This Day In 1970's History: Sunday January 28, 1973
- In the first day of peace in Vietnam, heavy fighting continued around Saigon. Ten Viet Cong representatives flew to Saigon but refused to get off the plane and refused to sign customs forms because to do so is to recognize President Thieu's government; North Vietnamese representatives arrived in Saigon and made no fuss.
The people of South Vietnam are not excited about the cease-fire. President Thieu told the people that a cease-fire isn't peace, and asked them to be more resolute than ever. Since the cease-fire began, Communist troops have captured 66 hamlets near Saigon and four highways leading into Saigon were cut by the enemy. [NBC]
- Col. William Nolde was the last American soldier to be killed in Vietnam. In Mt. Pleasant, Michigan, Nolde's neighbor Frank Powell said that Nolde was not afraid of being in Vietnam. Nolde had a wife and five children. [NBC]
- The Pentagon announced that North Vietnam's list of American POWs contains 555 names but is incomplete. Six servicemen known to have been captured in Laos are not on the list; the six men are thought to be prisoners in China. 311 Americans are missing in Laos.
The League of POW-MIA Families believes that 15 men who were captured in North Vietnam are not listed. Lt. Robert Dodge was shot down in 1967 over Hanoi. Later a full page photograph of him in Hanoi was carried by "Paris Match" magazine. The U.S. government listed him as captured. Dodge is not on the list just released by North Vietnam. North Vietnam has not yet given an account of MIAs. [NBC]
- President Nixon sent Congress his 1973 budget, which calls for $269 billion in spending. He plans to cut or eliminate many federal social programs. The President has asked the American people to pressure Congress to support his budget plan, saying that the alternative is higher taxes. Nixon will deliver his State of the Union address as a series of messages on specific subjects. He wants to cut aid for building hospitals, urban renewal and school support. [NBC]
- A series of tornadoes struck central Florida, injuring 18. Orlando was the worst-hit area. [NBC]
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