The Senate Armed Services Committee begins a probe into allegations that the U.S. Air Force made thousands of secret B-52 raids into Cambodia in 1969 and 1970 at a time when the United States recognized the neutrality of the Prince Norodom Sihanouk regime in Cambodia. The Pentagon acknowledged that President Richard Nixon and Secretary of Defense Melvin Laird had authorized the raids against Cambodia, but Sihanouk denied the State Department claim that he had requested or authorized the bombing. Though it was established that the bombing records had been falsified, Laird and Henry Kissinger, Nixon's National Security Advisor, denied any knowledge of the falsification. The Senate hearings eventually exposed the extent of the secrecy involved in the bombing campaign and seriously damaged the credibility of the Nixon administration.
Also on This Day
- Lead Story
- Atom bomb successfully tested, 1945
- American Revolution
- Anthony Wayne earns nickname, 1779
- Automotive
- World's first parking meter installed, 1935
- Civil War
- Draft riots continue to rock New York City, 1863
- Cold War
- United States conducts first test of the atomic bomb, 1945
- Crime
- An army doctor is accused of stabbing his family to death, 1979
- Disaster
- Earthquake wreaks havoc in the Philippines, 1990
- General Interest
- First Catholic mission in California dedicated, 1769
- Apollo 11 departs Earth, 1969
- JFK Jr. killed in plane crash, 1999
- Hollywood
- Funnyman Will Ferrell born, 1967
- Literary
- Catcher in the Rye is published, 1951
- Music
- Tommy James and the Shondells are rescued from oblivion by their #1 hit "Hanky Panky", 1966
- Old West
- Lewis and Clark help form Missouri Fur Company, 1808
- Presidential
- Congress declares Washington, D.C., new capital, 1790
- Bush unveils strategy for homeland security, 2002
- Sports
- Durocher leaves Dodgers to manage Giants, 1948
- Vietnam War
- McNamara visits South Vietnam, 1965
- Senate begins investigations into secret bombing of Cambodia, 1973
- World War I
- Romanov family executed, 1918
- World War II
- Marshal Petain becomes premier of occupied France, 1940
- The first atomic bomb test is successfully exploded, 1945
Senate begins investigations into secret bombing of Cambodia
Fact Check We strive for accuracy and fairness. But if you see something that doesn't look right, contact us!
This Week in History, Jul 16 - Jul 22
- Jul 16, 1965
- McNamara visits South Vietnam
- Jul 16, 1973
- Senate begins investigations into secret bombing of Cambodia
- Jul 17, 1969
- Wheeler visits South Vietnam
- Jul 17, 1972
- South Vietnamese paratroopers fight for Citadel
- Jul 18, 1955
- Soviet Union agrees to grant Hanoi economic aid
- Jul 18, 1968
- Johnson meets Thieu in Honolulu
- Jul 19, 1964
- President Khanh calls for expanding the war
- Jul 19, 1972
- Peace talks resume
- Jul 20, 1964
- Viet Cong troops overrun town
- Jul 20, 1969
- Duck Hook plan completed
- Jul 21, 1965
- Johnson considers the options
- Jul 22, 1967
- Taylor and Clifford begin tour of the Pacific region
- Jul 22, 1968
- North Vietnamese condemn Honolulu Conference
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