April 30, 1970: The Cambodian Incursion

April 30, 1970: President Richard Nixon announces what became known as the Cambodian Incursion: A brief series of military operations conducted in eastern Cambodia in 1970 by South Vietnam and the United States, as an extension of the Vietnam War and the Cambodian Civil War.

Thirteen major operations were conducted by the Army of the Republic of Vietnam between April 29 and July 22, and by U.S. forces between May 1 and June 30.

Antiwar demonstrations broke out across America, and would reach a shocking climax 4 days later in Kent, Ohio.

Senator George McGovern of South Dakota, who had run a halfhearted campaign for the Democratic nomination for President at the 1968 Convention, and was gearing up for another run in 1972, suggested that Nixon be impeached for this action. On July 31, 1973, Representative Robert Drinan of Massachusetts, 1 of 2 Catholic priests who has ever been elected to Congress, submitted a recommendation for Nixon's impeachment, for various charges, some relating to the Watergate scandal, but the Cambodian incursion was included.

April 30, 1975, 5 years to the day after the Incursion: The last U.S. troops leave Vietnam, and the Vietcong complete their conquest of the country. Thirteen days earlier, the Khmer Rouge had completed their takeover of Cambodia. The resulting genocide, known as the "Killing Fields," lasted almost 4 years, killed nearly 3 million people.

And Nixon still gets lauded for his foreign policy expertise.

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April 30, 1970 was a Thursday. These Major League Baseball games were played:

* The New York Yankees beat the California Angels, 1-0 at Yankee Stadium. Stan Bahnsen pitched a 5-hit shutout, outpitching future Yankee Rudy May. Roy White drove in the only run of the game, a sacrifice fly that scored Horace Clarke in the 3rd inning.

* The New York Mets beat the San Francisco Giants, 4-1 at Candlestick Park in San Francisco. Nolan Ryan outpitched Mike McCormick. Tommie Agee hit a home run. Joe Foy went 3-for-4 with 2 RBIs. For the moment, trading Amos Otis for Foy looked like a good deal. It turned out not to be. Willie Mays did not play.

* The Boston Red Sox beat the Oakland Athletics, 8-7 at Fenway Park in Boston. Carl Yastrzemski went 0-for-3 with a walk, but the Sox got home runs from Rico Petrocelli, George Scott and Billy Conigliaro. Billy's better-known brother, Tony, did not play. For the A's, Reggie Jackson went 0-for-4, but Felipe Alou, Joe Rudi and Frank Fernández homered.

* The Washington Senators beat the Milwaukee Brewers, 12-2 at Robert F. Kennedy Stadium in Washington.

* The Atlanta Braves beat the Chicago Cubs, 9-2 at Atlanta Stadium (later Atlanta-Fulton County Stadium). George Stone went the distance for the win, while Ferguson Jenkins was knocked out of the box in the 2nd inning. Hank Aaron hit his 562nd career home run. The Braves also got a home run from Hal King, and 2 from Rico Carty. Ernie Banks went 0-for-3 with a walk.

* The Chicago White Sox beat the Baltimore Orioles, 6-3 at Comiskey Park in Chicago. This result was an anomaly: The Orioles went on to win 108 games and the World Series, while the ChiSox went on to lose 106 games, a team record that still stands. (UPDATE: That record was broken in 2024.)

* The Minnesota Twins beat the Cleveland Indians, 4-1 at Metropolitan Stadium in the Minneapolis suburb of Bloomington, Minnesota. Luis Tiant was the winning pitcher. Harmon Killebrew hit his 440th career home run. Rod Carew did not play.

* The Kansas City Royals beat the Detroit Tigers, 3-2 at Kansas City Municipal Stadium. Bob Oliver singled Amos Otis home with the winning run in the bottom of the 10th inning. Al Kaline went 1-for-4 with a walk and an RBI.

* The Los Angeles Dodgers beat the Montreal Expos, 2-1 at Dodger Stadium in Los Angeles. 

* The Houston Astros and the St. Louis Cardinals were rained out at Busch Memorial Stadium in St. Louis. The game was made up as part of a doubleheader on May 3. The Cards won the opener, 7-4. The Astros won the nightcap, 8-1.

* And the Cincinnati Reds, the Philadelphia Phillies, the Pittsburgh Pirates and the San Diego Padres were not scheduled.

Football was out of season. The NBA Finals were between Games 3 and 4. The New York Knicks went on to beat the Los Angeles Lakers in 7 games.

Game 6 of the NHL Western Division Final was played at the Civic Arena in Pittsburgh. The St. Louis Blues beat the Pittsburgh Penguins, 4-3, and advanced to the Stanley Cup Finals. They lost those Finals to the Boston Bruins.