April 28, 1965: President Lyndon B. Johnson sends U.S. troops to intervene in the civil war in the Dominican Republic.
Rafael Trujillo had been dictator of the nation from 1930 until his assassination in 1961. A free election in 1963 led to the Presidency of Juan Bosch, leader of the opposition for the last 25 years of the Trujillo regime.
But, as was so often the case in the Third World, rumors spread -- possibly by CIA operatives -- that the man chosen by the people of the country was actually a Communist, and the country's army overthrew him, in his case just 7 months into his term. A counter-coup broke out on April 24, 1965, resulting in what became known as the April Revolution. Crowds of demonstrators demanded the return of Bosch from exile and his re-installment as President.
There were 3,500 U.S. citizens in the Dominican. U.S. diplomats struggled to get them evacuated, and the national Army was inadequate to the task. So LBJ launched Operation Power Pack, sending the aircraft carrier USS Boxer, with the U.S. Army's famed 82nd Airborne Division and a Marine battalion, to get it done. He wanted to prevent the D.R. from becoming a 2nd Cuba. By April 30, all those who wanted to leave had been evacuated. By May 26, Johnson began withdrawing troops. The U.S. death toll was 44.
By September 3, the Revolution was over. An election was held in August 1966, and Joaquín Balaguer, who had briefly served as President in the interregnum between Trujillo and Bosch, was the winner. He turned out to be every bit as bad of a dictator as Trujillo, ruling from 1966 to 1978, and again from 1986 to 1996 before finally losing an election. He died in 2002. Bosch tried 5 times to regain the Presidency through election, lost every time, and died in 2001.
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April 28, 1965 was a Wednesday. This was also the day that Manchester United won their 1st Football League title since the 1958 Munich Air Disaster. I have a separate entry for that event.
Football was out of season. The NBA Finals ended 3 days earlier, with the Boston Celtics beating the Los Angeles Lakers in 5 games. The Stanley Cup Finals were between Games 5 and 6, and the Montreal Canadiens beat the Chicago Black Hawks in Game 7.
These baseball games were played:
* The New York Yankees beat the Kansas City Athletics, 5-1 at Yankee Stadium. Mickey Mantle went 1-for-2 with 2 walks and 2 RBIs.
* The New York Mets lost to the Houston Astros, 12-9 at the Astrodome in Houston. Mets broadcaster Lindsey Nelson broadcast the game from the gondola suspended from the ceiling of the Astrodome, accompanied by a cameraman, 208 feet above 2nd base. "At first, I couldn't see anything except a lot of tiny figures. Everybody looked the same height... You couldn't tell a line drive from a pop fly." The dome had debuted on April 9, and they remained there through the 1999 season. The stadium hosted many other events over those years. And yet, no broadcaster, not even Nelson himself, ever copied the stunt.
* The Baltimore Orioles beat the Washington Senators, 6-3 at District of Columbia Stadium in Washington. (It was renamed Robert F. Kennedy Memorial Stadium in 1969.) Brooks Robinson went 1-for-3 with a walk.
* The Cleveland Indians beat the Minnesota Twins, 9-3 at Cleveland Municipal Stadium. Harmon Killebrew went 0-for-4, but Jimmie Hall hit 2 home runs for the Twins, who knocked Jack Kralick out of the box in the 2nd inning. It was far from enough: The Indians knocked Jim Kaat out of the box in the 3rd, and Sonny Siebert pitched 7 2/3rds innings of strong relief.
* The Cincinnati Reds beat the Chicago Cubs, 3-2 at Crosley Field in Cincinnati. Frank Robinson went 0-for-4, but drew 2 walks. Pete Rose went 1-for-6. Ernie Banks went 1-for-5.
Ernie Broglio, whom the Cubs infamously traded Lou Brock to the St. Louis Cardinals for the season before, lost the game in the bottom of the 14th inning: Having gotten the 1st 2 outs, he walked Tommy Harper, allowed a single to Vada Pinson, and intentionally walked Robinson to set up the play at any base. But that loaded the bases, and, with Tony Pérez at bat, home plate umpire Doug Harvey called Broglio for a back, forcing Harper home. I wonder if Harper said, "'Preciate it. Thanks." (Ball Four reference.)
* The St. Louis Cardinals beat the Milwaukee Braves, 5-0 at Milwaukee County Stadium. Bob Gibson pitched a 3-hit shutout. Hank Aaron did not get any of those hits. The aforementioned Lou Brock went 2-for-4 with a walk, 2 stolen bases and 2 RBIs.
* The Detroit Tigers beat the California Angels, 5-4 at Tiger Stadium in Detroit. Al Kaline went 2-for-3 with a walk and an RBI.
* The Pittsburgh Pirates beat the Los Angeles Dodgers, 2-0 at Dodger Stadium in Los Angeles. Bob Veale pitched a 3-hit shutout, outpitching Claude Osteen. Roberto Clemente went 1-for-3 with a walk.
* The San Francisco Giants beat the Philadelphia Phillies, 9-3 at Candlestick Park in San Francisco. Willie Mays hit a home run.
* And the Boston Red Sox and the Chicago White Sox were not scheduled.
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