RACE RELATIONS:

August brought us the worst riots to date–in a LA neighborhood called Watts:  It started on the 11th when the Highway Patrol arrested Marquatte Frye after he failed a sobriety test at about 7 pm.  Within 20 minutes a crowd had gathered and there were further arrests of 3 of Frye’s family before the police left with their prisoners leaving an angry crowd which within the hour had advanced to an angry mob that threatened property and the police.  On the 12th several Black Leaders tried to restore order but the rioting continued now including arson thru the 13th when 14,000 National Guardsman were brought in to join the police.  On the 14th the Governor (Brown) imposed a curfew in the area with anyone out after 8 pm subject to arrest.  The riots finally ended on the 15th and the curfew lifted on the 17th.

In the end there were 34 dead, 1,032 injured (including 90 policemen, 136 fire fighters, 10 national guardsmen and 23 people from other government agency as well as 773 civilians. )   More than 680 buildings were damaged  by burning and looting and 200 were actually destroyed.   Also in August (on the 12th) there was a race riot in West Chicago,

                On a more positive note on 10/6 Patricia Roberts Harris became the first African American woman to become an ambassador.

And the vision that was planted in my brain
Still remains
Within the sound of silence

Vietnam was heating up toos….on July 2nd LBJ announced increase of US military there to 125,000 and to accomplish that he raised the draft from 17,000 to 35,000 and a month later Morley Safer sent the first report on Vietnam which indicated that the US was loosing.  On 8/17 (lasting to the 24th) Operation Starlight marked the first US only offensive military action takes place and on the 28th the Viet Cong were routed in the Makong Delta also by US forces.

In September the US began spraying liquid defoliant (a practice which would mean health issues for many veterans) on suspected Viet Cong positions in South East Asia to destroy crops and tree cover.  The practice was continued until early 1971.

On November 14, 90,000 soldier were sent to the country and the first major battle of the war using armored vehicles as at Ap Bau Bang, in what was called one of the most gallant stands of the war.

By December Operation Tiger Head was began involving Southeastern Laos and continued on till Nov. 1968   It was to interrupt the flow of North Vietman’s supplies on the Ho Chi Minh Trail.   On 12/15 the US dropped 12 tons of bombs on an industrial center near Haiphong and on the 18th US Maines attacked C units during operation Harvest Moon.    Also on the 18th of the month Operation Game Warden was started—a Naval undertaking to deny the Viet Cong access to the resources of the Mekong Delta.  By Christmas there were 184,300 U.S. troops on the ground in Vietnam, below the 210,000 General Westmoreland had wanted by this time and by the 29th the country was in a Christmas Truce while Johnson tried to get the North to the bargaining table.

In restless dreams I walked alone
Narrow streets of cobblestone,
‘Neath the halo of a street lamp,
I turned my collar to the cold and damp

 Here in the US we managed to keep on keeping on.  In July US Ambassador Adlai Stevenson II, (nominated by the Democrats for president 1952 and 56) died in London.  Johnson when he wasn’t running  the war managed to sign the Social Security Act 1965, into law in July, creating Medicare in August,  We had a hurricane then that was threatening Florida then too, but it did a flip instead and went into the Gulf and seriously damaged New Orleans (8/27-9/14).

The pope visited the US in October (Paul VI), making that the first Papal visit to the Western Hemisphere.  He spoke to the UN General Assembly in NYC on 10/4.   In an example of just how crazy the US government is President Johnson in September designated Columbus Day as 10/12 which became a Federal Public Holiday.  In 1968 he moved it to the 2nd Monday of October and finally (well maybe) in 2004 President Bush set it for 10/11.   Also in October the local paper–Orlando Sentinel on 10/21 announced that Disney had purchased 27,000 acres (for $5million) and was soon to be a presence in Florida.

On 11/9 we had one of the first power failures that I remember on the East coast causing a major blackout covering several states and parts of Canada and lasting 13 1/2 hours.  Author Somerset Maugham author of such books as The Moon and Sixpence died on 12/16.  We also lost Sam Cooke (on the 11th) but while Somerset died at age 91, Cook was shoot by a motel manager in LA after a prostitute stole his clothes and money.  And as if the war and Civil Rights issues weren’t enough Ralph Nader published “Unsafe At Any Speed” a book on the Auto Industry and it’s practice of producing unsafe cars and not installing proper safety devices.

When my eyes were stabbed by the flash of a neon light
That split the night
And touched the sound of silence

                        It was the year that Gemini 5 was launched into earth orbit with two astronauts Cooper and Conrad and it successfully completed 120 earth orbits ..

                                                                      On 11/26 France launched its first satellite—a 92 lb. capsule into orbit.

On 12/4 Gemini 7 with Frank Borman and James Lovell aboard  was launched and was later maneuvered to within 10 feet of a 2nd US spacecraft Gemini 6.  They splashed down on 12/18.

And in the naked light I saw
Ten thousand people, maybe more
People talking without speaking,
People hearing without listening,
People writing songs that voices never share
And no one dare
Disturb the sound of silence

Waiting for the season some say strongest yet:  http://variety.com/2017/scene/vpage/outlander-season-3-sam-heughan-caitriona-balfe-droughtlander-1202549162/

And in the naked light I saw
Ten thousand people, maybe more
People talking without speaking,
People hearing without listening,
People writing songs that voices never share
And no one dare
Disturb the sound of silence

And the people bowed and prayed
To the neon god they made
And the sign flashed out its warning,
In the words that it was forming

And the sign said, “The words of the prophets
Are written on the subway walls
And tenement halls”
And whispered in the sounds of silence