of relations with Japan, United States military and economic aid, and the defense situation.
Reliable diplomatic sources said today that Thailand was to be asked to act as observer in cease‐fire arrangements between Indonesia and Malaysia. Attorney General Robert F. Kennedy suggested this plan yesterday to the Secretary General, U Thant, at the request of Indonesia, Malaysia and the Philippines, the countries concerned in the Malaysian question. Mr. Thant sent messages to the three governments last night before leaving for an African tour. If they confirm the arrangement, Thailand will be asked to undertake the observation, reporting to the United Nations through the Secretary General.
Reports from Zanzibar said today the revolutionary Government has dispatched troops to Pemba after reports of unrest on that adjoining island. The reports said that the force was led by John Okello, self‐styled field marshal, and comprised 100 men. Pemza has a higher proportion of Arabs than Zanzibar island itself and for some days has been reported restive in the wake of the leftist coup that ousted Sultan Seyyid Jamshid bin Abdullah on January 12. Pemba, a part of the nation of Zanzibar, is about 30 miles northeast of Zanzibar island off East Africa.
The United States demonstrated that it could launch a rocket competitive with those of the Soviet Union, as the Saturn I SA-5 placed a satellite weighing 37,700 pounds (17,100 kg) into orbit, the heaviest payload carried into space up to that time. President Johnson commented that the successful orbit “proved we have the capability of putting great payloads into space”, while Marshall Space Flight Center director Wernher von Braun said, “We are now ahead of the Russians in cargo carrying ability.” The satellite was actually the second stage of the Saturn 1 rocket (the S-IV), described as “mostly deadweight with a radio beacon for tracking purposes”, but it was more than twice as heavy as the previous record holders, the Soviet Sputnik VII and Sputnik VIII satellites, which had weighed 14,292 pounds (6,483 kg). The weight of the payload included 11,600 pounds (5,300 kg) of Florida sand to provide ballast to the Saturn rocket’s nose cone.
General of the Army Dwight D. Eisenhower differed today on two counts with Republican criticism of the Democrats. The former President, at a news conference here, said he did not “think we should be too ready to throw stones” at high Government officials who accept gifts while in office. And he disagreed with the contention by Senator Barry Goldwater of Arizona, candidate for the Republican Presidential nomination, that the United States intercontinental ballistic missiles were unreliable. He said this country’s missiles were as good as any in the world. General Eisenhower’s reference to gifts was in response to a question on his views about the Robert G. Baker case.
The Consumer Price Index rose by two-tenths of 1 percent in December, bringing the increase during the year 1963 to 1.7 percent, the Department of Labor reported today. The 1.7 percent advance from the end of 1962 remained well below the typical experience of the postwar years up until 1958, when the sharp rise in prices stopped. However, the 1963 increase was the largest of any in the recent five years of relative stability. The rise in December was unusual. In most years prices in December have remained stable or declined slightly. The most important single cause of the rise in the Consumer Price Index, both in December and in the year, was a steep increase in prices of fruits and vegetables. This was partly caused by the severe freezes in the South.
Senate Republicans agreed at a party conference today to cooperate in efforts to speed the Administration’s tax bill to passage by the end of next week. While no votes were taken at the 90‐minute closed session, a spokesman said the consensus was to support a drive by Democratic leaders for quick action. There was also evidence of strong backing, possibly unanimous, for amendments to repeal the Federal sales tax on furs, jewelry, luggage and a number of other products. The Senate Republican leader, Everett McKinley Dirksen of Illinois, has announced that he will offer such amendments on the floor.
Agreement on a 30‐day truce in Atlanta’s racial crisis may be reached tomorrow as a result of the efforts of white and Black moderates. A. T. Walden, a retired Black lawyer and chief of the “Dove” faction within a civil rights coalition here, said he and representatives of the other militant group would meet in the morning with Mayor Ivan Allen Jr. They will ask Mr. Allen to seek the release of 160 anti-segregation demonstrators, mostly Blacks, arrested here in protest against racial barriers in restaurants. Mr. Walden said the militants would agree in turn to the 30-day cooling‐off period proposed this afternoon by the mayor at a biracial meeting of some 200 business, civic and professional men, and civil rights leaders.
Testimony in a court hearing day placed Byron De La Beckwith at a civil rights rally in which Medgar W. Evers took a leading part five days before he was killed. Beckwith, a 43‐year‐old salesman and an outspoken segregationist, is on trial in another court for murder in the ambush shooting of Mr. Evers, a Black integration leader, last June 12. Mrs. Ruby Hurley of Atlanta, regional secretary for the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People, testified in a Chancery Court hearing on racial demonstrations that she saw Beckwith at an N.A.A.C.P. rally the night of June 7. Immediately after testifying, she went across the street to the Hinds County Circuit Court, where Beckwith was on trial on a murder charge, and conferred with District Attorney William L. Waller. Mr. Waller issued a subpoena for her to testify in Beckwith’s trial as a state witness.
Senator Barry Goldwater said today that he remained unconvinced that Governor Willian W. Scranton of Pennsylvania wanted to run for the Presidency. Mr. Goldwater arrived in Pittsburgh to find his supporters and the regular Republican machine, led by Governor Scranton, cautiously sparring over the make‐up of a Pennsylvania delegation to the Republican National Convention in July. The Arizona Senator seemed to discourage steps toward the foundation of a “harmony” slate led by, Mr. Scranton, with Goldwater supporters included. Mr. Goldwater said at a news conference that he had “no intention” of stopping his supporters from filing as delegates in the Pennsylvania primary April 28. He said he had always doubted that Mr. Scranton wanted to run for President and added, “I’ll say it again.” Governor Scranton has denied reports that he is a candidate, but he has indicated that he would accept a draft.
The Senator, who has been criticized for his attitudes toward poverty and unemployment, suggested that increased private opportunity rather than Federal assistance was the best solution to poverty. He said the Republican path led toward “increased welfare by increased freedom to work without hindrance.” In what appeared to be a criticism of President Johnson and his relationship to Robert G. Baker, former Secretary to the Senate Democratic majority, who is now under investigation by a Senate committee, Mr. Goldwater said Republican programs would lead to “restoration of fiscal and moral integrity” in the United States. Mr. Goldwater said the Republican party offered through a strengthened system of alliances the ability “to face the challenge of Communism and force its withdrawal from conquest, subversion, and threats to peace.”
Former Vice President Richard M. Nixon gave his prescription last night for a winning Republican Presidential campaign: “Fight against world Communism.” Speaking in New York on a closed-circuit television network, Mr. Nixon made only an oblique reference to speculation that he might be the Republican candidate. But he spoke bluntly on how he thought the campaign should be waged. He implied that he did not think that Henry Cabot Lodge Jr., Ambassador to South Vietnam, his running‐mate in 1960, would win the nomination.
Governor Nelson Rockefeller of New York, a candidate for the Republican nomination for president, at a news conference, attacks the ‘double talk’ of the Johnson administration and calls for a ‘full accounting’ of the situation in Vietnam. In a half‐hour address to approximately 60 businessmen in Los Angeles, Mr. Rockefeller said that the best way to solve social problems was to create “the framework in which business and private capital can operate.”
An educational campaign to discourage young people from smoking and to suggest ways of lessening the hazards for adults who persist was announced today by the Federal Government. Broad details of the campaign were disclosed by Dr. Luther L. Terry, the Surgeon General, to a Congressional subcommittee. Dr. Terry conceded that what this country needs is a safer cigarette, but he said that until one could be found, Americans must be alerted to the health hazards of smoking. He said that the campaign would be focused on young people, “attempting to motivate them not to take up the smoking habit.”
Reports that Captain Valentina V. Tereshkova, the Soviet spacewoman, was expecting a child have been confirmed by a high‐ranking Soviet official. The official advised the Italian Embassy that Miss Tereshkova, the only woman known to have gone into space, would not be able to attend the opening of a Soviet industrial and scientific fair at Genoa next March because of the pregnancy, an Italian Embassy source said. Miss Tereshkova, 26 years old, is married to Major Andriyan G. Nikolayev, 34, a fellow cosmonaut.
The film “Dr. Strangelove” (subtitled “How I Learned to Stop Worrying and Love the Bomb”) opened in select U.S. theaters. Along with four other movies “dealing with fictitious presidents of the United States”, advance publicity and the release had been put on hold after the assassination of John F. Kennedy the previous November 22. The others were the similarly-themed “Fail Safe,” and the comedy “Kisses for My President” (about the first female U.S. president); the drama “Seven Days in May;” and the drama “The Best Man.”
Alan Ladd, the film star, was found dead today in his Palm Springs home, apparently of a heart attack. He was 50 years old. In view of the circumstances of Mr. Ladd’s death, Deputy Coroner Robert L. Drake said that an autopsy would be performed tomorrow.
Beatles record in German “Komm, Gib Mir Deine Hand” & “Sie Liebt Dich”.
Most lopsided high-school basketball score, 211-29 (Louisiana).
NBC purchases the AFL 5-year (1965-69) TV rights for $36 million.
Pitcher-writer Jim Brosnan is given permission by the White Sox to make his own deal with another team. His in-season writing has been censured by owner Ed Short.
Dow Jones Industrial Average: 782.6 (-5.18).
Born:
Andre Reed, NFL wide receiver (Pro Football Hall of Fame; Pro Bowl, 1988-1994; Buffalo Bills, Washington Redskins), in Allentown, Pennsylvania.
James Pruitt, NFL wide receiver (Miami Dolphins, Indianapolis Colts), in Los Angeles, California.
John Habyan, MLB pitcher (Baltimore Orioles, New York Yankees, Kansas City Royals, St. Louis Cardinals, California Angels, Colorado Rockies), in Bay Shore, New York.
Ed Kastelic, Canadian NHL right wing (Washington Capitals, Hartford Whalers), in Toronto, Ontario, Canada.
Died:
Alan Ladd, 50, American film star (“Shane”, “This Gun for Hire”) and producer, found dead in his apartment, from a combination of sleeping pills and alcohol.
Adolfo Díaz, 88, President of Nicaragua 1911-1917 and 1926-1929.
History Diaries 