December 23

This Day in History

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Lead Story
Van Gogh chops off ear, 1888
American Revolution
George Washington resigns as commander in chief, 1783
Automotive
Road contamination prompts evacuation of town, 1982
Civil War
Confederacy's President Davis declares Union general a felon, 1862
Cold War
Crew of USS Pueblo released by North Korea, 1968
Crime
Bernhard Goetz goes on the lam, 1984
"Balloon Boy" parents sentenced in Colorado, 2009
Disaster
Earthquake rocks Managua, 1972
General Interest
Construction of Plymouth settlement begins, 1620
Japanese war criminals hanged in Tokyo, 1948
Voyager completes global flight, 1986
Hollywood
Hanks stars in first major Hollywood movie about AIDS, 1993
Literary
French magazine rejects Remembrance of Things Past, 1912
Music
Chuck Berry is arrested on Mann Act charges in St. Louis, Missouri, 1959
Old West
Prince Wurttemberg explores the West, 1829
Presidential
Truman considers amnesty for draft dodgers, 1946
Sports
Harris makes Immaculate Reception, 1972
Vietnam War
Francis Cardinal Spellman visits South Vietnam, 1966
Operation Linebacker II continues, 1972
World War I
Vera Brittain loses fiance at Western Front, 1915
World War II
The execution of Eddie Slovik is authorized, 1944

Vietnam War

Dec 23, 1966:

Francis Cardinal Spellman visits South Vietnam

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Francis Cardinal Spellman, the Roman Catholic Archbishop of New York and military vicar of the U.S. armed forces for Roman Catholics, visits U.S. servicemen in South Vietnam. In an address at mass in Saigon, Spellman said that the Vietnamese conflict was "a war for civilization—certainly it is not a war of our seeking. It is a war thrust upon us—we cannot yield to tyranny." Anything "less than victory is inconceivable." On December 26, Spellman told U.S. soldiers that they were in Vietnam for the "defense, protection, and salvation not only of our country, but... of civilization itself." The next day, Vatican sources expressed displeasure with Spellman's statements in Vietnam. One source said, "The Cardinal did not speak for the Pope or the Church." The Pope had previously called for negotiations and an end to the war in Vietnam.

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This Week in History, Dec 23 - Dec 29

Dec 23, 1966
Francis Cardinal Spellman visits South Vietnam
Dec 23, 1972
Operation Linebacker II continues
Dec 24, 1964
Viet Cong bomb Brinks Hotel
Dec 24, 1972
Bob Hope gives his last show in Vietnam
Dec 25, 1966
Harrison Salisbury reports on damage caused by U.S. bombing
Dec 25, 1972
Linebacker II resumes after Christmas pause
Dec 26, 1967
Laos says communists launched an offensive
Dec 26, 1971
U.S. jets strike North Vietnam
Dec 27, 1966
U.S. and South Vietnamese troops attack Viet Cong stronghold
Dec 27, 1969
U.S. and North Vietnamese forces battle near Loc Ninh.
Dec 28, 1964
South Vietnamese win costly battle at Binh Gia
Dec 28, 1972
Hanoi announces return to the Paris peace talks
Dec 29, 1962
Saigon announces success of strategic hamlet program
Dec 29, 1966
Johnson Administration responds to Harrison Salisbury's charges

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