This Day In 1970's History: Tuesday February 16, 1971
- The Nixon administration is optimistic about the Laos operation. South Vietnamese forces, 20 miles inside Laos, have captured half of the Ho Chi Minh Trail. The administration is disappointed that South Vietnam hasn't penetrated farther, but South Vietnam is proceeding cautiously and troops are limiting their attack to a 50-mile area. The plan is to remain in Laos until May.
U.S. helicopter losses are reportedly greater than revealed, but the Laos operation is considered to be a military success with political rewards for the administration and the Saigon government. North Vietnam is now considered to be weak in South Vietnam and Cambodia. [CBS]
- U.S. Air Force Col. Gerald Kehrli was sentenced to three years in prison and fined $15,000 for using marijuana and giving it to other soldiers. [CBS]
- Lt. William Calley's trial resumed after a month-long recess while Calley was being examined by an Army sanity board. The judge stated that the report indicates Calley is sane. Defense attorneys argued that Calley has diminished mental responsibility, not insanity. Calley reportedly will admit his role in the killings at My Lai in 1968; defense psychiatrists have testified that Calley is incapable of disobeying orders. [CBS]
- Ronald Balch deserted the U.S. Army and fled to East Germany five years ago. He recently tried to escape from East Germany over the Berlin Wall, was caught and sentenced to 32 months in jail. [CBS]
- The Interior Department opened a hearing on a plan to build an oil pipeline across Alaska. Alaska Governor William Egan said that conservation issues cannot be separated from the need to alleviate poverty and disease. Minto Tribe spokesman Richard Frank compared the proposed pipeline to the gold rush, which left the land in worse shape and didn't provide lasting jobs. [CBS]
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