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Jean-Claude Duvalier

Jean-Claude Duvalier

Jean-Claude Duvalier (nicknamed Bébé Doc or Baby Doc) (born July 3, 1951) succeeded his father, François "Papa Doc" Duvalier as the dictator of Haiti from his father's death in 1971 until his overthrow by a popular uprising in 1986. He married Michèle Bennet.

Early life

He was born in Port-au-Prince, and in April 1971, he assumed the presidency of Haiti at the age of 19 upon the death of his father, François Duvalier (nicknamed "Papa Doc"), becoming the world's youngest president.

Tortuga freeport

In 1971, shortly before the death of "Papa Doc" Duvalier, Texas entrepreneur Don Pierson entered into a 99-year contract to develop a freeport on the island of Tortuga. Following the death of his father and upon learning of a new multimillion dollar contract between the Freeport and Gulf Oil Corporation, Jean-Claude Duvalier expropriated the entire venture in 1974, causing it to collapse.

Political and economic repression

He held on to power until February 7, 1986 when, in response to three months of protest against the government's political and economic repression, fearing prosecution he fled the country and settled in France, although never officially being granted asylum. Duvalier had also taken several millions in swindled funds. In France, he lived a luxurious life - having a villa in the hills of Cannes, two apartments in Paris, a chateau, along with a Ferrari. Duvalier, however, lost an enormous amount of funds due to a divorce from his wife, Michelle Duvalier.

Exile and announced return

Following the ouster of president Jean-Bertrand Aristide in February 2004, Duvalier announced his intention to return to Haiti. In 2004 he announced his intentions to run for president of Haiti in the upcoming 2005 elections for the Party of National Unity. Duvalier, Jean-Claude Duvalier, Jean-Claude nb:Jean-Claude Duvalier

July 3

July 3 is the 184th day of the year (185th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar, with 181 days remaining.

Events


- 324 - Battle of Adrianople Constantine I defeats Licinius, who flees to Byzantium
- 533 - Battle of Ad Decimum: Byzantine general Belisarius defeats the Vandals near Carthage.
- 987 - Hugh Capet was crowned King of France, the first of the Capetian dynasty which ruled France till the French Revolution in 1792.
- 1250 - Louis IX of France is captured by Baibars' Mamluk army at the Battle of Fariskur while he is in Egypt conducting the Seventh Crusade; he later has to ransom himself.
- 1608 - Quebec City founded by Samuel de Champlain.
- 1754 - George Washington surrenders Fort Necessity to French forces during the French and Indian War.
- 1775 - George Washington takes command of the Continental Army at Cambridge, Massachusetts.
- 1778 - British forces massacre 360 men, women & children in Wyoming, Pa, and Prussia declares war on Austria.
- 1819 - The first savings bank in the United States (The Bank of Savings in New York City) opens.
- 1839 - The first state normal school in the United States opens in Lexington, Massachusetts with 3 students.
- 1844 - The last pair of Great Auks is killed.
- 1848 - Slaves are freed in the Danish West Indies (now U.S. Virgin Islands).
- 1852 - Congress establishes the United States's 2nd mint in San Francisco, California.
- 1863 - U.S. Civil War: The final and bloodiest day of the Battle of Gettysburg.
- 1866 - Austro-Prussian War decided at Battle of Königgratz, resulting in Prussia taking over as the prominent German nation from Austria.
- 1884 - Dow Jones published its 1st stock average.
- 1886 - The New York Tribune becomes the first newspaper to use a linotype machine, eliminating typesetting by hand.
- 1890 - Idaho is admitted as the 43rd U.S. state.
- 1928 - First color television broadcast in London.
- 1932 - First Sunday game at Fenway Park, the New York Yankees beat the Boston Red Sox 13-2, and John McGraw retires from baseball.
- 1938 - World record for a steam railway locomotive is set in England, by the "Mallard", which reaches a speed of 203 km/h (126 mph).
- 1952 - Puerto Rico's Constitution is approved by the Congress of the United States.
- 1962 - The Algerian War of Independence against the French ends
- 1964 - President Lyndon B. Johnson signs the Civil Rights Act of 1964, which prohibits segregation in public places.
- 1969 - Rolling Stones guitarist Brian Jones drowns in his swimming pool. The band plays a concert at Hyde Park, London two days later in his honor.
- 1970 - A British Dan-Air De Havilland Comet chartered jetliner crashes into mountains north of Barcelona, Spain killing 112 people.
- 1971 - Singer Jim Morrison of The Doors is found dead of a heart attack in his bathtub.
- 1976 - Israeli commandos rescue 105 hostages at Entebbe Airport, Uganda during Operation Yonatan.
- 1977 - The Senegalese Republican Movement (MRS) is founded.
- 1979 - US President Jimmy Carter signs the first directive for secret aid to the opponents of the pro-Soviet regime in Kabul.
- 1988 - United States Navy warship USS Vincennes shoots down Iran Air Flight 655 over the Persian Gulf, killing all 290 people aboard.
- 1993 - Prince Alois of Liechtenstein weds Duchess Sophie of Bavaria.
- 1993 - Steffi Graf wins Wimbledon.
- 1994 - Pete Sampras beats Goran Ivanisevic to win Wimbledon;
- 1994 - Romania eliminates Argentina 3-2 in the World Cup.
- 2001 - A Vladivostokavia Tupolev TU-154 jetliner crashes on approach to landing at Irkutsk, Russia killing 145 people.
- 2004 - Official opening of Bangkok's subway system.
- 2005 - Part of Australia's Twelve Apostles rock formation collapses. The national law legalizing same-sex marriage takes effect in Spain.

Births


- 1423 - King Louis XI of France (d. 1483)
- 1442 - Emperor Go-Tsuchimikado of Japan (d. 1500)
- 1511 - Giorgio Vasari, Italian painter and architect (d. 1574)
- 1530 - Claude Fauchet, French historian (d. 1601)
- 1567 - Samuel de Champlain, French explorer (d. 1635)
- 1676 - Leopold I, Prince of Anhalt-Dessau, Prussian field marshal (d. 1747)
- 1683 - Edward Young, English poet (d. 1765)
- 1685 - Sir Robert Rich, 4th Baronet, British cavalry officer (d. 1768)
- 1728 - Robert Adam, Scottish architect (d. 1792)
- 1731 - Samuel Huntington, Continental Congress president and signer of the U.S. Declaration of Independence (d. 1796
- 1738 - John Singleton Copley, American painter (d. 1815)
- 1793 - John Clare, British poet (d. 1864)
- 1854 - Leos Janacek, Czech composer (d. 1928)
- 1870 - Richard Bedford Bennett, eleventh Prime Minister of Canada (d. 1947)
- 1875 - Ferdinand Sauerbruch, German surgeon (d. 1951)
- 1879 - Alfred Korzybski, Polish linguist
- 1883 - Franz Kafka, Austrian writer (d. 1924)
- 1893 - Mississippi John Hurt, American musician (d. 1966)
- 1906 - George Sanders, Russian-born actor (d. 1972)
- 1908 - M. F. K. Fisher, American writer (d. 1992)
- 1913 - Dorothy Kilgallen, American columnist and television personality (d. 1965)
- 1921 - Susan Peters, American actress
- 1927 - Ken Russell, British director
- 1930 - Carlos Kleiber, Austrian conductor (d. 2004)
- 1935 - Harrison Schmitt, astronaut
- 1937 - Tom Stoppard, Czech-born playwright
- 1940 - César Tovar, Venezuelan Major League Baseball player (d. 1994)
- 1946 - Leszek Miller, Prime Minister of Poland
- 1947 - Dave Barry, American writer
- 1947 - Betty Buckley, American actress
- 1949 - Jan Smithers, American actress
- 1950 - James Hahn, American politician
- 1951 - Richard Hadlee, New Zealand cricketer
- 1952 - Alan Autry, American football player, actor, and politician
- 1955 - Sanma Akashiya, Japanese television performer and actor
- 1957 - Laura Branigan, American singer (d. 2004)
- 1959 - Julie Burchill, British journalist and author
- 1960 - Tim Smith, English singer (Cardiacs)
- 1962 - Tom Cruise, American actor
- 1964 - Joanne Harris, British author
- 1964 - Yeardley Smith, American actress
- 1966 - Moises Alou, baseball player
- 1969 - Kevin Hearn, Canadian keyboardist (Barenaked Ladies)
- 1970 - Teemu Selänne, Finnish hockey player
- 1970 - Shawnee Smith, American actress
- 1973 - Johnny Terris, Canadian-born actor and director
- 1976 - Andrea Barber, American actress
- 1980 - Roland Mark Schoeman, South African swimmer

Deaths


- 683 - St. Leo II, pope
- 1570 - Aonio Paleario, Italian humanist
- 1642 - Maria de' Medici, queen of Henry IV of France (b. 1573)
- 1672 - Francis Willughby, English biologist (b. 1635)
- 1704 - Sophia Alekseyevna, regent of Russia (b. 1657)
- 1749 - William Jones, Welsh mathematician (b. 1675)
- 1795 - Louis-Georges de Bréquigny, French historian (b. 1714)
- 1795 - Antonio de Ulloa, Spanish general and governor of Louisiana (b. 1716)
- 1863 - George Hull Ward, American general (b. 1826)
- 1904 - Theodor Herzl, Austrian Zionist (b. 1860)
- 1914 - Joseph Chamberlain, British politician (b. 1836)
- 1918 - Sultan Mehmed V of the Ottoman Empire (b. 1844)
- 1933 - Hipólito Yrigoyen, President of Argentina (b. 1852)
- 1935 - André Citroën, French automobile pioneer (b. 1878)
- 1969 - Brian Jones, English musician (The Rolling Stones) (drowned) (b. 1942)
- 1971 - Jim Morrison, American singer (The Doors) (b. 1943)
- 1977 - Alexander M. Volkov, Russian novelist and mathematician (b. 1891)
- 1979 - Louis Durey, French composer (b. 1888)
- 1986 - Rudy Vallee, American singer (b. 1901)
- 1989 - Jim Backus, American actor (b. 1913)
- 1993 - Joe DeRita, American actor and comedian (b. 1909)
- 1995 - Pancho Gonzales, American tennis player (b. 1928)
- 1998 - Danielle Bunten Berry, American software developer (b. 1949)
- 2000 - Kemal Sunal, Turkish actor (b. 1944)
- 2001 - Mordecai Richler, Canadian author (b. 1931)
- 2003 - Gaetano Alibrandi, papal diplomat (b. 1914)
- 2004 - Andrian Nikolayev, cosmonaut (b. 1929)
- 2005 - Alberto Lattuada, Italian film director (b. 1914)
- 2005 - Gaylord Nelson, U.S. Senator from Wisconsin (b. 1916)

Holidays and observances


- Start of the Dog Days
- Feast day of Saint Thomas

External links


- [http://news.bbc.co.uk/onthisday/hi/dates/stories/july/3 BBC: On This Day] ---- July 2 - July 4 - June 3 - August 3 -- listing of all days ko:7월 3일 ms:3 Julai ja:7月3日 simple:July 3 th:3 กรกฎาคม

François Duvalier

right François Duvalier known as "Papa Doc" (possibly April 14, 1907 - April 21, 1971) was the President of Haiti from 1957 and later dictator (President for Life) from 1964 until his death. His rule was marked by autocracy, corruption, and reliance on private armies (see Tonton Macoute) to maintain power.

History

Early life

Born in Port-au-Prince to a family from Martinique, he was raised and trained as a doctor, serving in rural areas. There he won acclaim for helping the poor fight typhus and other diseases. He married Simone Ovide in 1939, and became director general of the national health service in 1946. In 1949, he served as minister of both health and labor. After opposing the coup of Paul Magloire, he was forced into hiding until an amnesty in 1956.

Elected in 1957

Backed by the Army, Duvalier won the 1957 Haitian elections; he had campaigned as a populist leader, using a noirist strategy of challenging the mulatto elite and appealing to the Afro-Haitian majority. Duvalier revived the traditions of vodun and later used them to consolidate his power, claiming to be a hougan himself. Duvalier deliberately modeled his image on that of Baron Samedi in an effort to make himself even more imposing; he often donned sunglasses and talked with the strong nasal tone associated with the Loa.

Consolidation of power

After surviving an attempted coup in mid-1958, Duvalier purged the army. He then formed a personal militia in 1959 known as the Voluntary Militia for National Security (MVSN, better-known as the Tonton Macoutes) which was patterened after the blackshirts of Fascist Italy. The macoutes made no official salary and as such made their living through crime and extortion. Duvalier further formed a group of personal bodyguards known as the Presidential Guard. In 1961, he rewrote the constitution and then staged a single-candidate sham election; the official count was 1.32 million votes for Duvalier and none against. He declared himself President for Life in 1964, and his regime soon grew to be one of the most repressive in the hemisphere. In 1966, Duvalier persuaded the Vatican to allow him to nominate the Catholic hierarchy for Haiti. On an ideological level, this perpetuated the notion of black nationalism by allowing the country to appoint its own bishops. It also allowed Duvalier to expand his control to encompass religious institutions. In addition to his pervasive control over Haitian life, Duvalier also fostered an extensive personality cult around himself, claiming to be the physical embodiment of the island nation.

Foreign relations

Duvalier's corruption and repression provoked an unfavorable response from the Kennedy administration in the U.S., which attempted to seek a moderate alternative in hopes of preventing another Cuban-style revolution. However, U.S. pressure and sanctions against Haiti eased in 1962, as the administration grudgingly accepted Duvalier as a bulwark against communism. Duvalier would later claim that Kennedy's assassination had come because he had placed a curse on him. In April 1963, Haiti was almost attacked by the Dominican Republic. However, a lack of senior military support for Dominican president Juan Bosch prevented the invasion. The conflict was mediated by the OAS.

Reign of terror

Within the country Duvalier used both political murder and expulsion to suppress his opponents; estimates of those killed are as high as 30,000. Attacks on Duvalier from within the military were treated as especially serious; in 1967 bombs detonated near the Presidential Palace led to the execution of twenty Presidential Guard officers. Such tactics kept the country in his grip until his death in early 1971, leaving his 19-year-old son Jean-Claude Duvalier as his successor.

Tortuga freeport

Beginning in 1967, Texas entrepreneur Don Pierson came into contact with representatives of the Haitian government in Washington, DC, while he was attempting to lease a ship that had been used by Swinging Radio England broadcasting off the coast of England. In 1971 this marketing effort resulted in a 99-year contract being drawn up between financial interests represented by Don Pierson and the government of Haiti for the development of a freeport on the island of Tortuga. However, Duvalier died before the deal was agreed upon. Jean-Claude Duvalier expropriated the entire venture after learning of a new multimillion dollar contract between Pierson and the Gulf Oil corporation, which caused the project to collapse.

Posthumous execution

In 1986, 15 years after his death, Duvalier's body was exhumed and ritually beaten to "death". Duvalier, François Duvalier, François Duvalier, François

Haiti

:This article is about the country. For the Namibian comic strip, see Hai Ti!. The Republic of Haiti is a country situated on the western third of the island of Hispaniola and the smaller islands of La Gonâve, La Tortue (Tortuga), Les Cayemites, and Ile a Vache in the Caribbean Sea, east of Cuba; Haiti shares Hispaniola with the Dominican Republic. The total land area of Haiti is 10,714 square miles (27,750 square km) and its capital is Port-au-Prince on the main island of Hispaniola. A former French colony, it was the first country in the Americas after the United States to declare its independence. In spite of its longevity, it is the poorest country in the Western Hemisphere. Haiti is currently in a state of anomie following an uprising which resulted in the expulsion of President Jean-Bertrand Aristide on February 29, 2004; he had been re-elected in 2000 in an election dismissed by many (including the OAS) as fraudulent. [http://www.state.gov/r/pa/ei/pix/b/wha/30545.htm][http://www.globalresearch.ca/articles/CHO402D.html][http://www.cnn.com/2004/WORLD/americas/03/01/aristide.claim/]

History

Main article: History of Haiti

1803: Independence

Freed blacks and mulattos joined with slaves under Pierre-Dominique Toussaint l'Ouverture against Napoleonic France in 1801 to achieve the Caribbean's first successful revolution for independence. The largely black nation remained isolated politically throughout the 19th century, though penetrated economically by international capitalism.

1915-1934: U.S. Occupation

Main article: United States occupation of Haiti (1915-1934) From July 28, 1915 until mid-August 1934, Haiti was under the occupation of the U.S. Marine Corps, effectively making Haiti a colony in all but name. Efforts were made to improve Haiti's infrastructure and education systems in particular, but because of the imposed nature of these reforms, with little regard for Haitian customs or traditions, these generally were not well-received nor especially effective.

The Rise of Duvalier

A medical doctor, François Duvalier was not allowed to establish his own practice due to racist customs in Haiti (he was black). After securing employment with an American medical project that was fighting widespread tuberculosis, Duvalier had the opportunity to see the poverty that existed in the countryside. This fueled his interest in politics, and despite the fact that the Haitian government was predominantly mulatto, Duvalier was able to gain a following and joined forces with powerful union leader Daniel Fignole. Together they formed the popular Mouvement Ouvriers Paysans (MOP) party. They continued to gain public support and waited for their moment to seize the power. Both men wanted to take the top job of President, therefore the party was split and in 1957 Fignole became president of Haiti. His position lasted only 18 days, however, because Duvalier was able to overthrow him and began what was to become a 29-year dynasty.

1957-1986: Duvaliers and Aborted freeport

Duvalier, also known as "Papa Doc," became president in 1957 and dictator in 1964. He was known for his army of sunglasses-clad volunteers, the Tonton Macoute. In 1967 proposals were made to construct a free port on the Haitian island of Tortuga by a consortium formed in the United States by Don Pierson of Eastland, Texas. These plans reached maturity in 1971 when a 99-year contract was entered into by François Duvalier on behalf of the Haitian government. Although construction of infastructure and a new international airport was commenced, two other events brought about the sudden demise of the whole venture. When François Duvalier suddenly died in 1971 his son Jean-Claude Duvalier ("Baby Doc") took over at the age of 19. The advisers soon concluded that Haiti needed a new image to attract economic assistance, tourism, and investment. In 1974 it became known that the freeport had entered into a multimillion dollar contract with the Gulf Oil corporation to advance development on the island. This news prompted "Baby Doc" to expropriate the venture for himself, under prompting from his advisors including his mother, Simone Ovide Duvalier; Defense and Gen. Claude Raymond, commander of the army, and his brother, Foreign Minister Adrien Raymond; and Minister of Coordination and Information Fritz Cinéas. This move by the regency caused the collapse of the freeport venture. Under the Baby Doc regime some political prisoners were released, press censorship eased, and a policy of "gradual democratization of institutions" was professed. But in fact no sharp changes from previous policies occurred. No political opposition was tolerated, and all important political officials and judges were still appointed by the president. Haiti continued a semi-isolationist approach to foreign relations, although the government actively solicited foreign aid. In 1980 Duvalier married a divorcee Michèle Bennett, who later supplanted his hard-line mother in Haitian politics. In the face of increasing social unrest, however, Duvalier and his wife left the country early in 1986, leaving the entire country in poverty and lacking international commercial development. A six-member council replaced Duvalier when he fled to southern France, where he lived in luxury in Cannes until his wife left him and took his children and most of their cash. He now lives in modest circumstances in Paris.

1986: After Duvalier Regime

After Duvalier fled, the U.S. installed a military regime, The National Council of Government (CNG), headed by General Henri Namphy. It was supposed to design a new Constitution and arrange for democratic elections within two years, but didn't step down until 1990, when Jean-Bertrand Aristide was elected president. Most of his term was usurped by a military coup d'etat, but he was returned to office in 1994 by a U.S. military intervention with a mandate from the United Nations. He served the remainder of the five year term to which he was elected and oversaw the installation of Rene Preval, his Prime Minister, to the presidency in 1996. In the late 1970s, a time of increasing militancy against the brutal regime of Jean-Claude Duvalier, Aristide urged change and often found himself at odds with his superiors in the Roman Catholic Church. In 1986, the year Duvalier was driven from power, Aristide survived the first of many assassination attempts. In 1990, when a notorious Duvalierist announced his candidacy for president, progressive-centre forces united to urge Aristide to run for the office. He was elected in Haiti's first free democratic election on Dec. 16, 1990, with an overwhelming 67% of the vote. Aristide's campaign motto, "Lavalas" (Creole for "flood"), became the name for a diverse coalition of parties that symbolized hope for the Haitian people (80% of whom earned less than $150 a year). In his seven months as president in 1991, Aristide proposed raising the minimum wage, initiated a literacy campaign, dismantled the repressive system of rural section chiefs, and oversaw a drastic reduction in human rights violations. A coup on Sept. 30, 1991, led by the military and financed by members of Haiti's elite, declared that such reforms would not be tolerated. The coup's leaders: General Raul Cedras, Colonel Michel Francois, and general Philippe Biamby, were all graduates of the US Army School of the Americas in Fort Benning, Georgia. After three years of exile, a U.S. invasion allowed Aristide to return and resume his presidency on Oct. 15, 1994. The economy was in shambles, infrastructure almost nonexistent, and more than 4,000 people had been killed. Barred constitutionally from immediate reelection, he stepped down in 1996. The old Lavalas coalition fractured, and in November 1996 he launched a new political party, Fanmi Lavalas (Lavalas Family).

2000-2004: Second Aristide Term and Ensuing Crises

In May 2000, Haiti held legislative and local government elections. The Family Lavalas Party won over 50% of the vote in nearly all the contests but a dispute arose about the method used to tabulate the percentages for the Senate elections. The Organization of American States (OAS) and the international community condemned the results for the Senate elections as fraudulent. The Haitian government refused to re-calculate the percentages. In response, most of the opposition parties refused to acknowledge the results or take part in second-round run-offs. In the months leading up to the Presidential election at the end of the year, numerous negotiations failed to produce a settlement. Therefore, most opposition groups boycotted the Presidential election. Aristide won this election by 90% of the popular vote, but due to the earlier dispute, the opposition parties never accepted his victory as legitimate. Aristide took office on February 7, 2001, but his presidency was mired in controversy, and his government was undermined by the political impasse and the use of armed gangs, called 'chimeres', to enforce his rule. By 2003, the country was deeply divided between pro-and anti-Aristide camps. This finally led to an armed conflict which increased in intensity on February 5, 2004, 200 years after the Haitian Revolution, when an armed rebel group which formerly called itself the Cannibal Army and worked for President Aristide transformed itself into the Revolutionary Artibonite Resistance Front took control of the Gonaïves police station. This rebellion then spread throughout the central Artibonite province by February 17 and was joined by opponents of the government who had been in exile in the Dominican Republic. On February 29, 2004, United States flew Aristide out of the country. Aristide was forced to sign a resignation of the Presidency and was taken to the Central African Republic. The circumstances surrounding this flight are a matter of controversy. Many media sources reported that Aristide had resigned and been refused asylum by South Africa. On March 1, 2004, US Congresswoman Maxine Waters (D-CA), along with Randall Robinson, a family friend of the Aristides, each reported that Aristide had told them using a smuggled cellular telephone that he had been forced to resign against his will by United States diplomats and Marines, and that he was abducted against his will, and continued to be held hostage by an undisclosed armed military guard. [6], [7] When asked whether Aristide was guarded in the Central African Republic by French officers, the French Defense Minister answered that Aristide was protected, not imprisoned, and that he would leave when he could; and that France had many officers present in the Central African Republic following the recent events in that country, but that they did not control Aristide's comings and goings [8]. Both Maxine Waters and United States congressman Charles Rangel, [9] who also reported talking to Aristide via cellular telephone, said that Aristide said he had not been handcuffed while being led away, while the Agence France Press reported that the caretaker at Aristide's house claimed that Aristide had been handcuffed and led away at gunpoint.[10]. Other reports of Aristide being led away by heavily armed American troops have been made by an Aristide bodyguard and an independent film maker. [11] Aristide told CNN that there were unidentified civilian Americans and Haitians who had forced him to resign and board the plane leaving Haiti. [12] The Haitian body guards who had formerly worked for the President were dismissed at 2 am that day and descended on a popular journalists hotel in Port au Prince complaining that they had not been paid, even the 20th rate that was paid to the white foreign body guards. The United States vice-president Dick Cheney and Secretary of State Colin Powell both reported that Aristide had resigned willingly [13], [14]. The Associated Press reported that the Central African Republic tried to get Aristide to stop repeating his charges to the press [15]. Aristide has further alleged that the resignation statement that is being touted was altered to remove a conditional statement in which he stated,"'If I am obliged to leave in order to avoid bloodshed." [16]; this was confirmed by a Reuters translation of Aristide's original statement, which matches up word for word except for the one line, in which the conditional has been removed. On 14 March 2004, he left the Central African Republic for Jamaica, to the dismay of the French and American governments, who felt that his presence in the area would have a destabilizing effect on Haiti. The American ambassador to Haiti, James Foley, issued a warning to Aristide to stay at least 150 miles away from Haiti at all times. Condoleezza Rice is reported to have said that she did not want him in the Western Hemisphere. [17] After arriving in Jamaica, Aristide gave a full interview, in which he claimed the following specifics (note: The US has neither confirmed nor denied these details, but has insisted that Aristide left willingly): He had met with US ambassador James Foley on February 28, 2004 — the day before the rebels were supposed to attack the capital. Foley agreed that Aristide should go on national television to appeal to the nation to remain calm, as he had done the night before. When he arrived at his residence, it was surrounded by "thousands" of troops, mostly Americans, which made him feel intimidated. The Americans told him they would provide him security as they escorted him to the media; however, instead, they took him straight to a white unmarked airplane with a US flag on the side. He was then obliged to board, followed by US troops in full gear who changed into civilian clothes once on board. On board were his wife and 19 of his private body guards from the Steele Foundation, a white mercenary company. Quite conveniently, all of his luggage had previously been loaded. Aristide's account was directly backed up by two witnesses: a pilot and Aristide aide, Franz Gabriel; and an American security guard on the security detail, who told the Washington Post about the subterfuge to lure Aristide away: "That was just bogus. It's a story they fabricated." [18] [http://www.state.gov/r/pa/ei/pix/b/wha/30545.htm][http://www.cbsnews.com/stories/2004/02/29/world/main602985.shtml]

Post-Aristide

In the wake of Aristide's departure, while Supreme Court Chief Justice Boniface Alexandre succeeded to the Presidency (in accordance with the stipulations of the 1987 constitution), the Conseil des Sages, a seven-member executive advisory board which was appointed by the OAS-sanctioned Tripartite Council (consisting of Leslie Voltaire, Paul Denis, and Adamo Guino), immediately selected the Prime Minister, former Manigat Foreign Minister Gerard Latortue, who, in turn, selected his cabinet, which consists mostly of opposition leaders or spokespersons:
- Adeline Magloire Chancy – Women’s Conditions
- Philippe Mathieu – Agriculture
- Yvon Simeon - Foreign Affairs
- Yves Andre Wainwright – Environment
- Pierre Buteau – Education
- Bernard Gousse – Justice and Public Security
- Daniele Saint-Lot – Commerce and Industry
- Henri Bazin - Finance
- Josette Bijoux - Health
- Roland Pierre - Planning
- Herard Abraham - Interior
- Magali Comeau Denis - Culture Non-Cabinet Officials:
- Michel Brunache - Chief of Cabinet
- Max Mathurin - Head of Provisional Electoral Council (CEP) Gousse had, since his appointment, become notorious for the alleged wrongful imprisonment of Lavalas party members and supporters, and, seemingly under pressure from Washington, resigned from office on June 15, 2005. He was replaced as justice minister by Henri Dorlean. The Council of Sages, which consists of the following:
- Lamartine Clermont (Catholic Church)
- Ariel Henry (Democratic Platform opposition group)
- Anne-Marie Issa (Owner of Signal FM Radio)
- MacDonald Jean (Anglican Church)
- Daniele Magloire ([CONAP] women's group coalition)
- Christian Rousseau (University of Haiti Administrator (previously involved in opposition student protests))
- Paul Emile Simon – Fanmi Lavalas (party of Aristide government), has, like the present interim government, its proponents, the Haitian National Police, and MINUSTAH (which consists mostly of Brazilian, Chilean, and other multinational peacekeeping contingents, led by Brazil), become the source of controversy both within and without Haiti, especially in Brazil (which provides a bulk majority of the peacekeeping force), the United States (which is heavily suspected of foul play regarding the February 2004 coup), Canada (whose Martin government had also supported the overthrow of Aristide, and whose own RCMP is training a significant contingent of the rather-notorious HNP), and, to a somewhat lesser degree, France (from whom Aristide had requested a restitution of exactly US$21,685,135,571.48, the modern-day equivalent of the 90 million gold francs which were demanded as ransom by the French government from then-President Jean-Pierre Boyer). Protest groups, websites, and news feeds have since been formed in response to the 2004 coup and following events, such as the [http://haitiaction.net Haiti Action Committee] and the [http://www.outofhaiti.ca/ Canada Out of Haiti Campaign] (a project of the Canada-Haiti Action Network). Other groups, who viewed the Aristide presidency as a democratic "coup d'etat" leading to the establishment of a dictatorship in all but name, have set up their own website, the [http://www.haitipolicy.org Haiti Democracy Project] being the best known. The UN mission, in the meantime, has itself ran aground in its relations with both the interim government (and its proponents), the Lavalas party (and its grassroots support), and human rights activists, often being accused (by the first group) of not doing enough to curtail the seemingly omnipresent and eternal violence, rape, and extortion which has tainted Haiti's international image, (by the second group) of colluding with armed (and notorious) militants and policemen in the suppression of neighborhood violence in Port-au-Prince, and (by the third group) actively participating in violence against the Lavalas party and grassroots support, all of which have been constantly refuted by UN officials, including Secretary-General Kofi Annan and Force Commander Lieutenant-General Augusto Heleno Ribeiro Pereira of Brazil (who was replaced by fellow Brazilian and General Urano Teixeira da Matta Bacellar on 1 September). See the 2005 July 6 United Nations assault on Cité Soleil, Haiti. Furthermore, Haiti suffered badly during 2004 with floods hitting the Fonds Verettes and Mapou region in May 2004 and Hurricane Jeanne hitting the Gonaives area that September Tropical storm Jeanne [http://www.orlandosentinel.com/sfl-0923haitigallery,0,7266223.photogallery]. So far, the 2005 season has been more gentle. The only storm to have impacted Haiti, Hurricane Dennis, resulted in a significantly lesser loss of life (less than 200 fatalities) [http://www.cnn.com/2005/WEATHER/07/06/tropical.weather/]. On June 27, 2004, Yvon Neptune, Haiti’s last constitutionally appointed prime minister under President Jean-Bertrand was imprisoned by the transitional government.[http://www.globalresearch.ca/index.php?context=viewArticle&code=LAU20040629&articleId=778] Neptune was never allowed to see a judge in his case. On April 17, 2005, Neptune went on a hunger strike vowing not to eat until the Interim Government of Haiti (IGH) drops the charges against him; charges that it has refused to pursue.[http://www.haitiaction.net/News/BC/5_5_5.html][http://radio.indymedia.org/news/2005/05/4949.php] Father Gérard Jean-Juste, a Catholic Priest and Lavalas supporter, is another high profile political prisoner in Haiti [http://www.democracynow.org/article.pl?sid=05/07/28/149242]. In the midst of the ongoing controversy and violence, however, the interim government has planned legislative and executive elections for 20 November 2005 (originally set for 13 November), with a runoff set for 3 January. Local elections were originally scheduled for 9 October, but have been pushed back until 11 December. The election is deeply split between two camps - the elite and the nation's poor that remain fiercely loyal to Aristide. There are 33 people on the list candidates for Haiti's next president.[http://www.newsday.com/news/local/longisland/politics/ny-wocand114465780oct12,0,3083790.story?coll=ny-lipolitics-print] [http://www.miami.com/mld/miamiherald/news/world/haiti/12812233.htm] An early favorite is Rene Preval. Preval was the Prime Minister from February 13 to October 11, 1991, but was replaced following the military coup of that year. He was elected President of Haiti in 1995 and served his full term, turning over the Presidency to Jean Bertrand Aristide on 7 February, 2001. He is the only the second President of Haiti to serve a full term and leave office peacefully. He is the first to have been elected and succeeded by an elected President. Marc L. Bazin is a former World Bank official and favorite candidate of the George H.W. Bush Administration and the borgeois population of Haiti. Marc Louis Bazin is running under the political party 'Union pour Haïti', an alliance between the 'Mouvement pour l’Instauration de la Démocratie en Haïti' (MIDH) et 'Fanmi Lavalas' (FL) de Jean-Bertrand Aristide.[http://www.haitielection2005.com/presidential_candidates.php/2] Another presidential hopeful, Dumarsais Mécène Siméus, a Haitian-born businessman has been nominated by a broad-based reform coalition of two Haitian opposition parties is leading what looks like a Populist campaign. [http://www.prnewswire.com/cgi-bin/stories.pl?ACCT=104&STORY=/www/story/09-30-2005/0004136103&EDATE=] Simeus never renounced his Haitian citizenship and he is a dual citizen. During his 21 years away from Haiti, Simeus, has become a multi-millionaire in Texas and is now intending to return to Haiti.[http://www.statesman.com/metrostate/content/auto/epaper/editions/friday/metro_state_3416ec327631a1e3008f.html] With great fanfare, he began a campaign rally in Solino, a crumbling and crime-plagued neighborhood of the Haitian capital. Dozens of angry men and women rushed onto the streets, hurling rocks and chunks of concrete at Mr. Siméus's car, forcing him to flee. [http://www.nytimes.com/2005/10/30/international/americas/30haiti.html] Another candidate is Charles Henri Baker, a 50-year-old prominent businessman with US residency who led a civic group that organized to unseat Aristide last year. Baker is running with the independent Konba party. Baker insists he has widespread support among poor Haitians, despite his image as a scion of the elite. Baker supported the second armed ouster of Aristide, in 2004, is backed by powerful industrialists. [http://www.boston.com/news/world/latinamerica/articles/2005/10/27/in_struggling_haiti_some_long_for_ex_dictator/] Yet another candidate is Dany Toussaint, a former Haitian Army major, police chief and bodyguard of Jean-Bertrand Aristide. He is now a Lavalas Family "Senator". Guy Philippe, a former police chief and one of the leaders of the rebellion that pushed Aristide out in early 2004. Evans Paul, former mayor of Port-au-Prince, one-time Aristide ally and longtime fixture in Haitian politics. Leslie Manigat, a former president, forced from power by the military in 1988.

Politics

Main article: Politics of Haiti Haiti is a presidential republic with an elected president and National Assembly. However, some claim it to be an authoritarian government in practice. On 29 February 2004, a rebellion culminated in the defacto resignation of president Jean-Bertrand Aristide and it is unknown if the current political structure will remain. The constitution was introduced in 1987 under the administration of Leslie Manigat and is modeled on those of the United States and France. Having been either completely or partially suspended for some years, it was fully reinstated in 1994. Since, and as a result of, the aforementioned coup, the future of the 1987 Constitution has fallen into doubt, even though the planned elections for the Presidency, Parliament, and local governments are being held in accordance with its terms. See List of Presidents of Haiti, 2006 Haitian Elections, 2000 Haitian Elections, 1995 Haitian Elections, 1990 Haitian Elections, and the Constitution of Haiti.

Departments

Main article: Departments of Haiti Haiti is divided into ten departments (provinces):
- Artibonite
- Centre
- Grand'Anse
- Nord
- Nord-Est
- Nord-Ouest
- Ouest
- Sud
- Sud-Est
- Les Nippes, the newest department with Miragoane as administrative capital, was set up in 2003 under President Jean-Bertrand Aristide. Sud-Est

Geography

Main article: Geography of Haiti Haiti's terrain consists mainly of rugged mountains with small coastal plains and river valleys. The east and central part is a large elevated plateau. In 1925, Haiti was a lush island paradise with 60% of its original forest covering the lands and mountainous regions. Over the years, Haiti cut down 95% of its trees and in the process destroyed fertile farmland soils. Now the mountains are bare down to the bedrock. Pictures from space glaringly show this stark contrast compared to Haiti's neighbour the Dominican Republic. The reason Haiti cut down all their trees is because the poor people make money from burning the wood and selling charcoal. This deforestation lead to soil erosion and flooding as seen on September 17, 2004. Tropical storm Jeanne skimmed the north coast of Haiti leaving 3006 people dead in flooding and mudslides, mostly in the city of Gonaïves. [http://www.orlandosentinel.com/sfl-0923haitigallery,0,7266223.photogallery]

Economy

Main article: Economy of Haiti Haiti remains the least-developed country in the Western Hemisphere and one of the poorest in the world. Comparative social and economic indicators show Haiti falling behind other low-income developing countries (particularly in the hemisphere) since the 1980s. Haiti now ranks 153rd of 177 countries in the UN’s Human Development Index. About 80% of the population lives in abject poverty, making it the second poorest country in the world. Nearly 70% of all Haitians depend on the agriculture sector, which consists mainly of small-scale subsistence farming and employs about two-thirds of the economically active work force. The country has experienced little job creation since President René Préval took office in February 1996, although the informal economy is growing. Failure to reach agreements with international sponsors have denied Haiti badly needed budget and development assistance.

Demographics

Main article: Demographics of Haiti Although Haiti averages about 270 people per square kilometer (699/mi²), its population is concentrated most heavily in urban areas, coastal plains, and valleys. About 95% of Haitians are of African descent. The rest of the population is mostly mulatto, or mixed Caucasian-African ancestry. A few are of European or Levantine heritage. About two thirds of the population live in rural areas. The biggest city is the capital Port-au-Prince with 2 million inhabitants, followed by Cap-Haïtien with 600,000. French is one of two official languages, but it is spoken by only about 10% of the people. Nearly all Haitians speak Krèyol(Creole), the country's other official language. English is increasingly spoken among the young and in the business sector. Roman Catholicism is the state religion, which the majority professes. Some have converted to Protestantism. Many Haitians also practice Vodou, seeing no conflict with their Christian faith. Protestant churches of numerical strength are Assemblées de Dieu, the Convention Baptiste d'Haïti, the Seventh-Day Adventists, the Church of God (Cleveland), the Church of the Nazarene, the Église Episcopale d'Haiti and the Mission Evangelique Baptiste du Sud-Haiti.

Culture

Main articles: Culture of Haiti A distinction should be made between Haitian Vodou and American (New Orleans) Voodoo. They are similar in some respects, but very different in most. Haitian Vodou mostly involves communication with spiritual deities (Lwa or Loa) whereas New Orleans Voodoo usually relies heavily on charms and other talismans, resembling another Caribbean/afro influenced religion: Hoodoo.

Miscellaneous topics


- Communications in Haiti
- Haitians in Mainstream
- Foreign relations of Haiti
- Kreyol ayisyen
- List of Haitian companies
- Military of Haiti
- Transportation in Haiti
- Voodoo in Haiti
- [http://kiskeyacity.blogspot.com/2005/11/second-generation-nation-mill-polyn.html Second Generation Haitian-American (Interview)]

External links


- [http://www.haitiinnovation.org Haiti Innovation], blog and development projects in Haiti
- [http://www.haitiaction.com Haiti Action]
- [http://www.haitipolicy.org Haiti Democracy Project]
- [http://www.fouye.com Fouye!], Haitian Search Engine.
- [http://www.alterpresse.org AlterPresse], news briefs in several languages.
- [http://www.cia.gov/cia/publications/factbook/geos/ha.html CIA World Fact Book - Haiti]
- [http://www.travelinghaiti.com/ Haitian History, Maps and News]
- [http://www.HavenWorks.com/world/haiti Haiti News]
- [http://www.haitisupport.gn.apc.org Haiti Support Group]
- [http://www.nchr.org National Coalition for Haitian Rights]
- [http://www.palaisnational.info/ National Palace]
- [http://www.port-haiti.com/cgibin/search/port-haiti.cgi/ Port Haiti]
- [http://www.ifex.org/20fr/content/view/full/118/ Press freedom in Haiti: IFEX]
- [http://www.haiti-progres.com/eng07-06.html/ Haiti Progres]
- [https://listhost.uchicago.edu/mailman/listinfo/haiti-news Haiti-news list], Haitian news
- [http://dir.groups.yahoo.com/dir/1600014114 Yahoo Group Directory for Regional > Countries > Haiti]
- [http://dir.groups.yahoo.com/dir/1600444519 Yahoo Group Government & Politics Directory]
- [http://dir.groups.yahoo.com/dir/1600103560 Yahoo Group Directory - Haitian American]
- [http://dir.groups.yahoo.com/dir/1604146720 Yahoo Group Directory - Romance and Relationships]
- [http://dir.yahoo.com/Regional/Countries/Haiti/ Yahoo Directory]
- [http://news.yahoo.com/fc/World/Haiti/ Yahoo News Full Coverage]
- [http://kiskeyacity.blogspot.com/ Blog for Haitianists] Category:CARICOM member states Category:Republics zh-min-nan:Haiti ko:아이티 ms:Haiti ja:ハイチ simple:Haiti

1971

1971 (MCMLXXI) is a common year starting on Friday (click for link to calendar).

Events

January


- January 1 - British Divorce Reform Act comes into force
- January 2 - 66 die in stairway crush at Rangers v Celtic football match, Glasgow, Scotland. See Ibrox disaster.
- January 2 - A ban on television cigarette advertisements goes into effect in the United States.
- January 3 - BBC Open University begins in the United Kingdom
- January 7 - Howard Hughes breaks his silence to announce that his supposed biography is a forgery.
- January 8 – Tupamaros kidnap Geoffrey Jackson, British ambassador to Uruguay, in Montevideo; they keep him captive until September
- January 9 – Uruguayan president Jorge Pacheco Areco demands emergency powers for 90 days due to kidnappings and receives them the next day
- January 14 – 70 Brazilian political prisoners released in Santiago. Giovanni Enrico Bucher is released January 16
- January 15 - Aswan Dam officially opened
- January 18 – Strikes in Poland demand resignation of interior minister Kazimierz Switala. He resigns January 23 and is replaced by Franciszek Szlachcic
- January 19 – Representatives of 23 western oil companies begin negotiations with OPEC in Tehran to stabilize oil prices. February 14 they sign a treaty with six Persian Gulf countries
- January 19 - No, No Nanette premieres (46th Street Theatre, New York City)
- January 24 – Guinean government sentences to death 92 Guineans who helped Portuguese troops in the failed landing attempts in November 1970. 72 are sentenced to hard labor for life. 58 of the sentenced are hanged the next day
- January 25 - Charles Manson and three female "family members" are found guilty of the 1969 murder of Sharon Tate and others at Sharon's house
- January 25 - Idi Amin leads a coup deposing Milton Obote and becomes Uganda's president
- January 25 - Himachal Pradesh becomes the 18th Indian state
- January 31 - Apollo program: US spaceflight Apollo 14, commanded by Alan Shepard, lifts off on the third successful lunar landing mission

February


- February 2 - Idi Amin ousts Milton Obote and assumes power in Uganda
- February 4 - In Britain, Rolls Royce goes bankrupt - state takes over
- February 5 - Apollo 14 lands on the Moon.
- February 7 - Tuscany, Italy, wrecked in an earthquake
- February 7 - Men of Switzerland vote for giving voting rights to women in state elections - but not in all canton-specific ones.
- February 7 – Wladyslaw Gomulka is expelled from central council of the Polish communist party
- February 8 - A new stock market index called the Nasdaq debuts
- February 9 - The 6.4 on the Richter Scale Sylmar earthquake hits the San Fernando Valley area of California.
- February 9 - Satchel Paige becomes the first Negro League player to become voted into the Baseball Hall of Fame
- February 9 - Apollo program: Apollo 14 returns to Earth after the third manned moon landing
- February 11 - US, UK, USSR, others sign Seabed Treaty outlawing nuclear weapons.
- February 11-12 – Palestinian and Jordanian fighters clash in Amman
- February 13 - Vietnam War: Backed by American air and artillery support, South Vietnamese troops invade Laos.
- February 15 - "Decimalisation Day" - United Kingdom and Ireland both switch to decimal currency. See also decimalisation.
- February 15 – Angry Belgian farmers crash the EEC meeting in Brussels with three live cows with them
- February 16 – In Italy, local parliament elects the city of Catanzaro as the capital of Calabria – residents of Reggio di Calabria riot for five days because of the decision
- February 20 – 50 tornadoes rage in Mississippi – 74 dead
- February 20 - US Emergency Broadcast System sends an erroneous warning - many radio stations just ignore it
- February 21 - The Convention on Psychotropic Substances is signed at Vienna.
- February 26 - Secretary-General U Thant signs United Nations proclamation of the vernal equinox as Earth Day.
- February 27 - Doctors in the first Dutch abortion clinic (Mildredhuis in Arnhem) start to perform abortus provocatus

March


- March 1 - Bomb explodes in men's room in the White House - Weather Underground claims responsibility.
- March 1 - Pakistani President Yahya Khan indefinitely postponed the pending national assembly session, precipitating massive civil disobedience in East Pakistan.
- March 1 - Canadian John Robarts ends his term of office as 17th premier of Ontario
- March 5 – Pakistani army occupies the East Pakistan
- March 7 – Strike of British postal workers ends after 47 days
- March 10 - Twenty-sixth Amendment to the U.S. Constitution lowers voting age to 18.
- March 12 - Hafez al-Assad becomes president of Syria.
- March 16 – Government of Trygve Bratteli in Norway
- March 18 - A landslide at Chungar, Peru crashes into Lake Yanahuani killing 200
- March 23 – Military coup in Argentina – general Alejandro Lanusse takes power
- March 25 – Pakistani army starts massive killing in East Pakistan, which is now Bangladesh, after an open, non-democratic denial by Pakistani president Yahiya Khan, a military ruler, of election results that gave Awami League an overwhelming majority in the parliament.
- March 26 - The Independence Day of Bangladesh.
- March 29 - Filming begins on The Godfather. Shooting starts on Francis Ford Coppola's The Godfather. The movie, released in 1972, won Oscars for Best Picture, Best Actor, and Best Screenplay.
- March 29 - William Calley is found guilty of 22 murders in My Lai massacre and sentenced to life in prison. He is later pardoned.
- March 29 - A Los Angeles, California jury recommends the death penalty for Charles Manson and three female followers.

April


- April 1 - United Kingdom lifts all restrictions on gold ownership
- April 5 – In Ceylon, group calling himself People’s Liberation Front begins a rebellion against Bandaranaike government
- April 5 – Chile and East Germany form diplomatic relations
- April 5 - Mount Etna erupts
- April 7 – Greece releases 261 political prisoners, 50 of which are sent to internal exile
- April 8 – Right-wing coup attempt exposed in Laos
- April 9 - Charles Manson is sentenced to death but the sentence is commuted to life imprisonment.
- April 12 – Palestinians retreat from Amman to north of Jordan
- April 17 – Bangladesh makes official declaration of independence but Pakistani troops continue the fighting
- April 17 - Libya, Syria and Egypt sign an agreement to form a confederation.
- April 19 – Government of Bangladesh flees to India
- April 19 – Sierra Leone becomes a republic
- April 19 – Unemployment in UK is 3.4%
- April 19 - Soviet Union launches Saljut I.
- April 19 - Followers of Charles Manson, the Manson Family, are sentenced to gas chamber.
- April 20 - Supreme Court of the United States rules unanimously that busing of students may be ordered to achieve racial desegregation.
- April 20 – Cambodian Prime Minister Lon Nol resigns
- April 21 – Siaka Stevens is elected the first president of Sierra Leone
- April 21 – François Duvalier, president of Haiti, dies—his son Jean-Claude Duvalier follows him as president-for-life
- April 24 – Soyuz 10 docks with Salyut 1
- April 24 – 500,000 people in Washington DC and 125,000 in San Francisco march against the Vietnam War
- April 24 - Tsunami 85 m high rises over Ryukyu Islands in Japan. It throws a 750-ton block of coral 2.5 km inland
- April 25 – Todor Zhivkov re-elected as the leader of the Bulgarian communist party
- April 25 – Franz Jonas re-elected as the new chancellor of Austria
- April 26 – Government of Turkey declares the state of siege in 11 provinces, Ankara included, because of violent demonstrations
- April 29 – Bolivia nationalizes American-owned zinc mine of Matilde
- April 29 - The third anniversary of the Broadway musical Hair was celebrated with a concert at a Central Park bandshell.

May


- May 1 - Amtrak begins operation of intercity rail passenger service in the United States
- May 1 – Ceylonese government promises amnesty for those guerillas who surrender before April 5
- May 2 – in Ceylon left-wing guerillas launch a series of assaults against public buildings
- May 3 – Harris public opinion poll claims that 60% of Americans are against the war in Vietnam
- May 3 – East German leader Walter Ulbricht resigns as a party leader but retains the positions of the head of state
- May 3 - Anti-war militants attempt to disrupt government business in Washington, D.C.; police and military units arrest as many as 12,000, most of whom are later released.
- May 3 - All Things Considered, National Public Radio's flagship news program, broadcasts for the first time.
- May 5 – US dollar floods the European currency markets and threatens especially the Deutsche Mark – Central banks of Austria, Belgium, Netherlands and Switzerland stop the currency trading
- May 6 – Ceylon government begins a major offensive against the People's Liberation Front
- May 9 – Launch of Mariner 8 fails
- May 12 – Earthquake in Turkey destroys most of the city of Burdur
- May 15 – Israeli ambassador to Turkey, Efraim Elrom, is kidnapped. He is found killed in Istanbul May 25
- May 16 – Coup attempt exposed and foiled in Egypt
- May 19 - Mars probe program: Mars 2 is launched by the Soviet Union
- May 26 – Austria and People's Republic of China form diplomatic relations
- May 26 - Qantas agrees to pay $500,000 to Bomb hoaxer-extortionist Mr Brown (Peter Marcini) (Later Arrested)
- May 27 – Six armed passengers hijack Romanian passenger plane and force it to fly to Vienna
- May 27 - Christie's auctions diamond later known as Deepdene - it is later found to be artificially colored
- May 28 – Portugal resigns from UNESCO
- May 30 - Mariner program: Mariner 9 is launched toward Mars
- May 31 - The birth of a new country, Bangladesh, is declared by the government in exile from territory formerly part of Pakistan.

June


- June 1 - Vietnam War: Vietnam Veterans for a Just Peace, claiming to represent the majority of U.S. veterans who served in southeast Asia, speak against war protests
- June 6 - Soyuz program: Soyuz 11 launches.
- June 6 - A midair collision between a Hughes Airwest Douglas DC-9 jetliner and a U.S. Marine Corps McDonnell Douglas F-4 Phantom jet fighter near Duarte, California claims 50 lives.
- June 10 – USA ends trade embargo of China.
- June 13 - Vietnam War: The New York Times begins to publish the Pentagon Papers. [http://usinfo.state.gov/usa/infousa/facts/democrac/48.htm].
- June 13 - Gijs van Lennep wins the 24 hours of Le Mans together with Helmet Marko.
- June 14 - Norway begins oil production in North Sea.
- June 17 - Representatives of Japan and the United States sign the Okinawa Reversion Agreement, setting out a plan where the U.S. would return control of Okinawa.[http://www.niraikanai.wwma.net/pages/archive/rev71.html]
- June 20 – Britain announces that Soviet space scientist Anatoli Fedosejev has been granted asylum.
- June 21 – Britain begins new negotiations for EEC membership in Luxembourg.
- June 25 – Madagascar accuses USA of being connected to the plot to oust the current government – USA recalls its ambassador.
- June 28 - Assassin Jerome A. Johnson shoots Joe Colombo to the head in a middle of a Italian-American rally. Colombo goes into coma.
- June 30 - After a successful mission aboard Salyut 1, the world's first manned space station, the crew of the Soyuz 11 spacecraft are killed when their air supply leaks out through a faulty valve.

July


- July 3 - Doors musician Jim Morrison in found dead in his Paris apartment.
- July 5 - Right to vote: The voting age in the United States is reduced from 21 to 18 (provision of the 26th Amendment formally certified by President Richard Nixon on this day).
- July 9 - United Kingdom increases its troops in Northern Ireland to 11,000.
- July 10-11 – Coup attempt in Morocco - 1400 cadets take over the king's palace for three hours and kill 28 people; 158 rebels die when king's troops storm the palace. Ten high-ranking officers are later executed for involvement.
- July 13 – Ólafur Jóhannesson's government in Iceland.
- July 13 – Jordanian army troops launch offensive against Palestinian guerillas in Jordan.
- July 14 – Libya severs its diplomatic ties to Morocco.
- July 14 – Yugoslavian government allows foreign companies to take their profits from the country.
- July 16 - Francisco Franco makes Prince Juan Carlos his successor.
- July 16 - The four billionth baby was born. (see World Population).
- July 17 – Italy and Austria sign a treaty that ends the schism about South Tyrol.
- July 18 – Trucial States formed in the Persian Gulf.
- July 19-23 – Military coup in Sudan ousts Jaafar Muhammad al-Nemieri and major Hashem al-Atta takes over. Fighting continues until on July 22 pro-Nimeiri troops win. Al-Atta and 3 officers are executed July 23. Nimeiri launches an anti-communist campaign.
- July 26 - Apollo program: Launch of Apollo 15. On July 31 the Apollo 15 astronauts become the first to ride in a lunar rover a day after landing on the surface.
- July 28 - Abdel Madgoub, Sudanese communist leader, is hanged.
- July 29 - The United Kingdom opts out of the Space Race with the cancellation of its Black Arrow launch vehicle.
- July 30 – In Japan, an All Nippon Airways Boeing 727 collides with a Japanese fighter jet – 162 dead.

August


- August 9 - India signs a twenty year treaty of friendship and cooperation with the Soviet Union.
- August 9 - British security forces in Northern Ireland detain hundreds of guerilla suspects and put them into Long Kesh - the beginning of an internment without trial policy. 20 die in riots that follow.
- August 12 – 3000 people from Belfast and Londonderry flee to Ireland because of the violence
- August 12 – Syria severs diplomatic relations to Jordan because of border clashes
- August 14 – British troops stationed on Ireland border to stop arms smuggling
- August 14 - Emirate of Bahrain declares independence
- August 15 – Number of British troops in Northern Ireland rises to 12,500
- August 15 - President Richard Nixon announces that the United States would no longer convert dollars to gold at a fixed value, effectively ending the Bretton Woods system
- August 18 - Vietnam War: Australia and New Zealand decide to withdraw their troops from Vietnam
- August 18 – British troops in firefight in Londonderry
- August 19-22 – Right-wing coup ignites a rebellion in Bolivia. Miners and students join troops to support president Juan Jose Torres but eventually Hugo Banzer takes over
- August 25 – Border clashes between Tanzania and Uganda
- August 25 – Large flood in Bangladesh and eastern Bengal – thousands flee the area
- August 26 - Civilian government in Greece.
- August 30 - The Alberta Progressive Conservatives under Peter Lougheed defeat the Social Credit government under Harry E. Strom in a general election, ending 36 years of uninterrupted power for Social Credit in Alberta.

September


- September 3 - Qatar regains independence from the United Kingdom
- September 3 - Manlio Brosio resigns as secterary general of NATO
- September 4 - A Boeing 727 carrying Alaska Airlines Flight 1866 crashes into the side of a mountain near Juneau, Alaska killing all 111 people on board
- September 8 - In Washington, DC, the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts is inaugurated with the opening feature being the premiere of Leonard Bernstein's Mass
- September 9 - 13 - Attica Prison riots - Revolt at the maximum-security prison in Attica, New York. In the end, state police and National Guard storm the facility - 42 dead, 10 of them hostages
- September 21 - Pakistan declares state of emergency
- September 24 - Britain expels 90 KGB and GRU officials and 15 are not allowed to return
- September 27 - October 11 - Emperor Hirohito travels abroad.
- September 28 - Cardinal Mindszenty, who has resided in US embassy in Budapest from 1956 is allowed to move out of Hungary.
- September 29 - Cyclone and tsunami in the Bay of Bengal in Orissa State in India kills 10,000.

October


- October 1 - Walt Disney World opens.
- October 20 - Dannii Minogue born.
- October 21 - President Nixon nominated Lewis Franklin Powell, Jr. and William H. Rehnquist to the U.S. Supreme Court.
- October 21 - Gas explosion in Clarkston, Glasgow kills 20 people.
- October 25 - The United Nations General Assembly admits the People's Republic of China and expels the Republic of China (on Taiwan).
- October 27 - Democratic Republic of the Congo is renamed Zaire.
- October 28 - British House of Commons votes in favour of joining the EEC