Molotov

From CBS News headquarters in New York, this is the CBS Evening News with Walter Cronkite.

"Good evening.

Deep division continues to divide the Republican Party, and as the 1968 primary season concludes and the nation prepares for the nominating conventions, the split between moderates and conservatives remains as visible as it has ever been. The divisions between Rockefeller, Nixon, and Reagan are perhaps indicators of the substantial ideological gulfs between the various factions of the Republican Party. Leading the delegate count and emerging from the Illinois Primary with a strong victory, expectations had been in favour of former-Vice President Richard Nixon. However with talk of a "Stop Nixon" movement mounting, the outcome of the convention remains uncertain.

Meanwhile, the Democratic contest has been almost uneventful by comparison. Emerging from the Tet Attacks emboldened and with the renewed confidence of some ailing sectors of the public, President Johnson successfully fended off the minor primary challenge from anti-war candidate Senator Eugene McCarthy, who conceded the race after a weak showing in the Pennsylvania primary on April 23. Speaking from Washington D.C., the President spoke to announce that he intended to maintain Vice President Humphrey as his running mate, reiterating his 1964 campaign motto, 'Let Us Continue'."

Elsewhere in the News

• "National figure in the civil rights movement, Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., was shot dead in Memphis, Tennessee. Riots lasting days followed the news, while the President declared April 7 a day of national mourning. We are now able to confirm that, having been apprehended in Britain attempting to escape to Africa, the assassin James Earl Ray has been returned to the United States, where he has been formally charged with King's murder. Although no confession has yet been secured, ..."

• "Secretary of State Rusk today issued a statement discussing new American policy in Africa. In partnership with Britain and France, as well as with other nations in Europe, he announced that the United States' commitment to the African Development Program, sometimes known as the 'Rusk-Brown Plan' or the 'African Marshall Plan', would intensify beyond its present levels to a permanent commitment that would redirect almost all US aid to the region via the ADP's structure. The Secretary also commented on his and the President's support for peace negotiations underway in Nigeria, strongly urging the government of that country to agree to peace terms as proposed by the joint US-UK mission to the war-torn nation. Rumors have also emerged of new organizations being developed designed to further economic cooperation in the region, though the Secretary declined ..."

• "Speaking in the aftermath of the failed Tet Attacks, President Johnson reiterated his prior remarks, that 'America wins the wars that she undertakes'. He went on to praise the bravery and fortitude of the American combat personnel in Vietnam, as well as to make assurances to southern Vietnamese political leaders that 'The United States of America is not in the business of abandoning her allies to tyranny and oppression'. The comments were greeted positive in Saigon, although anti-war demonstrations remain in many ..."

• "Home to the site of the famous World War 2 battle for Iwo Jima and controlled by the United States since the end of the war, the Bonin Islands are formally returned to the State of Japan. Administrated by the United States Navy, the sparsely populated islands were ..."

• "Admiral John Joseph Hyland, Jr, Commander of the US Pacific Fleet, today declared they he believed that recent Pacific naval exercises with a variety of allied nations had been 'a resounding success'. Involving participation from the British Far Eastern Fleet, the Canadian Maritime Forces Pacific, and allied navies from across Asia, the war games engaged near Hawaii were observed with great wonder by maritime enthusiasts the world over. Speaking outside the Pentagon, Secretary of Defense Clifford announced an upcoming meeting to take place in Honolulu between the governments involved to discuss future cooperation measures, and the potential for future ..."

And that's the way it is, June 30th 1968. This is Walter Cronkite, CBS News, reporting from our newsroom in New York. Goodnight.