April 5, 1968 - Civil Rights Leader Martin Luther King Assassinated In Memphis; Police Seek Assassin

(I cannot improve on this story from the time so I am placing the original AP story as written by Doug Stone here).

MEMPHIS (AP) — Nobel Laureat Martin Luther King Jr., father of non-violence in the American civil rights movement, was killed by an assassin's bullet Wednesday (sic) night.

King, 39, was hit in the neck by a bullet as he stood on the balcony of a motel here. He died less than an hour later at St. Joseph's Hospital.

Gov. Buford Ellington immediately ordered 4,000 National Guard troops back into the city. A curfew, which was camped on Memphis after a King-led march turned into a riot a week ago, was reimposed. Police said incidents of violence, including several fire bombings, were reported following King's death.

The 1964 Nobel Peace Prize winner, was standing on the balcony of his motel here, where had come to lend protests in behalf of the city's 1,500 striking garbage workers, most of them Negroes, when he was shot.Two unidentified men were arrested several blocks from the motel.

Police also said they found .30-.06 rifle on Main Street about one block from the motel, but it was not confirmed whether this was the weapon that killed King. An aide who was standing nearby said the shot hit King in the neck and lower right part of his face. "Martin Luther King is dead," said Asst. Police Chief Henry Lux, the first word of the death.

Asst. Hospital Adminstrator Paul Hess confirmed later that King died at 7 p.m. of a bullet wound in the neck. The Rev, Jesse Jackson said he and others in the King party were getting ready to go to dinner when the shooting occurred. "King was on the second floor balcony of the motel," Jackson said. "He had just bent over. If he had been standing up, he wouldn't have been shot in the face.

SOURCES

"Dr. Martin Luther King Killed By Sniper's Bullet In Memphis," by Doug Stone, Associated Press, The Morning Herald, Uniontown, PA, April 5, 1968, 1.

April 1, 1968 - LBJ Won't Seek Re-Election

With those words, President Lyndon Johnson stunned an entire nation and turned the Presidential race from a presumed contest between Johnson and presumptive Republican nominee Richard M. Nixon into a scrambling free-for-all contest of delegate seeking. Two nights before the Wisconsin primary, the President gave a 41-minute nationally televised speech with a primary emphasis on ending the war in the Vietnam, the issue that has caused so much turmoil in the Presidential contest. The speech emphasized the President's willingness to stop bombing North Vietnam in exchange for peace talks, an offer he originally made last August. He further declared he had ordered the U.S. military to engage in no attacks on Vietnam except in the area north of the demilitarized zone (DMZ), where the President states that threats remain. He also called for a tax increase to help fund the war. All of these important observations were lost, however, with the stunning announcement at the end of the speech that Johnson would under no circumstances be the party nominee.

REACTION

Reaction both home and abroad consisted of "stunned disbelief," followed immediately by praise for the President from some of his most vocal critics. Senator J. William Fulbright (D-AR) praised Johnson as "a great patriot" and said that the President's actions of no more bombing and withdrawal from the race were "hopeful gestures" towards peace. But because politics takes no breather, the reactions of the other candidates seeking to replace Johnson were quite interesting. Richard M. Nixon, the former Vice-President, immediately charged that "someone espousing the Johnson philosophy" would seek the nomination while Senator Eugene McCarthy praised Johnson his public service and then expressed the view that Johnson's withdrawal made McCarthy's own ascent to the Oval Office more likely. McCarthy will address the nation on television tonight regarding his own plans. The withdrawal unquestionably takes the momentum off what is expected to be a McCarthy win in Tuesday's Wisconsin primary. Senator Kennedy, now the probable Democratic front-runner, praised Johnson for his "magnanimous" decision and then promptly went on the offensive against Vice President Hubert H. Humphrey, who is likely to enter the race now that Johnson has withdrawn. Humphrey was informed of the President's decision earlier on Sunday just before the Vice President departed to Mexico City.

Of course, there is no telling how the bombshell announcement will play out for either party, even as early as Tuesday. Republicans may see fewer crossovers now that the result of the Wisconsin primary has become virtually meaningless for the Democrats.

SOURCES

"Johnson's Decision Not to Run Stuns Nation," United Press International, Kenosha News, April 1, 1968, 1.

"RFK Praises Johnson Move," Ibid., 1.

April 1, 1968 - LBJ Withdraws From Race, Won't Seek Re-election; Declares Decision "Irrevocable"

"I shall not seek, and I will not accept, the nomination of my party for another term as your President."

With those words, President Lyndon Johnson stunned an entire nation and turned the Presidential race from a presumed contest between Johnson and presumptive Republican nominee Richard M. Nixon into a scrambling free-for-all contest of delegate seeking. Two nights before the Wisconsin primary, the President gave a 41-minute nationally televised speech with a primary emphasis on ending the war in the Vietnam, the issue that has caused so much turmoil in the Presidential contest. The speech emphasized the President's willingness to stop bombing North Vietnam in exchange for peace talks, an offer he originally made last August. He further declared he had ordered the U.S. military to engage in no attacks on Vietnam except in the area north of the demilitarized zone (DMZ), where the President states that threats remain. He also called for a tax increase to help fund the war.

All of these important observations were lost, however, with the stunning announcement at the end of the speech that Johnson would under no circumstances be the party nominee.

REACTION

Reaction both home and abroad consisted of "stunned disbelief," followed immediately by praise for the President from some of his most vocal critics. Senator J. William Fulbright (D-AR) praised Johnson as "a great patriot" and said that the President's actions of no more bombing and withdrawal from the race were "hopeful gestures" towards peace. But because politics takes no breather, the reactions of the other candidates seeking to replace Johnson were quite interesting. Richard M. Nixon, the former Vice-President, immediately charged that "someone espousing the Johnson philosophy" would seek the nomination while Senator Eugene McCarthy praised Johnson his public service and then expressed the view that Johnson's withdrawal made McCarthy's own ascent to the Oval Office more likely. McCarthy will address the nation on television tonight regarding his own plans. The withdrawal unquestionably takes the momentum off what is expected to be a McCarthy win in Tuesday's Wisconsin primary. Senator Kennedy, now the probable Democratic front-runner, praised Johnson for his "magnanimous" decision and then promptly went on the offensive against Vice President Hubert H. Humphrey, who is likely to enter the race now that Johnson has withdrawn. Humphrey was informed of the President's decision earlier on Sunday just before the Vice President departed to Mexico City.

Of course, there is no telling how the bombshell announcement will play out for either party, even as early as Tuesday. Republicans may see fewer crossovers now that the result of the Wisconsin primary has become virtually meaningless for the Democrats. 

SOURCES

"Johnson's Decision Not to Run Stuns Nation," United Press International, Kenosha News, April 1, 1968, 1. 

"RFK Praises Johnson Move," Ibid., 1.

March 31, 1968 - Johnson To Address Nation About Vietnam In Nationally Televised Speech Tonight; McCarthy Likely To Win Wisconsin

President Lyndon Johnson will address the nation at 9 p.m. EST tonight to deal "rather fully" with the Vietnam situation, including further troop increases, activation of reserve units, and the overall projected cost of such endeavors. The President announced during a news conference Saturday that he will address the nation tonight both by radio and television. In addition to the situation in Vietnam, the President said his speech would cover "other issues of some importance," most notably the government's "entire fiscal policy." Johnson disputes rumors of hundreds of thousands of new troops deployed and an additional cost of $20 billion as untrue, though conceding that it will cost "a few billion." During the news conference, he reiterated his plea for a tax increase to offset the cost. At present, there are more than 510,000 American troops in Vietnam. In a related story, the President's son-in-law, Marine Captain Charles S. Robb, departed Norton AFB, California for 13 months duty in Vietnam. Robb's wife, the former Lynda Bird Johnson, was composed as she witnessed his departure.

Johnson's speech comes two days before the Wisconsin Democratic primary, where polls are showing that Eugene McCarthy, Senator from next door Minnesota, may receive as much as 60% of the vote in what is a two-man contest with both candidates on the ballot. In their only previous competitive primary, Johnson topped McCarthy, 49-42% in New Hampshire, where only McCarthy's name appeared on the ballot. New York Senator Robert Kennedy is not competing in the Wisconsin primary but has instructed his supporters to vote for McCarthy.  A McCarthy loss in Wisconsin would likely end his campaign. The Johnson campaign, meanwhile, may actually benefit from a McCarthy win. The theory, popular in Democratic circles, is that Kennedy is the stronger candidate but a viable McCarthy in future contests will continue to splinter the anti-war coalition each is trying to build and thus make it easier for Johnson to prevail. McCarthy, for his part, attacked the President last night in Milwaukee on the issue of law and order, saying that continuing Johnson's policies towards civil disorder "will guarantee years of mounting lawlessness, violence, and virtual civil war" in the nation's cities. McCarthy also challenged local union members to strive to ensure "equality in employment and housing" for Negroes.*

Senator Kennedy was attending a $75 per plate fundraiser in Phoenix today at the Arizona Biltmore Hotel. Introduced by Arizona Rep. Morris Udall, a critic of the Vietnam War, Kennedy gave a thoughtful speech that praised the entire history of the Democratic Party, starting with Thomas Jefferson and going all the way through to the man he hopes to succeed, President Johnson.

The Republican primary is essentially non-competitive. Three names -  former VP Richard Nixon, California Governor Ronald Reagan and former Minnesota Governor Harold Stassen - appear on the ballot - but only Nixon is a publicly declared national candidate. Nixon is expected to win easily, his only concern being that since Wisconsin permits crossover voting, his vote total may not be overly impressive if thousands of Republicans cross party lines and vote in the Democratic primary. Statistics on file with the Wisconsin Secretary of State show that Nixon has spent $371,580, more money on the state than all other candidates combined

Former President Truman asserted in Key West yesterday that whether it takes one ballot or one hundred, Johnson will be renominated.


SOURCES

"LBJ Viet Report Tonight," by Max Frankel, New York Times writer, submitted to The Salt Lake Tribune, March 31, 1968, 1. Also published in Arizona Republic as "LBJ To Review Vietnam Policy," 1.

"McCarthy Win Seen Likely for Wisconsin," by Warren Weaver, Ibid.

"LBJ Today To Reveal Increase In Viet Troops," Associated Press, Racine Journal Times Sunday Bulletin, March 31, 1968, 1.

"Lynda Bids Robb Adieu,"  Associated Press, Racine Journal Times Sunday Bulletin, March 31, 1968, 1.

"RFK Solicits Support on Phoenix Visit," by Bernie Wynn, Arizona Republic, March 31, 1968, 1, 12.

"Johnson Hit by McCarthy on Rioting," Associated Press, Bridgeport Post, March 31, 1968, 4.

"Truman Asserts LBJ Will Win Renomination," Ibid.

"Nixon Campaign Costs $371,580," Associated Press, Dubuque Herald Telegraph, March 31, 1968, 24.

* - I'm well aware that this word is no longer in use and may be regarded as offensive. No offense on my part is intended. However, as this is passing on information as reported at the time rather than a politically sanitized version fifty years after the fact, I have chosen to use the verbiage used in 1968.

March 29, 1968 - McCarthy, Kennedy To Collide in May 7 Indiana Primary; Nixon Accuses LBJ and RFK of Irresponsibleness

Senators Eugene McCarthy and Robert Kennedy, both traveling separate anti-Johnson routes in their attempts to win the Democratic Party's nomination, have finally chosen courses that will result in a head-to-head contest in the May 7 Indiana primary. Kennedy arrived in person to submit the 5,500 signatures necessary to secure a place on the ballot. McCarthy had filed earlier in the day as had Indiana Governor Roger Branigan, who is the stand-in candidate for President Lyndon Johnson's attempt at re-election. The confrontation puts one of McCarthy's top lieutenants, Richard Goodwin, in a ticklish spot. Although Goodwin has a major role in the McCarthy organization, he has long been a friend of the Kennedy family. Asked in Milwaukee which way he will jump in the head-to-head contest, Goodwin demurred, saying he "did not know," but boldly predicting that Johnson will not be the Democratic Party's nominee in the fall election. Goodwin declared, "It's going to be either McCarthy or Kennedy." Kennedy, who is not competing in Tuesday's Wisconsin primary, has instructed his supporters to vote for McCarthy in that primary. McCarthy, campaigning in Superior, Wisconsin, said "it's really too kind" to criticize the South Vietnamese government as corrupt or dictatorial. Kennedy campaigned today with rallies at both the University of New Mexico and the University of Arizona.

Richard Nixon, the only Republican competing actively in the primaries for the nomination, was scheduled to meet today with one of New York Governor Nelson Rockefeller's prime backers, Maryland Governor Spiro T. Agnew, in New York City. Agnew, who has been a vocal supporter of Rockefeller, said that he has heard plenty regarding Nixon's position on Vietnam, but he wishes to get a better picture of Nixon's domestic plans. While campaigning in Wisconsin yesterday, Nixon characterized the McCarthy-Kennedy position on the war as "withdrawal whatever the cost may be," whereas Republicans want the war resolved in such a way "that will discourage more wars rather than bring on another one four or five years from now."

Nixon also criticized both Kennedy and Johnson in a recorded radio address:

"Never have we more needed and intelligent, rational, and dispassionate discussion of the great issues, and yet seldom has debate been more raucous and irresponsible." While attacking both the President and Senator Kennedy as engaging in negative campaigning themselves, Nixon had kinder words for Senator McCarthy, saying he had contributed "significantly" to the goal of "dealing with the complexities of modern democracy."

Connecticut Democrats working for McCarthy have reported receiving letters threatening them with assassination. Law enforcement officials are investigating the letters signed "the Minutemen" to see if they actually originated with the extremist anti-Communist group.

In Oklahoma, election officials have received enough signatures to secure a place on the ballot for former Alabama Governor George Wallace as a third-party candidate.

In Iowa, Governor Harold Hughes, noting the rift in the Democratic Party, has offered himself as a "favorite son" candidate.

SOURCES

"McCarthy, Kennedy Collision Due May 7 in Indiana," Associated Press, Big Spring Daily Herald, March 29, 1968, 35.

"Nixon Accuses LBJ, RFK Of Irresponisbleness," Associated Press, Lovington Daily Leader, March 29, 1968, 5.

March 28, 1968 - Nixon, Johnson Favored In Wisconsin Primary

A polling of Democratic party leaders shows that many are reluctant to back President Johnson's re-election in November. Although 14 of the 24 states with Democratic governors are listed as Johnson supporters, party leaders in the 26 states with Republican governors are beginning to defect to Senators Robert Kennedy and Eugene McCarthy as the campaign continues. Those 26 states will provide 1,382 delegates to the Democratic National Convention in August, seventy more than necessary to win the nomination. An AP tally of the 14 Democratic governors alleged to support the President, six are noncommittal, one is threatening to abandon Johnson over the war in Vietnam, one has moved to support Kennedy and two are supporting former Alabama Governor George C. Wallace.

Senator Robert Kennedy of New York, a late entrant into the race, announced yesterday that he will enter the Indiana primary of May 7, setting up a potential three-man contest between himself, McCarthy, and a stand-in for President Johnson, Indiana Governor Roger Branigan. Kennedy's speech at Brigham Young University in Provo, Utah was sidetracked by an anonymous bomb threat that Kennedy chose to ignore. He received the coolest reception since his March 16 entrance into the contest, polite but not the standing ovations he has been receiving elsewhere. Kennedy proposed a plan for discharging young men from their military obligations in trade for other public service.

Richard M. Nixon, the Republican front-runner and presumptive nominee, declared that he did not personally see how Johnson could fail to win Tuesday's Wisconsin primary "with all that political power, skill, and money," but he hastened to add that several of his aides disagreed with him. Nixon's comments came as he flew to Wausau after leaving a meeting in Madison with Governor Warren P. Knowles. Nixon faces limited opposition on the ballot from former Minnesota Governor Harold Stassen and California Governor Ronald W. Reagan.

Wallace, running as a third-party candidate, went on the attack in three Southern states against all of the other candidates but particularly set his sights on Kennedy. Declaring the need to win the war in Vietnam, Wallace criticized Kennedy with the observation that he "has recommended and supported every policy followed in this country today and yet he says he wants to try something new." He also went after Kennedy on civil rights, declaring Kennedy "advocated more civil rights legislation to get the agitators out of the streets, but the more legislation they pass, the more they've got in the streets."


SOURCES

"Some Governors Reluctant to Back LBJ," by Jack Bell, Associated Press, Montana Standard, March 28, 1968, 1.

"Nixon View of '68 Race," by Chalmers Roberts, Washington Post, as reported by Des Moines Register, March 28, 1968, 7.

"Bobby To Make Bid in Indiana," Ibid.

"RFK To Battle McCarthy, Johnson Stand-In In Indiana," Associated Press, Columbia Missourian, March 28 1968, 29.

"RFK Turns Campaign Attack from Johnson Toward Nixon, Associated Press, Jefferson City Daily Capital News, March 28, 1968, 3.

March 27, 1968 - Kennedy Mocks Nixon's Lack of Ideas, Goldwater Mocks Kennedy

With the Wisconsin primary less than a week away, the candidates have continued slugging in their efforts to determine who will be their party's nominee for 1968. New York Senator Robert Kennedy spoke at Idaho State University yesterday and said, "I have nothing against him (Richard Nixon), but if anybody can tell me if he has had a new idea, I'd like to hear it," going so far as to allege the election of Nixon would mean "more of the same" in Vietnam. Kennedy, who entered the race after Senator Eugene McCarthy nearly upset President Lyndon Johnson in the New Hampshire primary, has found rough sledding in his efforts to draw McCarthy's supporters to his own candidacy. The general consensus among McCarthy's young supporters is that Kennedy is the surer bet to win the fall election, but they are sticking with McCarthy. Kennedy is not on the ballot in Wisconsin, and he has asked his supporters in the state to support McCarthy's candidacy against President Johnson.

The Johnson administration dispatched Postmaster General Lawrence O'Brien to Wisconsin to attempt a late organization of Johnson's voters for the upcoming April 2 primary. O'Brien warns of the possibility that Johnson would lose the primary due to crossover voting, McCarthy's superior in-state organization, and the lack of a Republican contest. The McCarthy campaign was rocked earlier this week by the resignation of two aides, but McCarthy spokesman Richard N. Goodwin declared that the rumors of an internal rift are "a tempest in a teapot" and that the aides would "be back on the job in the week."

New York's state GOP has nudged New York Governor Nelson Rockefeller, endorsing a "favorite son" candidacy in the hopes of nominating Rockefeller at the Convention.  Former Senator Barry Goldwater, the 1964 Republican nominee, said that he does not believe that the Republican National Convention later this summer will draft Rockefeller as the party's nominee for the fall election. Stating that "drafts just don't happen...one is possible only if there's a deadlock in the convention," Goldwater said that he expects former Vice-President Richard Nixon to be the Republican nominee, although Goldwater cautioned that Nixon may not prevail on the first ballot. Asked further about the war in Vietnam, Goldwater said the war "would probably be over" by the November election. Goldwater, always good for the amusing quote, was asked further if Senator Robert Kennedy's candidacy carried much weight for the Democrats and replied, "What weight? He has a lot of hair but no weight. He is the only candidate who travels backwards because he can't see for the hair in front of him. He reminds me of a needle in a haystack."

As for Nixon, he won a straw poll of 1,295 voters in Tucson, Arizona against Kennedy over the weekend by a 2-1 margin.

SOURCES

"Barry Says Rocky Draft Improbable," United Press International, Kittanning Simpson Leader Times, March 27, 1968, 1.

"Bobby Ribs Nixon Lack of Ideas," Ibid., 2.

"Key Johnson Man Goes to Wisconsin," Ibid., 2.

"RFK Booms Political Guns from Johnson to Nixon in Idaho Talk," Associated Press, Austin Daily Herald, March 27, 1968, 1.

"Rift in McCarthy Team Called 'Tempest in a Teapot,'" Harry Kelley, Associated Press, Ibid.

"Nixon By A Landslide! Kennedy Second In Tucson Poll," by Dick Casey, Tucson Daily Citizen, March 27, 1968, 1.