Week of January 1, 1970

New Year - President Nixon signs a law creating Council of Environmental

Quality and says he is committing the government to an all-out fight against

pollution.

first day in Vietnam with GI’s in

the field and seemed to enjoy it.

He flew by helicopter into two

combined infantry-artillery

bases, which guard the enemy

approach routes to Saigon. He

told the troops that hey have

the 100% support of the

American public and that “the

people back home are pretty

darn proud of you and what

you’re doing over here.”

The French government

suspends two four-star generals for their role in the Israeli gunboat affair and tells

Israel to withdraw two diplomats who were instrumental in making the

arrangements that enabled the five ships to slip away from Cherbourg. The boats

“slipped out” of a shipyard after former President Charles de Gaulle clamped an

embargo on all arms shipments to Israel early in 1969. de Gaulle’s embargo also

froze delivery of 50 mirage jet fighters that Israel had paid for. A Cherbourg

shipyard had built the boats, which are capable of carrying missile launchers.

They were the last of 12 ordered by Israel.

Israeli commandos seize 21 Lebanese hostages in a retaliation raid.

Asian flu continues to spread across Europe, killing hundreds, infecting millions

and affecting industrial production in several countries.

Sen. Edward Kennedy makes his first sworn statement on the accident that killed

Mary Jo Kopchne. “I responded in the most complete way to all the questions put

to me by the district attorney and the judge.”

Meeting with Thailand Premier Thandom Kittlkachorn for two hours in Bangkok,

Vice President Agnew declared -“Some people back home seem so anxious to

make friends of our enemies that they even seem ready to make enemies of our

friends.” It seems that the Thai government has often decried unfavorable

Week of January 1, 1970

American congressional and press opinions about some aspects of Thai-

American military cooperation.

The government reports that 61% of the nation’s Negro students and 65.6% of

white still attend largely segregated schools 14 years after the Supreme Court’s

desegregation decision.

The Communist command strikes hard along the populous coastal lowlands

South of Da Nang, South Vietnam’s second largest city, bettering allied forces

with the heaviest attacks in two months.

Linda Kasabian pleads “not guilty” when asked how she wished to plead to

murder in the Tate and La Bianca murders.

Subdues hijacker - Franklin Hall - a slightly built salesman who said he could

think only “of that little stewardess and that knife at her throat” helps thwart a

hijacker’s attempt to force a jet airliner in Switzerland.

Black extremists made more than 100

attacks in the past six months on the nation’s

police officers - that according to FBI Director

the number of Negroes killed in the

skirmishes but said, “extremist all-Negro,

hate-type organizations, such as the Black

Panther Party, continued to fan the flames of

riot and revolution during the year.” “Many of

these groups whose leaders preach violence

and hatred of the white race, have been

involved in shootouts with local police.” “Many

attacks on police by black extremists are

unprovoked and nothing more than planned

ambushes.” Hoover also predicted “an

upsurge in recruiting activity” by the Ku Klux

Klan in the wake of the release from prison of

Robert M. Shelton, imperial wizard of the United Klans of America. Hoover

contended there was a marked shift during 1969 in the so-called new Left

Movement, with many groups no advocating “violent revolution.” He also blamed

the Weatherman group for attempted assaults on the South Vietnamese

embassy and the Justice Department in Washington during the Nov. 14-15

demonstration against the war in Vietnam.

Week of January 1, 1970

The three major television networks have protested to the Nixon Administration

that camera crews for the U.S. Information Agency received preferential

treatment in covering Vice President Agnews’s visit to Saigon.

The South Vietnamese Senate is told that a massacre occurred at My Lai and

President Nguyen van Thieu was assailed for having brushed it off as “just a

simple incident in the war.”

Spec. 5 Robert Lawrence - a GI newscaster is relieved of duty for accusing the

U.S. command on a telecast of suppressing unfavorable news. He said after that

high officers had attempted to interrogate him for four hours without legal

counsel. The broadcast was on the Armed Forces Vietnam Network (AFVN).

Paul Tate - the father of slain actress Sharon Tate, is appointed administrator of

her estimated to be $45,000. He listed her assets as $37,500 cash, $5,700 in

automobiles, $2,000 estimated annual income and $500 other personal property.

The estate would be shared with her husband, Roman Polanski, her mom -

Doris and sisters Deborah Ann (17), and Patricia Gaye (12).

In Miami - Armed with a federal

court order that his show must go

returns to a Miami stage with more

of the same four-letter words that

brought a quick halt to his Dec. 22

recital. An audience, estimated at

1,000- kept beat to the rhythm he

dedicated a chant to the Indian god

of Cannabis (you know -

marijuana). It was the four-letter

words in the poem, “In the Moment

exorcism of the Pentagon,” that led

Marine Stadium manager Manuel

Costa to cut the lights and pipe waltz music into the loudspeaker system.

A book titled “The Bridge at Chappaquiddick Island” by Jack Olsen - contends

that Mary Jo Kopechne was alone, driving Sen. Edward Kennedy’s car when it

carried her to her death. Olsen contends that Kennedy alighted from the car

before the accident after a deputy sheriff approached, avoiding an embarrassing

moment of a presence with the pretty girl.

Texas computer magnate H. Ross Perot calls upon Americans to write to him in

support of his mission to deliver 25 tons of Christmas gifts to U.S. prisoners in

Week of January 1, 1970

South Vietnam. Perot, who was denied permission by Hanoi to deliver the

supplies, returned from Copenhagen and told a news conference that if he

received millions of letters of support, then the North Vietnamese would feel

compelled to provide better treatment for prisoners. Perot, says they don’t care

about the POW’s, but they do care about public opinion about them. “Once they

see the people want better treatment for the prisoners, then there will be better

treatment for the prisoners. When I have millions and millions of letters, I will

make this dramatically known to the world.” An aide says letters could be

addressed to Perot at Box 100,000 in Dallas.

Sports -

from doormat to title contender in his rookie

season is selected to one of the East’s center

posts for the NBA All-star game in Philadelphia

later this month.

Music news -

“Get It Together” a weekly half-hour of

contemporary music for teens, debuts this week

on Saturday morning. Sam Riddle - KHJ/Los

Angeles DJ hosts (and produces). Appearing this

week - Mama Cass Elliott, Creedence Clearwater

Revival and 3 Dog Night. Catch it on ABC-TV,

right before “American Bandstand.”

Television news -

Eldridge Cleaver, self-exiled leader of the Black

Panthers, will make his first network appearance since leaving the U.S. on “60

Minutes” this Tuesday. CBS correspondent Mike Wallace flew to Algeria to

interview Cleaver.

The U.S. Court of Appeals gives a last-minute go-ahead to a new radio and

television code for cigarette commercials. Under the code - a cigarette firm will

not have to spell out the exact figure on the tar and nicotine in its brands in all

commercials, but, companies must spell out the exact amounts if any reference

to tar and nicotine is made.

Monday night television -

CBS - Gunsmoke, Here’s Lucy, Mayberry RFD, Doris Day, Carol Burnett, Merv

Griffin

NBC - My World and Welcome To It, Rowan and Martin’s Laugh In, NBC

Monday night at the Movies, Johnny Carson

Week of January 1, 1970

ABC - Music Scene, New People, The

Survivors, Love, American Style, Dick

Cavett

Laugh In - James Garner and Stu

Gilliam.

Music Scene - Everly Brothers co-host

with Pete Seegar, Lee Michaels, Marva

Whitney, John Mayall.

New People - The castaways discover a

bay full of mines and begin to explode

them. Fern wants one of the mines, near

her home, removed - not exploded.

The Survivors - Philip and Eleanor will

fight Baylor’s will. Stars Lana Turner and

George Hamilton.

At the movies -

Paint Your Wagon

The Reivers - Steve McQueen

The Arrangement - Kirk Douglas, Faye

Dunaway, Deborah kerr

2001: A Space Odyssey

The Shoot Horses, Don’t They? - Jane

Fonda

Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid

The Secret of Santa Vittoria

Topaz

Week of January 1, 1970

ABC Begins To Take Out Ads For Dick Cavett - The Late Night Talkshow

Which Competes With Merv Griffin and Johnny Carson.