In the News: July 3, 1968

These are the top stories for July 3, 1968.

General William C. Westmoreland was sworn in as U.S. Army Chief of Staff. With President Johnson in attendance, Westmoreland pledged to fight for "peace with honor." in Vietnam. A 19-gun salute closed the ceremony, which took place on the Pentagon mall.

Hanoi is expected to release three American pilots from captivity. There is no further information as to the identities of the pilots or the location of the release.

Assassins target Sirhan Sirhan's brother. Saidaliah B. Sirhan alleges that two cars chased him on the Pasadena Freeway at 4:30 this morning. After surrounding his vehicle, one of the two cars took aim at him and fired. One bullet was found lodged in the front passenger seat door; another was discovered in the back seat of the car. Authorities are on the lookout for a white Volkswagen bus, connected with the incident.

Just after midnight, a police booth on the University of California Berkeley campus was bombed. Investigators believe that the incident was caused by a device, possibly dynamite, being placed on the ground level. Eyewitnesses report seeing a man running from the site shortly after the explosion. No one was injured.

Aides of Democratic Presidential Candidate Hubert Humphrey are advising him to curtail his public appearances. Rather than face anti-war protesters, they are telling Humphrey to work on winning delegates.

Finally, members of the House of Representative have asked the Federal Communications Commission to investigate the effect of television violence on the American public. Citing an increase in riots and looting, members would like to take a closer look at how popular media shape society.