President John F. Kennedy authorizes U.S. military advisors in Vietnam to return fire if fired upon. At a news conference, he said, "The training missions we have [in South Vietnam] have been instructed that if they are fired upon, they are of course to fire back, but we have not sent combat troops in [the] generally understood sense of the word." In effect, Kennedy was acknowledging that U.S. forces were involved in the fighting, but he wished to downplay any appearance of increased American involvement in the war. The next day former Vice President Nixon expressed hopes that President Kennedy would "step up the build-up and under no circumstances curtail it because of possible criticism."
Also on This Day
- Lead Story
- St. Valentine beheaded, 278
- American Revolution
- Patriots defeat Loyalists at Kettle Creek, 1779
- Automotive
- Toyota patriarch born, 1867
- Civil War
- Union General Sherman enters Meridian, Mississippi, 1864
- Cold War
- Sandinistas agree to free elections, 1989
- Crime
- The St. Valentine's Day Massacre, 1929
- Disaster
- Tornadoes sweep through southern Georgia, 2000
- General Interest
- Captain Cook killed in Hawaii, 1779
- Valentine's Day Massacre takes place, 1929
- Penicillin discovered, 1929
- Hollywood
- Hedda Hopper’s first column appears in the L.A. Times, 1938
- Literary
- The Boz Ball celebrates Dickens, 1842
- Music
- The B-52's play their first gig, 1977
- Old West
- First trainload of oranges leaves Los Angeles, 1886
- Presidential
- Theodore Roosevelt's wife and mother die, 1884
- Sports
- Olympic speed skater Jansen falls after sister dies, 1988
- Vietnam War
- Kennedy authorizes U.S. advisors to fire in self-defense, 1962
- Gallup Poll released, 1970
- World War I
- Wilson presents draft covenant for League of Nations, 1919
- World War II
- Battle of the Kasserine Pass, 1943
Feb 14, 1962:
Kennedy authorizes U.S. advisors to fire in self-defense
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This Week in History, Feb 14 - Feb 20
- Feb 14, 1962
- Kennedy authorizes U.S. advisors to fire in self-defense
- Feb 14, 1970
- Gallup Poll released
- Feb 15, 1966
- DeGaulle offers to help end Vietnam War
- Feb 15, 1970
- Chicago Eight defense attorneys sentenced
- Feb 16, 1968
- Tet Offensive results in many new refugees
- Feb 17, 1966
- Taylor testifies on Operation Rolling Thunder
- Feb 17, 1968
- U.S. casualty rate reaches record high
- Feb 18, 1965
- United States warns of forthcoming bombing operations
- Feb 19, 1965
- South Vietnamese coup unsuccessful
- Feb 19, 1970
- Chicago Seven sentenced
- Feb 20, 1968
- Hearings begin on American policy in Vietnam
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