DE GAULLE SURVIVES ASSASSINATION ATTEMPT
Paris, France (JFK+50) French President Charles De Gaulle survived an assassination attempt here in Paris today as he & his wife were riding to the Orly Airport in their black Citroen DS.
12 gunmen opened fire approaching from the rear. 2 of De Gaulle's motorcycle guards were killed & the rear window of the Citroen was blown out. All 4 tires of DeGaulle's vehicle were pierced with bullets.
The gunmen are reportedly members of the "Secret Army Organization".
De Gaulle's driver was able to break out of a skid & accelerate out of harm's way. President & Lady De Gaulle were both uninjured.*
*The story of this attempted assassination of the President of France was dramatized in Frederick Forsyth's "The Day of the Jackal" which became a 1969 movie.
1974 Citroen DS
Photo by Joe Mabel (2007)
August 22, 1962
ADMINISTRATION SOURCES SAY VIETNAM WAR HAS BECOME A "STALEMATE"
Washington, D.C. (JFK+50) Unnamed Kennedy administration officials were quoted in the New York Times today as saying they estimate there are 20,000 guerrilla troops in South Vietnam.
Despite hundreds of military engagements with encouraging victories by the South Vietnamese Army, the numbers of Viet Cong (South Vietnamese communists) have grown.
These same sources say the Vietnam War has become a "stalemate".
August 22, 1962
JFK ANNOUNCES "HISTORIC RENDEZVOUS" AT THE NORTH POLE
Washington, D.C. (JFK+50) President John F. Kennedy announced at his news conference at the State Department today that 2 US nuclear powered submarines, the USS Skate & the USS Sea Dragon, "have completed a historic rendezvous under the polar ice pack & then surfaced together through a small opening in the ice at the North Pole".
USS Skate
On the Arctic Surface
US Navy Photo (1959)
August 22, 1962
JFK CONFIRMS SOVIETS ARE AN INCREASING PRESENCE IN CUBA
Washington, D.C. (JFK+50) President Kennedy, at his news conference today, confirmed reports that Soviet men & supplies have arrived in large numbers in recent weeks.
When asked about Soviet troops, JFK said:
"We do not have information, but an increased number of technicians. We are examining it. What we are talking about are supplies & technicians of a rather intensive quantity in recent weeks."*
*This was the buildup of missile sites & Soviet personnel in Cuba which culminated in the Cuban Missile Crisis of October 1962.
August 22, 1961
MRS. KENNEDY HOSTS CONCERT FOR HANDICAPPED CHILDREN
Washington, D.C. (JFK+50) President & Mrs. John F. Kennedy welcomed handicapped children today to the White House for a special concert given on the South Lawn.
This is the 1st in a series of concerts by & for young people. They have been planned & sponsored by the First Lady.
Today's concert featured a symphony orchestra of the Brevard Music Camp of Transylvania County, North Carolina.
JFK said the musicians who performed today are "a great national cultural asset."
Transylvania County, North Carolina
August 22, 1963
SOUTH VIETNAMESE AMBASSADOR RESIGNS
Washington, D.C. (JFK+50) Tran Van Phuong, South Vietnam's ambassador to the United States, resigned in protest today against his own government's harsh treatment of Buddhists.
August 22, 1989
NOLAN RYAN GETS 5000TH CAREER STRIKEOUT
Arlington, Texas (JFK+50) Ace fastball pitcher for the Texas Rangers, Nolan Ryan, fanned the 5000th batter of his career today.
Despite setting this astounding record, the Rangers lost the game 0 to 2.
Ryan had 13 Ks & allowed just 5 hits.
Nolan Ryan requested that the game not be stopped to honor his feat, but after the 5th inning, he was saluted on video tape by President George H.W. Bush.*
*Bush's son & future US President, George W. Bush, was owner of the Texas Rangers in 1989.
August 22, 1922
IRISH REVOLUTIONARY MICHAEL COLLINS IS KILLED IN AMBUSH
West County Cork, Ireland (JFK+50) Irish revolutionary Michael Collins was killed today in an ambush here in west County Cork, Ireland.
Collins was a supporter of independence for all of Ireland & was serving as finance minister for the newly established Irish Free State.
Republican extremists are believed to be behind the ambush.
Michael Collins
