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.