184 CODE West Las Vegas 87702 Greater Las Vegas, New MexicoYear-No. -Thursday, August 19, 1965 ZIP CODE East Las Vegas 87701 Price: 8 Cents Per Copy US Marines Score In Viet Namese War Las Vegas DAILY OPTIC Gemini Flight Postponed De Baca Funeral Held Because Of Radio Trouble On Wednesday CAPE KENNEDY (UPD. -A radio problem aboard the Gemini 5 space capsule today forced postponement of the launching of astronauts Gordon Cooper and Charles (Pete) Conrad on an eight-day endurance flight. The unhappy astronauts were being brought out of the capsule under dark and rainy skies. The postponement just 10 minutes before scheduled liftoff -was heartbreaking for the astronauts and the crews that had worked for months to fire the capsule on its Titan rocket without a hitch.
The earliest the flight could be resurned was Saturday. The countdown had started on time in the pre-dawn hours NM Promotes Tourism Less SANTA FE (UPD)-The state planning office has received a preliminary report on a tourist survey which indicates New Mexico communities and businesses promote tourism less than those in neighboring states. The preliminary report on the economics of the tourist-vacation industry was prepared by Kirschner Associates of Albuquerque. It was the first part of a three part study being prepared for the state by Marplan Division of Communications Affiliates, Inc. of New York.
The report will be included in an overall survey of New Mexico resources to be presented to the Legislature by the state planning office. The report said New 'Mexico's state-financed tourist promotion activities exceeded that of the other states. However, the promotional expenditures of counties, cities, businesses, and local organizations in Arizona, California and Texas exceed those of New Mexico. The report also said 5.8 per cent of the employed workers in New Mexico worked in tourist related activities. But this group accounted for only 3.85 per cent of the nonagricultural income.
While the average weekly earnings in New Mexico were about S90 per week the average weekly earnings in the hotel-motel, and food and drink industries were between $38 and $42. Marplan is conducting 1.500 interviews with visitors to New Mexico to determine exact exrenditures of the tourist in New Mexico. The report also said one extensive study in California indicated that in that area the avcrage tourist spends $6.48 per day. This is reportedly considerably below the figure that has been used in New Mexico by various organizations and these figures will be checked under El later portion of the study being prepared by Marplan. the cape.
Then, as the sun rose on a brilliant sky, engineers ran into a problem filling new electric power cells for capsule with liquid hydrogen. There was a 3-hour, 18- minute "hold" of the countdown. The countdown resumed and everything seemed going smoothly as the astronauts suitup and boarded the capsule atop the 90-foot rocket. The countdown progressed without a hitch until T-minus 10 minutes: 10 minutes short of ignition and liftoff from launch Pad 19. Mission Director Everett E.
Christensen ordered the flight "scrubbed." In the preceding 10 minutes, the astronauts and officials noticed a problem in a telemetry system. The rain started coming down. The gantry that had been lowered was raised again as lightning flashed in the skies near the launch site. Gemini control explained it would be a conductor of lightning if the lightning came to the launch area. "Let's hang on and try to go today," the astronauts pleaded.
But it was no use. The word was passed to them. "Aw, gee!" Cooper said. "You promised a launch today and not a wet mock (rehearsal." Technicians swarmed over the capsule and the mighty rocket, snapping switches and turning off power. Looking glum, Conrad and Cooper removed their helmets.
Then, professionals used to the breaks, they smiled. There would be another day. Raindrops spattered the capsule and lightning flashed in the cape area as 'the' countdown was stopped. Cooper and Conrad sat placidly in the capatop the two-stage Titan rocket. "Turn on the windshield wipers," Conrad quipped as rain splashed down.
The gantry that flanked the rocket had been removed and was raised back into place as a protection for the spacecraft during the rain. Engineers at the manned spacecraft center. in were checking the cause of a telemetry system failure in the capsule. A backup system worked and the primary system functioned when tested again--but they wanted to make doubly sure. "We will advise you further on the length of the hold or whether we can go today," said Paul Haney the voice of mission control in Houston.
Space agency officials said if the shot was scrubbed today it could not be rescheduled at least until Saturday. Officials said a minimum 48- hour period was needed to prepare the ship's fuel cell power units for a new launch attempt. 561 Americans Killed WASHINGTON (UPI) The Defense Department announced today that 561 Americans had died in Viet Nam combat through Aug. 16. The figure did not include casualtics sustained in current heavy fighting which has cost U.S.
Marines the heaviest losses of any action of the war. Today's report said Army fatalities totaled 354, Marines 77, Air Force 91 and Navy 39. The report also listed 3,024 Americans as wounded and 44 missing in Viet. Nam up to midnight last Monday. The Pentagon said an additional 269 Americans had died in Vict from non-combat causes since Jan.
1, 1961. 8 Persons Die On NM Eight persons were killed in two separate traffic accidents late Tuesday, seven of them in a two-car collision in a driving rainstorm on U. S. 70, 25 miles west of Lordsburg. The accident which claimed the lives of the seven out-ofstate residents, critically injured the sole survivor, Mrs.
Barbara Ann Fierro, 39, of San Jose, Calif. State Police identified the victims of the Lordsburg accident as Jean D. Leonard, 49, and Mrs. A. Elenora Bryce, 67, both of Safford, Ernest Fierro, 41.
and Teresa Fierro, 6, both el San Jose, Mesinda F. Hernandez. 27, and Yolinda Hernandez, 9, of Visalia, RHS Night School To Start Aug. 31 Registration for Robertson High School evening classes will start Aug. 31, at 5 p.m.
at the high school office, Friedman and Fifth. The program is open to all persons over 17 years of age who are interested and who present an educational background indicating successful participation in eight grades of elementary education ol' the equivalent. Provided there be sufficient enrollment. students will have the opportunity to take marketable skills such as typing IT, bookkeeping, shorthand and business mathematics. English HI, IV.
history, social science and biology are offered with view in mind to help students fulfill existing credit 1'C- quirements for graduation as set by the state department of education and the l.os Vegas City Schools. Classes will be in session for al least 120 hours. Students participating will receive onehalf credit per 18 weeks course work, and class hours will be arranged as follows: three 75 class periods 011 Tucsdays. Wednesdays and Thursfor a total of 135 hours in day's 36 weeks. School starts at 5:25 p.m.
and ends for the day at 9:20 p.m. The Las Vegas Robertson High School is a fully accredited evening extension of the day Casualities On Both By MICHAEL T. MALLOY United Press International SAIGON (UPD U.S. Marines killed 550 Vict Cong. wounded an estimated 1,000 and captured 50 hard core guerrillas in fighting near Chu Lai, al U.S.
Marine spokesman said loday. He hailed the victory as the biggest operational success of the Viet Nam war. The victory cost the Marines the heaviest casualties of any Anierican action of the Viet Nam war, the spokesman said. No figures were announced under new military regulations. The sokesman said the scene of the fighting was the stronghold of the 1st Viet Cong Regiment, one of the toughest Communist fighting forces in Viet Nam.
The Marines said the fighting was as tough as that of Korea and Okinawa. The Marines captured scores of weapons of all types from individual arms to crew-served weapons such as 81 millimeter mortars and 57 mm recoilless rifles. A spokesman said earlier the Marines captured "mountains" of other supplies. The heaviest part of the operation appeared to be over and the spokesman said the last contact between the Marines and VC pockets of resistance took place this afternoon. The Marines drove to the coast in the fighting area 12 miles south of Chu Lai and will complete the operation Friday by searching beach areas for holdouts.
Tonight civilians in the a arca rear and are being provided were filtering back through the 'Marines lines to a safety in the with food and water, the spokesman said. An American military spokesman said the Marines expected to complete most of their cleaning up operations tonight. Lt. Gen. Victor M.
Krulac, commander of all Marine forces in the Pacific, described the battle as a "fine victory for the first team." But in another battle in the central highlands, an annihilation force of Viet Cong overran the district capital of Dak Sut and an American special forces camp in Kontum Province. The town's garrison and camp was one of the last barriers in the region to Communist infiltration from southern Laos. Three other smaller actions were reported close to Saigon with defenders suffering heavy casualties at Ninh Hoa, nine miles from the capital. Rescue Eight Americans At dawn U.S. Army aviators braved withering Viet Cong ground fire in a daring helicopter rescue of eight American survivors who fought their way out of Dak Sut before the town and their camp fell to the attacking Viet Cong.
UPI correspondent Joseph L. Galloway, aboard one of the Re Recrimination Cross Fire Follows Los Angeles Riots LOS ANGELES I UPI)-Riottorn Los Angeles moved rapidly toward recovery today despite a cross-fire of recriminalions over the causes of the nation's worst Negro uprising of the century. City and state authorities poured food and money into the stricken Watts district where 15.000 police and National Guardsmen smashed an unprecedented rampage that left 35 dead. Reports of trouble in the riot zone dwindled sharply Wednesday night and carly today. Police said an 18-ycar-old Negro youth was shot in the head when he ran out of a burned factory carrying a table.
His condition was listed as critical. In another section of the rict area. a report of a sniper proved unfounded. Gov. Edmund G.
Brown and Mayor Samuel Yorty. meanwhile. disagreed over what caused the rioting which left 35 persons dead. nearly 900 injured and nearly $200 million in property damage. Their dispute WaS rapidly becoming it public feud.
Dr. Martin Luther King, both cheered and jeered by Negroes in a tour of the riot area Wednesday, sharply criticized Police Chief William H. Parker for inflaming tensions in the riot area. He also met with Brown for 90 minutes. After the meeting, the gover- Heavy Sides Funeral services for Leo Fernandez de Baca, 52, were held yesterday morning at 9 at Our Lady of.
Sorrows Church. High Mass was officiated by Fr. Gene Guerin. Many relatives and friends attended the High Mass. C.de Baca, a life-long resident of Las Vegas, died at a local hospital Saturday night.
After the Mass the body was taken to the National Cemetery 9t Santa Fe for military burial services. Baca was a veteran of World War Il. The National Guard of Las Vegas was in charge of the rifle squad. Julian Montoya, of. Las Vegas was the trumpet man.
Members of Conrado Lucero Post 12 American Legion and members of the V.F.W., both organizations from Las Vegas, participated in the military service. Serving as pallbearers were Chano Quintana, Ernest Apodaca, Salomon Maese, Cayetano Bustos, Donald "Tiny" Martinez, F. C. Gonzales, Gilbert Lopez and Edmundo Angel. following served as honorary pallbearers: Billy Wertz, Lewis Schiele, Tom McElroy.
Horacio Gallegos, Pete Ortega, David Montoya, George Maloof, George Marquez, Johnny Gric- go, Alex Griego, Bill Blackmer, Frank Lee Montoya, Herb soin, Jack Hillson, E. E. Tapley, Ivan Hilton, Col. William Salmon, Ernie Mitchell, Eloy Ludi, Phillip Ludi, Tony Serna, Jose Lino Rivera, Robert Armijo, Jim Leger, Ray Leger, Boni Marquez, Ignacio Lucero, Gilbert Mendoza. Leroy Ramirez.
Alfonso Ramirez, Mike Romero, Phillip Gonzales, Elias Fidel, Fred Maxey, Ed Mechem, Melquiades Maes, Jose M. Montoya, David Chavez, Will Harrison. Ernest Abreu, Frank Herrera, Bob Bennett, James Harold Sena, Seferino Quintana and Henry Trujillo. The eulogy at the graveside was delivered by Donald Martinez. Gonzales Funeral Home was in charge.
City Schools To Use Natural Gas The City School Board in a special meeting last night resolved to enter into a contract with the City of Las Vegas to convert the central beating plant, the Armory building and the Douglas School to the use of natural gas. City Manager Harry Houck, Gas Manager Chet Morlan and Attorney Robert Armijo met with board members to finalize details. of the proposition. Contract documents will call for conversion of ail the facilities by Jan. 1.
1966. In a related action the board rejected bids for the provision of oil and coal by virtue of the acceptance of the City's proposal. Plans Made For Nursing Seminar The Planning Panel for the San Miguel County Heart Association's Cardio Vascular Nursing Seminar met recently to formulate plans for the nursing seminar which will take place in November in Las Vegas gas. Mrs. Virginia Baurquin is chairman of the Planning Panel and serving with her are Dr.
H. M. Mortimer. William Halm. Mrs.
R. C. VanderMeer and meeting with the Planning Panel were Mrs. Virginia Glass, R.N.. of Los Alamos.
member of the Heart Association's State Committee on Professional Education for Nurses and Nursing Personnel. and Alexander Hays, state program director. Mrs. Alice Butler, vice president of the San Miguel County Heart Association, will serve as publicity chairman. The subject selected for the seminar is myocardial infaretion--The Nurses Role.
The plans are to have an allday Friday session for nurses and Nursing personnel and a half-day Saturday morning, which will be open to the general public, and will cover the rehabilitative phase of the patient with myocardial infaretion and the nutritional and social and emotional aspects concerning the patient with coronary artery disease. rescue helicopters, said the eight survivors made their way aboute, crest mile of from a the grassy blazing hill camp, and signalled the searching helicopters with a shaving mirror. The fate of other Americans possibly stationed at the camp and perhaps 350 South Vietnamese defenders was not known. An undisclosed number of rescue aircraft were hit but none were reported downed. The rescued survivors were taken to the headquarters of the Special Forces in Pleiku.
The senior American adviser there, Col. Theodore Mataxis, 48, of Seattle, disclosed the Communist forces had brought in truck towed quadruple mounted 50-caliber antiaircraft machine guns to discourage any thoughts of retaking Dak Sut by heliborne assault. The Viet Cong opened their attack on Dak Sut with a mortar barrage. Earlier reports from the area indicated savage foxhole-to-foxhole fighting before radio contact was lost. Earlier.
a U.S. F100 jet pilot flying over the area reported seeing about 70 refugees leaving the town. LARGE RATTLESNAKE shown above measured about 54. inches (see measuring stick alongside snake) and contained 14 rattles. Bennie S.
Archuleta, employee of the US Forest Service, killed the reptile on a road near ranger station on the Pueblo Grant Wednesday morning. (Photo by Magill) City Mayor Backs Police Department ent East Las Vegas Mayor Frank Olmstead yesterday issued a statement nt backing up his police department in its action regarding availability of the police department's radio log. A Santa Fe newspaper reporter said that she had been refused permission to see the radio log Saturday and again Monday. In his statement yesterday, given to the reporter in question, Olmstead said: "In reference to your. request for permission to examine the police radio log of the City of Las Vegas please be advised that: Because the log contains the names of juveniles some of whom have been reported in connection with alleged crimes and some of whom may have been innocent victims of circ*mstances: "2.
and, because the logs may contain privileged information concerning State Hospital pa-. tients and other innocent people; "3. the City attorney has, therefore, advised me to instruct the City Police Department to withhold the radio logs from public inspection until such time as he can review the applicable statutes and obtain legal opinion for us concerning the classification of such records. "In the meantime il you have need of specific information contained in the radio logs, please give me a list of the information that you desire and I will see that this information By JOHN DART is made available to you. "Because our offices are under-staffed, please allow a reasonable amount of time for compliance with your requests for.
information." The radio logs in question are the accounts of every radio communication between the base station at City hall and police cars on the frequency as required by the Federal Communications Commission which licenses the radio operation. The radio logs are written in the radio code, for instance using 10-4 instead of all right, and contain only a brief resume of the police department activities as relayed over the radio. The Optic reporters have never had occasion to request permission to see the radio logs, since information on cases being handled by the department is written in departmental reports which have always been made available to Optic reporters on request. The Santa Fo reporter asked to see the radio log while looking for information relating to State Hospital walkaways last Saturday. It is the contention of the Santa Fe paper that the radio log is covered by the Now Mexico public information statutes which state: "Every citizen of this state has a right to inspect any public records of this state except records pertaining to physical or mental examinations and medical treatment 'of persons confined to any institution and except as otherwise provided by law." nor said "absolutely not" when asked if he would try to have Parker ousted from his job.
"I don't believe he has the slightest bit of prejudice in him." Brown said of Parker. "His zeal for law enforcement could be misinterpreted as prejudice." Other controversy flared over an unexpected cut-off of federal anti-poverty funds which drew Sargent Shriver, director of the office of Economic Opportunity, into the tense situation. The five days of civic disorder were sparked Aug. 11 when two white highway patrolmen arrested a drunken' driving Negroes claimed the 545- pect was mistreated another in a long line of alleged cases of police brutality against Negrocs. Mayor Yorty said such charges were part of an international Communist "big lie" tcehnique to discredit law enforcement officers.
Brown said that communism might have had a "minor role" but added "we kid ourselves if we blame this on communism alone." Yorty, who has suggested that he is the only Democrat in the state who can challenge Brown in the party's gubernatorial primary next ycar. charged Wednesday that the governor bad mistakenly started to remove the guardsmen summoned last Friday to hickp police. He also disassociated himself Former Employe Charges Coercive Tactics Used Highways and all unidentified six-year-old boy. State Police said Teresa Fierro died in the Hildalgo General Hospital at Lordsburg after being rushed there for emergency treatment. Authorities quoted witnesses as saying the castbound car driven by Ernest Fierro skidded at the top of a hill and slammed headon into the westbound Leonard car, driven by Miss Leonard, Safford postmistress.
victims except Mrs. Bryce and Miss Leonard were riding in the Fierro vehicle, State Police said. In the other accident, Riley W. Pate, 63, a Lovington State Highway Department employe also was killed late Wednesday in a two-vehicle collision. State Police said a pickup truck driven by Manuel McLemore of Hobbs collided with the rear of the tractor mower being driven by Pate on NM-18.
Authorities said Pate was thrown from the vehicle and apparently run over by the pickup truck. No charges were pending against McLemore, authorities said. The deaths raised to 286 the number of persons killed on New Mexico roads this year, compared with 219 on this date last year. PLANNING PANEL for the San Miguel County Heart Association's Cardio Vascular Nursing Seminar to be held here in November includes (1 to r) Mrs. Virginia Baurquin, chairman, and Mrs.
Virginia Glass of Los Alamos. SANTA FE (UPI) -Former Albuquerque liquor inspector Tony Sisneros has charged that coercive tactics were used by State Revenue Commissioner Max Gonzales in forcing his resignation last month. Sisneros made the statement in a letter to Director Harold Bibo' in an unsuccessful attempt for a hearing on his case before the State Personnel Board. Sisneros admitted in a liquor hearing testimony May 7 he had falsified bar inspection reports in a case involving a Bernalillo County license. He resigned by letter to Gonzales July 7 and said, "I have realized for some time that I should have resigned from my position because of the incident in the administration of my duties.
for which I am tirely at fault." Gonzales, replying to the charge today, said, "there is absolutely no truth whatever to any coercive tactics on my part. If he hadn't resigned, I would have fired him on the spot." Sisneros said he had been promised future employment by Cionzales July 7, but Gonzales denied the statement. "There was no promise of any job whatsoever," Gonzales said. Sisneros said in his letter to the state personnel director, "on July 7. 1965, I was summoned to the office of Max Gonzales, Revenue Bureau Commissioner, and under promises of employment in the future, I was forced to resign on July 15." school.
It meets all requirements as established by the North Central Association and the For State further Board of information Robertson High School at 425- 8220 or Tom Varela, evening high school supervisor, at 425- 7737. from Brown's call to President Johnson for the services of cial troubleshooter Leroy Collins, U.S. undersecretary of commerce. Yorty said Collins could not help the city, Brown agreed 10 a request by King to. "visit the of Watts.
The governor planned to go today or Friday and said he hoped to have "something dramatic" to tell the residents. He also will make a radio report to the people of Los Angoles today and announce the names of a seven-member commission to find the causes of the rioting and methods of preventing a recurrence. Brown said he would ask the commission to make a recommiendation on a civilian review board to consider charges of police brutality. This was King's first request and a longtime goal of Negro leaders here. Weather Considerable cloudiness with occasional or thundershowers is forceast for Las Vegas through Friday with diminishing showers and thunderstorms Friday.
The Las Vegas Airport recorded .64 inch of precipitation between 5 2.111. and 11 a.m. today with a trace recorded between midnight and 5 a.m. The high yesterday was 78, the low last night 55 and the il a.m. reading today 53.
Downpayment Is Approved WASHINGTON (UPI) The House Appropriations Committce approved a $1.2 billion downpayment today on President Johnson's school aid program, his new administration aging and stepped-up research into heart disease, cancer and stroke. The action came as the House neared final approval on a compromise $3.36 billion forcign aid authorization bill agreed on earlier this week by louse-Senate conferes. Senate action on the forcign aid bill was expected to follow quickly, sending the measure to the White House and removing a major roadblock in the path of congressional adjournment by Labor Day. The Appropriations CommitIce. in effect, gave the Department of Health.
Education and Welfare (HEW) all it asked under the first gencral school aid bill ever to be enacted. The School Act carries a $1.3 billion price tag but today's bill amounted to only a down-pay ment of $775 million. The committee said a ity of its members was "in full agreement with the overwhelming majority of Congress. the president and the obvious majority of the American poopic" in approving the aims of the school aid program. 1 -ed.
