Gen. John D. Lavelle, former four-star general and U.S. Air Force commander in Southeast Asia, testifies before the House Armed Services Committee. He had been relieved of his post in March and later demoted after it was determined that he had repeatedly ordered unauthorized bombings of military targets in North Vietnam. Court-martial charges were brought against him by his subordinates but were dropped by the Air Force because the "interests of discipline" had already been served. Lavelle became the first four-star general in modern U.S. history to be demoted on retirement, although he continued to receive full general's retirement pay of $27,000 per year.
Also on This Day
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- Civil War
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- Cold War
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- Crime
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- Disaster
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- General Interest
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- Literary
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- Old West
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- Presidential
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- Sports
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- Vietnam War
- South Vietnamese premier resigns, 1965
- Lavelle testifies before Congress, 1972
- World War I
- King Constantine of Greece abdicates, 1917
- World War II
- Paris on the verge of invasion, 1940
Jun 12, 1972:
Lavelle testifies before Congress
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This Week in History, Jun 12 - Jun 18
- Jun 12, 1965
- South Vietnamese premier resigns
- Jun 12, 1972
- Lavelle testifies before Congress
- Jun 13, 1971
- The New York Times publishes the "Pentagon Papers"
- Jun 13, 1973
- Kissinger and Le Duc Tho sign new peace agreement
- Jun 14, 1968
- Dr. Spock convicted for aiding draft resisters
- Jun 14, 1969
- U.S. command announces troop withdrawal
- Jun 15, 1964
- Johnson decides against submitting resolution to Congress
- Jun 15, 1965
- U.S. planes bomb North Vietnam
- Jun 16, 1961
- Kennedy agrees to send instructors to train troops
- Jun 16, 1965
- More troops to be sent to Vietnam
- Jun 16, 1970
- Communists isolate Phnom Penh
- Jun 17, 1969
- North Vietnamese reoccupy Ap Bia Mountain
- Jun 17, 1972
- Watergate burglars arrested
- Jun 18, 1965
- SAC B-52s are used for the first time in South Vietnam
- Jun 18, 1966
- Westmoreland requests more troops
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