| |
N0KFQ > TODAY 23.01.15 17:00l 51 Lines 2248 Bytes #999 (0) @ WW
BID : 45468_N0KFQ
Read: GUEST
Subj: Today in History - Jan 23
Path: IZ3LSV<IR1UAW<IQ5KG<I0OJJ<VE3UIL<N0KFQ
Sent: 150123/1555Z 45468@N0KFQ.#SWMO.MO.USA.NA BPQ1.4.62
Jan 23, 1968:
North Korea seizes U.S. ship Pueblo
The U.S. intelligence-gathering ship Pueblo is seized by North
Korean naval vessels and charged with spying and violating North
Korean territorial waters. Negotiations to free the 83-man crew
of the U.S. ship dragged on for nearly a year, damaging the
credibility of and confidence in the foreign policy of President
Lyndon B. Johnson's administration.
The capture of the ship and internment of its crew by North Korea
was loudly protested by the Johnson administration. The U.S.
government vehemently denied that North Korea's territorial
waters had been violated and argued the ship was merely
performing routine intelligence gathering duties in the Sea of
Japan. Some U.S. officials, including Johnson himself, were
convinced that the seizure was part of a larger communist-bloc
offensive, since exactly one week later, communist forces in
South Vietnam launched the Tet Offensive, the largest attack of
the Vietnam War. Despite this, however, the Johnson
administration took a restrained stance toward the incident.
Fully occupied with the Tet Offensive, Johnson resorted to
quieter diplomatic efforts to resolve the crisis in North Korea.
In December 1968, the commander of the Pueblo, Capt. Lloyd
Bucher, grudgingly signed a confession indicating that his ship
was spying on North Korea prior to its capture. With this
propaganda victory in hand, the North Koreans turned the crew and
captain (including one crewman who had died) over to the United
States.
The Pueblo incident was a blow to the Johnson administration's
credibility, as the president seemed powerless to free the
captured crew and ship. Combined with the public's perception--in
the wake of the Tet Offensive--that the Vietnam War was being
lost, the Pueblo incident resulted in a serious faltering of
Johnson's popularity with the American people. The crewmen's
reports about their horrific treatment at the hands of the North
Koreans during their 11 months in captivity further incensed
American citizens, many of whom believed that Johnson should have
taken more aggressive action to free the captive Americans.
73, K.O. n0kfq
N0KFQ @ N0KFQ.#SWMO.MO.USA.NA
E-mail: kohiggs@gmail.com
Using Outpost Ver 2.8.0 c42
Read previous mail | Read next mail
| |
