JFK TELLS WALLACE TO KEEP ORDER
President John F. Kennedy sent a telegram today to Governor George C. Wallace of Alabama.
The telegram was sent as the Kennedy administration prepares to withdraw federal troops from the University of Alabama at Tuscaloosa.
JFK tells the governor to use state police to keep order in the city.
Governor Wallace at the University of Alabama
June 15, 1964
NATIONAL SECURITY COUNCIL TOLD OF LBJ'S VIETNAM DECISION
President Lyndon B. Johnson's National Security Adviser, McGeorge Bundy, informed the National Security Council today that the President has decided to postpone submitting a resolution to Congress asking for the authority to wage war in Vietnam.
LBJ apparently is concerned, at least for the present, that such a resolution would threaten passage of his civil rights proposals.*
*LBJ will change his mind 2 months later when he submits the Gulf of Tonkin Resolution.
McGeorge Bundy
LBJ National Security Adviser
June 15, 1946
US OFFERS BARUCH PLAN TO UN
Today the United States presented the plan developed by Bernard Baruch for the international control of atomic weapons to the United Nations.*
*The Soviets reject the plan & presents one of their own calling for a ban on all nuclear weapons. The US will in turn reject the Soviet proposal.
Bernard Baruch (1920)
June 15, 1944
THE BATTLE OF SAIPAN BEGINS
The Battle of Saipan began today in the Mariana Islands of the Pacific Ocean.
The US landings began at 7 a.m. local time with more than 8000 Marines hitting the western coast of Saipan in a two hour period.
The Japanese command were reportedly surprised by the location of the landings, expecting an attack further south.*
*The Battle of Saipan ends with an American victory on July 9, 1944.
"Red Beach" on Saipan
June 15, 1934
GREAT SMOKY MOUNTAIN NATIONAL PARK IS ESTABLISHED
Today the Great Smoky Mountain National Park in eastern Tennessee & western North Carolina was established.
More than 1200 land owners were forced to vacate their properties leaving behind many farm buildings, mills, schools & churches.
Between 1924 & 1935 Colonel David Chapman, a Knoxville druggist, played a leading role in making the national park a reality.*
Colonel David Chapman
*I have been blessed to live all of my life in the foothills of the Great Smoky Mountain National Park. I grew up along & live today just off "Chapman Highway" which was built to connect Knoxville with the National Park.
The highway, of course, is named after Colonel David Chapman & is the same road FDR traveled to reach the park for the dedication ceremonies.
Cades Cove Panorama
Photo by Anthony Chavez (2010)
June 15, 1864
ARLINGTON NATIONAL CEMETERY ESTABLISHED
Two hundred acres around the Custis-Lee Mansion in Arlington, Virginia have been set aside as a national cemetery by order of Secretary of War Edwin M. Stanton.*
*President Kennedy was buried in a plot just below the mansion on November 25, 1963.
June 15, 1846
US-CANADIAN BORDER TREATY SIGNED
In signing the Oregon Treaty of 1846 today, representatives of Great Britain & the United States establish the dividing line between their to nations at the 49th parallel from the Rocky Mountains to the Strait of Georgia.
Even though President James K. Polk ran on a platform of "54, 40 or fight", neither he nor the British government wanted another war.
June 15, 1215
KING JOHN SIGNS MAGNA CARTA
King John of England today put his Royal Seal on the Magna Carta or "Great Charter".
By the charter, the King will respect feudal rights & privileges, uphold the freedom of the church & maintain national laws.*
*The Magna Carta will be recognized as the cornerstone of English democracy. 4 original copies of the charter exist today, one in London Cathedral, one in Salisbury Cathedral, & two in the British Museum.
King John Signs Magna Carta
June 15, 1948
JOHN ROBERT WHITE BORN IN KNOXVILLE
Mr. & Mrs. Roy G. White announce the birth of their son, John Robert White, today.
The baby boy was born at Fort Sanders Hospital in Knoxville, Tennessee.
The baby's father works for White Produce Company in downtown Knoxville. His mother, Mavis White, is a native of Sydney, Australia.*
*So I am celebrating my 63rd birthday today as my daughter, Jennifer, begins the 1st night of competition for "Miss Tennessee 2011" in Jackson.
John & Jennifer Leigh White
Photo by Beverly White (2011)
