1963 South Vietnamese coup, Surrender and execution of Diệm and Nhu, Attempted cover-up
At this time, Xuân walked into Minh's office through the open door, unaware of Đôn's presence. Xuân snapped to attention and stated "Mission accomplie". Shortly after, the CIA sent word to the White House that Diệm and Nhu were dead, allegedly due to suicide. Vietnam Radio had announced their deaths by poison, and that they had committed suicide while in the APC. Unclear and contradictory stories abounded. General Harkins reported that the suicides had occurred either by gunshot or by a grenade wrestled from the belt of an ARVN officer who was standing guard. Minh tried to explain the discrepancy by saying "Due to an inadvertence, there was a gun inside the vehicle. It was with this gun that they committed suicide."


1963 South Vietnamese coup, Surrender and execution of Diệm and Nhu, Attempted cover-up
When Kennedy learned of the deaths during a White House meeting, he appeared shaken and left the room. Kennedy later penned a memo, lamenting that the assassination was "particularly abhorrent" and blaming himself for approving Cable 243, which authorised Lodge to explore coup options in the wake of Nhu's Xá Lợi Pagoda raids. Kennedy's reaction did not draw unanimous sympathy. The Americans became aware later of the true reasons for the deaths of Diệm and Nhu through Conein. Later, photos appeared showing the two dead brothers covered in blood on the floor of the APC. The images appeared to be genuine, discrediting the generals' claims that the brothers had committed suicide.


1963 South Vietnamese coup, Surrender and execution of Diệm and Nhu, Attempted cover-up
Once the news of the cause of death of the Ngô brothers began to become public, the US became concerned at their association with the new junta and began asking questions. Lodge initially backed the false story disseminated by the generals, believing that they had shot themselves. Lodge showed no alarm in public, congratulating Đôn on the "masterful performance" of the coup and promising diplomatic recognition. Đôn's assertion that the assassinations were unplanned were sufficient for Lodge, who told the State Department that "I am sure assassination was not at their direction."


1963 South Vietnamese coup, Surrender and execution of Diệm and Nhu, Attempted cover-up
Minh and Đôn reiterated their position in a meeting with Conein and Lodge on the following day. Several members of the Kennedy administration were appalled by the killings, citing them as a key factor in the future leadership troubles which beset South Vietnam. The assassinations caused a split within the leadership of the junta and repulsed American and world opinion.


1963 South Vietnamese coup, Surrender and execution of Diệm and Nhu, Attempted cover-up
The killings damaged the public belief that the new regime would be an improvement over the Ngô family, turning the initial harmony among the generals into discord. The criticism of the killings caused the officers to distrust and battle one another for positions in the new government. According to Jones, "when decisions regarding postcoup affairs took priority, resentment over the killings meshed with the visceral competition over government posts to disassemble the new regime before it fully took form."


1963 South Vietnamese coup, Surrender and execution of Diệm and Nhu, Culpability debate
The responsibility for the assassinations was generally put on the shoulders of Minh. Conein asserted that "I have it on very good authority of very many people, that Big Minh gave the order," as did William Colby, the director of the CIA's Far Eastern division. Đôn was equally emphatic, saying "I can state without equivocation that this was done by General Dương Văn Minh and by him alone."


1963 South Vietnamese coup, Surrender and execution of Diệm and Nhu, Culpability debate
Lodge thought Xuân was partly culpable, asserting that "Diệm and Nhu had been assassinated, if not by Xuân personally, at least at his direction." Minh later blamed Thiệu for the assassinations. In 1971, Minh claimed Thiệu was responsible for the deaths by hesitating and delaying the attack by the 5th Division on Gia Long Palace. Thiệu stridently denied responsibility and issued a statement that Minh did not dispute: "Dương Văn Minh has to assume entire responsibility for the death of Ngô Đình Diệm." During the presidency of Richard Nixon, a Kennedy opponent, a US government investigation was initiated into American involvement, convinced that Kennedy secretly ordered the killings, but no evidence was found.


1963 South Vietnamese coup, Surrender and execution of Diệm and Nhu, Culpability debate
Conein asserted that Minh's humiliation by the Ngô brothers was a major motivation for ordering their executions. He reasoned that Minh had been embarrassed by arriving at the presidential residence in full ceremonial military uniform to take power, only to find an empty building. One CIA employee said "They had to kill him [Diệm]. Otherwise his supporters would gradually rally and organise and there would be civil war." Several months after the event, Minh reportedly said privately that "We had no alternative. They had to be killed. Diệm could not be allowed to live because he was too much respected among simple, gullible people in the countryside, especially the Catholics and the refugees. We had to kill Nhu because he was so widely feared – and he had created organizations that were arms of his personal power."


1963 South Vietnamese coup, Surrender and execution of Diệm and Nhu, Culpability debate
Trần Văn Hương, a civilian opposition politician who was jailed in 1960 for signing the Caravelle Manifesto that criticised Diệm, said: "The top generals who decided to murder Diệm and his brother were scared to death. The generals knew very well that having no talent, no moral virtues, no political support whatsoever, they could not prevent a spectacular comeback of the president and Mr. Nhu if they were alive."


1963 South Vietnamese coup, Reaction
The reaction to the coup was mixed. The coup was immediately denounced by the Soviet Union and the People's Republic of China, asserting that the coup had brought a US "puppet" government. The remainder of the world expressed the general hope that the junta would end persecution against Buddhists and focus on defeating the communist insurgency.


1963 South Vietnamese coup, Reaction
Both North Vietnam and the VC were caught off guard by the events in Saigon. Hanoi initially did not comment apart from repeating the news, as they had not been prepared. On one hand, the communist leaders were disheartened that they could no longer exploit Diệm's unpopularity. On the other hand, they were confident that Diệm's successors would be weak, fall apart easily and facilitate a communist revolution.


1963 South Vietnamese coup, Reaction
The official newspaper, the Nhan Dan, opined that "By throwing off Ngo Dinh Diem and his brother Ngo Dinh Nhu, the US imperialists have themselves destroyed the political bases they had built up for years. The deaths of Diem and Nhu were followed by the disintegration of big fragments of the ... [ government] machine."


1963 South Vietnamese coup, Reaction
On the night of 1 November, as Gia Long Palace was besieged, VC radio in South Vietnam had urged the Vietnamese people and ARVN loyalists to resist the coup. However, the general's quick and successful coup prevented any joint action. Within a week of the coup, the VC had regained its direction and launched more than one thousand attacks. A communist spokesperson expressed shock that the Americans had appeared to support the removal of Diệm, believing him to have been one of their strongest opponents.


1963 South Vietnamese coup, Reaction
The leader of the VC, Nguyễn Hữu Thọ termed the coup a "gift from Heaven for us". Some VC officials were so surprised that the Americans would remove Diệm that they thought it was a trick. They felt Diệm's removal was a blunder on the part of the Americans. Tho said "Our enemy has been seriously weakened from all points of view, military, political and administrative." Thọ said:


1963 South Vietnamese coup, Reaction
For the same reasons, the coercive apparatus, set up over the years with great care by Diệm, is utterly shattered, specially at the base. The principle chiefs of security and the secret police, on which mainly depended the protection of the regime and the repression of the revolutionary movement, have been eliminated, purges.


1963 South Vietnamese coup, Reaction
Troops, officers, and officials of the army and administration are completely lost; they have no more confidence in their chiefs and have no idea to whom they should be loyal.


1963 South Vietnamese coup, Reaction
From the political point of view the weakening of our adversary is still clear. Reactionary political organizations like the Labor and Personalism Party, the National Revolutionary Movement, the Republican Youth, the Women's Solidarity Movement etc. ... which constituted an appreciable support for the regime have been dissolved, eliminated.


1963 South Vietnamese coup, Reaction
The deposition of the Ngô brothers was greeted with widespread joy by the South Vietnamese public. Large spontaneous street demonstrations took place. The offices of the Times of Vietnam, the Ngô family's propaganda mouthpiece, were burned. Elsewhere, the crowd smashed windows and ransacked any building associated with Nhu. The tension released by the downfall of the regime sparked off celebrations similar to Tết (Lunar New Year) celebrations. Americans were treated and received with great enthusiasm and Lodge was mobbed by the Saigon public and it was joked that Lodge would win any Vietnamese election by a landslide.


1963 South Vietnamese coup, Reaction
Lodge recommended immediate recognition of the new regime by Washington, asserting that the popular approval of the Vietnamese for the coup warranted it. Lodge reported: "Every Vietnamese has a grin on his face today". The crowds swarmed onto the grounds of Gia Long Palace in a carnival atmosphere, punctuated by celebratory ARVN gunfire, while a sea of Buddhist flags flew throughout the city.


1963 South Vietnamese coup, Reaction
As Lodge traveled from his residence to the US embassy, the crowds cheered his convoy, and when he walked past the Xá Lợi Pagoda, the focal point of the raids by Nhu's Special Forces, he was mobbed by jubilant Buddhists. The people were very happy with the soldiers, giving them fruit, flowers and garlands of roses.


1963 South Vietnamese coup, Reaction
Madame Nhu, who was in the United States at the time, denounced the coup and angrily accused the Americans of orchestrating it. When asked about whether the US was involved, she replied "definitely", elaborating that "no coup can erupt without American incitement and backing" and declaring that she would not seek asylum "in a country whose government stabbed me in the back". She said "I believe all the devils of hell are against us" and that "whoever has the Americans as allies does not need enemies".


1963 South Vietnamese coup, Reaction
The United States publicly disclaimed responsibility or involvement in the coup. Many, including Harriman, General Maxwell Taylor, and Assistant Secretary of State Roger Hilsman, denied involvement, although Hilsman admitted that American disapproval of Diem's policies would have encouraged the generals. Privately, the White House was elated by the coup, as it had been relatively bloodless. The White House fostered the impression that the coup was purely Vietnamese and claimed to have no knowledge of it. A year later, Trueheart was quoted that the United States had been aware of the generals' actions.


1963 South Vietnamese coup, Reaction, Transition of power
Even before the start of the coup, the generals had been in contact with civilian opposition figures and more moderate members of Diệm's regime. Once the coup was confirmed to be finished, negotiations by the generals and dissidents began. All of Diệm's ministers were forced to resign, and no further reprisals were taken. Diệm's Vice President Nguyễn Ngọc Thơ had discussions with Minh over the interim government. The Americans also pressured the generals to give Thơ a prominent role so as to give the impression of civilian rule. They promised to resume the Commercial Import Program, their main aid initiative to South Vietnam, which had been suspended due to relations with Diệm.


1963 South Vietnamese coup, Reaction, Transition of power
The Military Revolutionary Council as it called itself, dissolved Diệm's rubber stamp National Assembly and the constitution of 1956. They vowed support for free elections, unhindered political opposition, freedom of the press, freedom of religion, and an end to discrimination, and that the purpose of the coup was to bolster the fight against the VC. They condemned the recent legislative elections as "dishonest and fraudulent", imposed martial law, announced a curfew and ordered the release of political prisoners jailed by Diệm. The MRC announced that a new constitution would be written. In the interim, an appointed body known as the "Council of Notables" replaced the legislature in an advisory capacity.


1963 South Vietnamese coup, Reaction, Transition of power
The generals decided on a two-tier government structure with a military committee overseen by Minh presiding over a regular cabinet that would be predominantly civilian with Thơ as prime minister. The new government was announced on 5 November. Minh was named president and chief of the Military Committee; Thơ was listed as prime minister, Minister of Economy, and Minister of Finance; Đôn was named Minister of Defense; and Đính was made the Minister of Security (Interior). Only one other general was in the cabinet of 15, which was dominated by bureaucrats and civilians with no previous political experience.


1963 South Vietnamese coup, Reaction, Transition of power
This was followed by the release of Provisional Constitutional Act No. 1, formally suspending the 1956 constitution and detailing the structure and duty of the interim government. On 6 November, Saigon radio announced the composition of the executive committee of the Military Revolutionary Council. Minh was chairman, Đính and Đôn were deputy chairmen, and nine other senior generals, including Kim, Thiệu, Khiêm, Trần Văn Minh and Phạm Xuân Chiểu. A notable omission was the II Corps commander, General Khánh, who was transferred to I Corps, the northernmost Corps and the farthest away from Saigon. The Americans recognized the new government on 8 November.


1963 South Vietnamese parliamentary election
Parliamentary elections were held in South Vietnam on 27 September 1963. All but three of the 123 seats in the National Assembly were won by President Ngo Dinh Diem's regime. Three seats were won by the opposition Social Democratic Party and the Dai Viet Progressive Party. As the elections took place during the Buddhist crisis, the government allowed elements of the opposition to stand during the elections as one of the concessions to Buddhist protest leaders. However, due to the 1963 South Vietnamese coup, the National Assembly was not able to convene for its first inaugural session and was forced to dissolve by the military.


1963 Southern Conference Men's Basketball Tournament
The 1963 Southern Conference Men's Basketball Tournament took place from February 28 to March 2, 1963, at the Richmond Arena in Richmond, Virginia. The West Virginia Mountaineers, led by head coach George King, won their eighth Southern Conference title and received the automatic berth to the 1963 NCAA Tournament.


1963 Southern Conference Men's Basketball Tournament, Format
The top eight finishers  of the conference's nine members were eligible for the tournament. The teams were seeded based on conference winning percentage. The tournament used a preset bracket consisting of three rounds.


1963 Southern Illinois Salukis football team
The 1963 Southern Illinois Salukis football team was an American football team that represented Southern Illinois University (now known as Southern Illinois University Carbondale) as an independent during the 1963 NCAA College Division football season. Under fifth-year head coach Carmen Piccone, the team compiled a 4–5 record. The team played its home games at McAndrew Stadium in Carbondale, Illinois.


1963 Southern Miss Southerners football team
The 1963 Southern Miss Southerners football team was an American football team that represented the University of Southern Mississippi as an independent during the 1963 NCAA University Division football season. In their fifteenth year under head coach Thad Vann, the team compiled a 5–3–1 record.


1963 Southwestern Louisiana Bulldogs football team
The 1963 Southwestern Louisiana Bulldogs football team was an American football team that represented the University of Southwestern Louisiana (now known as the University of Louisiana at Lafayette) in the Gulf States Conference during the 1963 NCAA College Division football season. In their third year under head coach Russ Faulkinberry, the team compiled a 4–5 record.


1963 Soviet Class A Second Group
The 1963 Soviet Class A Second Group was the inaugural season of the Soviet Class A Second Group football competitions that was reorganized based on the best teams of the 1962 Soviet Class B season. It was also the 23rd season of the Soviet second tier league competition.


1963 Soviet Class A Second Group
The league was consolidated into a single group of 18 clubs.


1963 Soviet Class B
The 1963 Soviet Football Championship (Class B) was the thirteenth season since creation of Class B in 1950 in place of the Vtoraya Gruppa. At the same time, in 1963 the Class B tournament was shifted one tier down in the Soviet league system. In this way the third level competitions were revived for the first time since 1937.


1963 Soviet Class B
The structure of the tournament was preserved having separate competitions for Russia, Ukraine, and other Soviet republics.


1963 Soviet Class B, Russian SFSR
The Russian Republican competition consisted of five zones of 20 clubs. The top two teams from each zone advanced to semi-final stage composed of two groups with five teams in each. The top two teams from those two groups advanced to final stage with a single group of four.


1963 Soviet Class B, Ukrainian SSR
The Ukrainian Republican competition consisted of two zones of 20 clubs. Upon conclusion of the league format each club qualified for a playoff with another club that placed the same place in the other group. The pair of the first placed clubs was sort of a republican championship playoff. The playoffs consisted of two legs - home and away. Note teams were relegated or withdrawn and only one was promoted to the Subgroup A (the First League).


1963 Soviet Class B, Ukrainian SSR, Play-offs
Each team played against the same ranking team from the other zone. Only the two top pairs that really mattered concerning promotion are listed next. No teams were relegated. SKA Odessa obtained the promotion from the Ukraine zone. They were classified as the Republican champions and were promoted to the Inter-Republican level, the Class A.


1963 Soviet Cup
The 1963 Soviet Cup was an association football cup competition of the Soviet Union.


1963 Soviet Top League
20 teams took part in the league with FC Dynamo Moscow winning the championship.


1963 Spanish Guinean autonomy referendum
A referendum on autonomy from Spain was held in Spanish Guinea on 15 December 1963. The result was 62.52% in favour.


1963 Spanish Guinean autonomy referendum
The result was at the time considered a step towards independence from Spain, which was achieved in 1968.


1963 Speedorama 200
The 1963 Speedorama 200 was a NASCAR Grand National Series event that was held on July 7, 1963, at Rambi Raceway in Myrtle Beach, South Carolina.


1963 Speedorama 200
Chuck Huckabee's NASCAR Cup debut nets him his lone top-10 finish in ninth place. He wouldn't finish higher than 12th in any of his other 11 Cup starts.


1963 Speedorama 200, Race report
Two hundred laps were done on a dirt track spanning 0.500 miles (0.805 km) for a grand total of 100 miles (160 km) of racing action. The entire race lasted one hour and thirty-eight seconds with four thousand people watching Ned Jarrett defeat Buck Baker by more than seven laps. This was the first race competed in by J. D. McDuffie (who drove in a self-sponsored 1961 Ford Galaxie).


1963 Speedorama 200, Race report
The transition to purpose-built racecars began in the early 1960s and occurred gradually over that decade. Changes made to the sport by the late 1960s brought an end to the "strictly stock" vehicles of the 1950s.


1963 Speedorama 200, Race report
The average speed of the race was 60.996 miles per hour (98.164 km/h) while Richard Petty would be the fastest driver in qualifying with a speed of 68.700 miles per hour (110.562 km/h). There were no records kept of any cautions committed in this race. Despite McDuffie's later problems, he would finish in 12th place in this race. Bobby Isaac would lead 30 laps before an engine problem would force him to finish in last place. Cale Yarborough would receive his first top-5 finish of his career at this race.


1963 Speedorama 200, Race report
Notable crew chiefs at this race were Herman Beam and Crawford Clements.


1963 Speedorama 200, Race report
The winner would receive $1,000 in winnings ($8,351 in current US dollars) while the last-place finisher would receive a meager $100 for his "hard work" ($835 in current US dollars). The total winnings of the race would add up to $4,540 ($37,914 in current US dollars).


1963 Speedway National League
The 1963 National League was the 29th season and the eighteenth post-war season of the highest tier of motorcycle speedway in Great Britain.


1963 Speedway National League, Summary
The seven entrants were the same as those that had finished the previous season and matches were ridden home and away twice. Belle Vue Aces won their first title in 27 years.


1963 Speedway National League, Summary
Belle Vue's successful season was soured by a tragedy and the speedway world was in shock when the double world champion Peter Craven died following a challenge match at Edinburgh's Old Meadowbank stadium, on 20 September 1963. Just six days after he lost world crown, Craven swerved to avoid hitting fallen race leader George Hunter and hit the safety fence. Craven was rushed to the Royal Infirmary of Edinburgh, where he died on 24 September.


1963 Speedway National League, Top Ten Riders
The top ten riders are listed by their points average and only applies to the league.


1963 Speedway National League, National Trophy
The 1963 National Trophy was the 25th edition of the Knockout Cup. Norwich were the winners.


1963 Speedway World Team Cup
1963 Speedway World Team Cup was the fourth edition of the FIM Speedway World Team Cup to determine the team world champions.


1963 Speedway World Team Cup
The final took place in Vienna, Austria. The World Champion title was won by Sweden (37 pts) who beat Czechoslovakia (27 pts), Great Britain (25 pts) and Poland (7 pts).


1963 Speedway World Team Cup, Qualification, Nordic Round
Arne Carlsson - 12 (3,3,3,3)Bjorn Knutsson - 12 (3,3,3,3)Per Olof Söderman - 12 (3,3,3,3)Per Tage Svensson - 12 (3,3,3,3)


1963 Speedway World Team Cup, Qualification, Nordic Round
Aage Hansen - 7 (2,1,2,2)Jon Ødegaard - 6 (1,2,1,2)Cato Agnor - 5 (2,0,1,2)Reidar Eide - 4 (1,1,1,1)


1963 Speedway World Team Cup, Qualification, Nordic Round
Paul Wissing - 8 (2,2,2,2)Erik Kastebo - 4 (0,2,2,0)Hans Möller - 4 (2,1,0,1)Einar Hansen - 2 (1,0,0,1)


1963 Speedway World Team Cup, Qualification, Nordic Round
Esko Koponen - 5 (0,2,2,1)Matti Olin - 3 (1,1,1,0)Martti Assinen - 0 (0,0,0,0)Erkki Ala-Sippola - 0 (0,0,0,0)


1963 Speedway World Team Cup, Qualification, British Round
The British Round was cancelled. Great Britain was seeded to the Final.


1963 Speedway World Team Cup, Qualification, Central European Round
Antonín Kasper Sr. - 11 Stanislav Kubíček - 10 Karel Průša - 10 Luboš Tomíček Sr. - 10


1963 Speedway World Team Cup, Qualification, Central European Round
Josef Hofmeister - 12 (3,3,3,3) Manfred Poschenreider - 10 Heinrich Sprenger - 9 Alfred Aberl - 8


1963 Speedway World Team Cup, Qualification, Central European Round
Evald Babic - 3 Damijan Klasnetic - 3 Drago Perko - 2 Milan Kalisnik - 0


1963 Speedway World Team Cup, Qualification, Central European Round
Kurt Schwingenschlögl - 4 Günther Walla - 3 Wilfried Vacano - 0 Leopold Dolansky - 0


1963 Speedway World Team Cup, Qualification, East European Round
Antoni Woryna - 6 (2,2,2,-)Marian Kaiser - 10 (3,2,2,3)Joachim Maj - 2 (2,-,-,-)Henryk Żyto - 12 (3,3,3,3)Andrzej Pogorzelski - 10 (-,2,3,3\2)


1963 Speedway World Team Cup, Qualification, East European Round
Boris Samorodov - 11 (2,3,3,3)Igor Plekhanov - 9 (2,3,2,2)Gennady Kurilenko - 10 (3,3,2,2)Viktor Shilo - NS Leonid Drobyazko - 9 (3,1,3,2)


1963 Speedway World Team Cup, Qualification, East European Round
Jochen Dinse - 4 (0,2,1,1)Jürgen Hehlert - 4 (1,1,1,1)Günther Schelenz - 4 (1,1,1,1)Jürgen Rudolph - 4 (1,1,1,1)Heino Niemann - NS


1963 Speedway World Team Cup, Qualification, East European Round
Milko Pejkov - 1 (1,0,-,-)Boris Damjanov - 0 (-,0,0,0)Krasimir Sokolov - 0 (0,0,0,0)Gavril Macev - 0 (0,0,-,0)Aleksander Stojanov - 0 (0,-,0\0,0)


1963 Speedway World Team Cup, World final
Björn Knutsson - 11 (3,3,3,2)Per Olof Söderman - 10 (3,3,1,3)Ove Fundin - 7 (2,2,-,3)Göte Nordin - 6 (3,2,0,1)res. Rune Sörmander - 3 (-,-,3,-)


1963 Speedway World Team Cup, World final
Antonín Kasper Sr. - 10 (2,3,2,3)Stanislav Kubíček - 7 (1,1,3,2)Miroslav Šmíd - 5 (2,1,1,1)Luboš Tomíček Sr. - 5 (0,1,2,2)


1963 Speedway World Team Cup, World final
Barry Briggs - 12 (3,3,3,3)Peter Craven - 8 (2,2,2,2)Dick Fisher - 4 (0,2,1,1)Peter Moore - 1 (0,0,0,1)res. Leo McAuliffe - NS


1963 Speedway World Team Cup, World final
Henryk Żyto - 4 (1,1,2,0)Marian Kaiser - 1 (0,0,1,0)Joachim Maj - 1 (1,0,-,0)Stanisław Tkocz - 1 (1,0,0,0)res. Andrzej Pogorzelski - 0 (-,-,0,-)


1963 St Marylebone by-election
The St Marylebone by-election of 5 December 1963 was held after Conservative Member of Parliament (MP) Wavell Wakefield became a hereditary peer. Though there was a large swing against the government, the seat was retained for the Conservatives by Quintin Hogg, who had renounced his peerage in order to re-enter the House of Commons, in the hope of being chosen as party leader following the resignation of Harold Macmillan, and thereby becoming Prime Minister. Hogg went on to hold the seat in the 1966 and 1970 general elections. Like his predecessor, Hogg would leave the seat on being given a peerage; in this case a life peerage.


1963 St Marylebone by-election
Forty years previously, the constituency had been represented by Hogg's father, Douglas Hogg.


1963 St. Louis Cardinals (NFL) season
The 1963 St. Louis Cardinals season was the 44th season the team was in the National Football League (NFL) and their fourth in St. Louis. The team improved on their previous output of 4–9–1, winning nine games. Despite the improvement, they failed to qualify for the playoffs for the 15th consecutive season.


1963 St. Louis Cardinals (NFL) season, Standings
Note: Tie games were not officially counted in the standings until 1972.


1963 St. Louis Cardinals season
The 1963 St. Louis Cardinals season was the team's 82nd season in St. Louis, Missouri and its 72nd season in the National League. The Cardinals went 93–69 (.574) during the season, and finished 2nd in the National League, six games behind the eventual World Series champion Los Angeles Dodgers. The season was Stan Musial's 22nd and final season with the team, and in MLB.


1963 St. Louis Cardinals season, Regular season
Future Hall of Famer Stan Musial played his final game on September 29, a 3–2 victory in 14 innings against the visiting Cincinnati Reds.


1963 St. Louis Cardinals season, Regular season
All four starting infielders in the 1963 All-Star Game were Cardinals. Ken Boyer (3B), Dick Groat (SS), and Bill White (1B) were elected, and Julián Javier (2B) took over for the elected but injured Bill Mazeroski of Pittsburgh.


1963 St. Louis Cardinals season, Regular season
Pitcher Bobby Shantz, first baseman Bill White, third baseman Ken Boyer, and outfielder Curt Flood won Gold Gloves this year.


1963 St. Louis Cardinals season, Player stats, Batting, Starters by position
Note: Pos = Position; G = Games played; AB = At bats; H = Hits; Avg. = Batting average; HR = Home runs; RBI = Runs batted in


1963 St. Louis Cardinals season, Player stats, Batting, Other batters
Note: G = Games played; AB = At bats; H = Hits; Avg. = Batting average; HR = Home runs; RBI = Runs batted in


1963 St. Louis Cardinals season, Player stats, Pitching, Starting pitchers
Note: G = Games pitched; IP = Innings pitched; W = Wins; L = Losses; ERA = Earned run average; SO = Strikeouts


1963 St. Louis Cardinals season, Player stats, Pitching, Other pitchers
Note: G = Games pitched; IP = Innings pitched; W = Wins; L = Losses; ERA = Earned run average; SO = Strikeouts


1963 St. Louis Cardinals season, Player stats, Pitching, Relief pitchers
Note: G = Games pitched; W = Wins; L = Losses; SV = Saves; ERA = Earned run average; SO = Strikeouts


1963 Stanford Indians football team
The 1963 Stanford Indians football team represented Stanford University in the 1963 NCAA University Division football season. The team was led by new head coach John Ralston. Ralston succeeded Jack Curtice, who had been fired at the end of the previous season. The team played their home games at Stanford Stadium in Stanford, California.


1963 Stanford Indians football team, Game summaries, California
The 66th Big Game was scheduled for November 23, but after the assassination of John F. Kennedy, like nearly all sporting events, the game was canceled and rescheduled for the following week. Stanford was winless in the conference coming into the game, and following a California punt return for a touchdown, were behind their rival 17–9 late in the second half. But the Indians fought back, scoring the last 19 points in the game on two touchdowns and two field goals to win the game.


1963 Stanley Cup Finals
The 1963 Stanley Cup Finals was the championship series of the National Hockey League's (NHL) 1962–63 season, and the culmination of the 1963 Stanley Cup playoffs. It was contested by the defending champion Toronto Maple Leafs and the Detroit Red Wings. The Maple Leafs won the best-of-seven series, four games to one, to win the Stanley Cup, their second straight NHL championship.


1963 Stanley Cup Finals, Paths to the Finals
Toronto defeated the Montreal Canadiens 4–1 to advance to the finals and Detroit defeated the Chicago Black Hawks 4–2


1963 Stanley Cup Finals, Game summaries
Johnny Bower limited the Wings to 10 goals in the five games, and five different Leafs had multiple-goal games: Duff, Nevin, Stewart, Kelly and Keon.


1963 Stanley Cup Finals, Game summaries
The Leafs had finished first in the regular season, and were installed as 13–5 favourites by oddsmakers.


1963 Stanley Cup Finals, Game summaries, Game one
In the first 68 seconds, Dick Duff scored twice on Detroit's Terry Sawchuk, the fastest two goals to start a game in Stanley Cup history. The Leafs would suffer a second-period letdown but would win 4–2 to take the lead in the series. Because of the second period letdown, Punch Imlach would put the team through a morning practice the next morning.


1963 Stanley Cup Finals, Game summaries, Game two
The Leafs would again win 4–2 and would again have to have a morning after workout assigned by Imlach.


1963 Stanley Cup Finals, Game summaries, Game three
The series now moved to Detroit. The team was sequestered out of town in a Toledo, Ohio hotel. The Red Wings, led by rookie centre Alex Faulkner's two goals, including the winner, captured the game three–2. It was his third game-winning goal and all had been scored on Sundays. Faulkner was a native of Newfoundland and Howie Meeker, exclaimed that there would be "dancing in the streets tonight".


1963 Stanley Cup Finals, Game summaries, Game four
The Leafs felt that they had let game three slip away due to overconfidence and were determined to not repeat the mistake in game four. The game was close, and was tied 2–2 until with ten minutes to go Dave Keon scored. Red Kelly added another to make the score 4–2. On the way to the dressing room the Leafs' players were pelted with paper cups, programs and food containers.


1963 Stanley Cup Finals, Game summaries, Game five
Back in Toronto, the Red Wings kept the score close. After Keon scored a short-handed goal, Marcel Pronovost scored for Detroit to tie the game. The game and series winner was scored by Eddie Shack with seven minutes to go on a deflection. Shack had scored the goal unintentionally as he later admitted. Keon then scored another short-handed goal to put the game out of reach for Detroit.


1963 Stanley Cup Finals, Game summaries, Game five
The Leafs celebrated their second consecutive Stanley Cup by throwing Imlach, Harold Ballard and Stafford Smythe into the showers fully clothed. The team was given a victory parade along Bay Street with a reception at Toronto City Hall.


1963 Stanley Cup Finals, Game summaries, Game five
As of 2019, this is the only one of the last seven big four championship series involving a Toronto team (all of which have been won by Toronto) which did not last exactly six games.


1963 Stanley Cup Finals, Stanley Cup engraving
The 1963 Stanley Cup was presented to Maple Leafs captain George Armstrong by NHL President Clarence Campbell following the Maple Leafs 3–1 win over the Red Wings in game five.


1963 Stanley Cup Finals, Stanley Cup engraving
The following Maple Leafs players and staff had their names engraved on the Stanley Cup


1963 Star World Championships
The 1963 Star World Championships were held in Chicago, Illinois in 1963.


1963 Star World Championships, Results
Legend: DNF – Did not finish; DNS – Did not start; DSA – Disabled; DSQ – Disqualified; WDR – Withdrew;


1963 Stratford by-election
The Stratford by-election, 1963 was a by-election held on 15 August 1963 for the British House of Commons constituency of Stratford-on-Avon in Warwickshire.


1963 Stratford by-election
The by-election was caused by the resignation of the constituency's Conservative Party Member of Parliament (MP) John Profumo on 6 June 1963 after the Profumo affair scandal.


1963 Stratford by-election
The result was a Conservative Party hold, with Angus Maude winning a massively-reduced majority of almost 3,470 votes.


1963 Stratford by-election
The by-election was the first of many to be contested by David Sutch, later known as "Screaming Lord Sutch".


1963 Su-ao earthquake
The 1963 Su-ao earthquake occurred on February 13 at 16:50 local time (08:50 UTC). The epicenter was located off the coast of Taiwan, near Su-ao, Yilan County. It had a magnitude of Mw 7.3. The number of reported dead was 3–15 and the number of injured was 3–18.


1963 Su-ao earthquake, Earthquake
The earthquake showed a weakly coupled interplate boundary in the nearby region.


1963 Sudbury and Woodbridge by-election
The 1963 Sudbury and Woodbridge by-election was held in 1963 after the previous Conservative MP, John Hare was elevated to the House of Lords.


1963 Sugar Bowl
The 1963 Sugar Bowl featured the 3rd ranked Ole Miss Rebels, and the 6th ranked Arkansas Razorbacks.


1963 Sugar Bowl, Game summary
Ole Miss took the early 3-0 lead in the second quarter, after a 30-yard Irwin field goal. Arkansas answered with a 30-yard field goal from Tom McKnelly, tying the game at 3-3. Quarterback Glynn Griffing threw a 33-yard touchdown pass to Louis Guy, giving Ole Miss a 10-3 lead at halftime.


1963 Sugar Bowl, Game summary
In the third quarter, Razorback quarterback Billy Moore, who was eventually knocked out of the game by Ole Miss' Buck Randall,  found Jesse Branch for a 5-yard touchdown pass that tied the game at 10. Glynn Griffin scored on a 1-yard touchdown run giving Ole Miss a 17-10 lead. A 22-yard Tom McKnelly field goal in the fourth quarter, pulled the Razorbacks to 17-13, but Ole Miss held on for the win. Glynn Griffin was named Sugar Bowl MVP.


1963 Summer Universiade
The 1963 Summer Universiade, also known as the III Summer Universiade, took place in Porto Alegre, Brazil.


1963 Summer Universiade, Medal table
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1963 Summer Universiade, Medal table
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1963 Sun Bowl
The 1963 Sun Bowl was a college football bowl game between the SMU Mustangs and the Oregon Webfoots in El Paso, Texas. It was the 30th edition of the Sun Bowl (29th played between college teams), played on Tuesday, December 31, with a kickoff at 2 pm MST.


1963 Sun Bowl, Background
SMU (4–6) was seventh in the Southwest Conference in 1963; they were invited on the basis of their October non-conference wins over fourth-ranked Navy (with Roger Staubach) and Air Force. The Webfoots were 7–3, led by head coach Len Casanova to their third bowl game in five years. It was Oregon's fifth and final year as an independent, following the disbandment of the Pacific Coast Conference. They joined the AAWU (Pac-8 Conference) in 1964, which had bowl restrictions (Rose Bowl only) until 1975; their next bowl appearance was in 1989.


1963 Sun Bowl, Background
This was the Sun Bowl's first game at the new stadium, which opened in September; previous games were played at Kidd Field, adjacent to the east.


1963 Sun Bowl, Game summary
The Ducks headed into the game without injured All-American halfback and defensive back Mel Renfro. They needed H.D. Murphy, who played those same positions, to step up against SMU and he did not disappoint. The junior college transfer made two clutch interceptions, coupled with Dennis Keller's touchdown run in the first quarter and quarterback Bob Berry throwing two touchdown passes in the second quarter to give Oregon a 21–0 lead at halftime. One of those interceptions came at Oregon’s own three-yard line to thwart a potential scoring drive for the Mustangs, and the other Murphy returned 49 yards to set up the Ducks’ first touchdown. Murphy’s outstanding defensive play greatly contributed to the first half margin.


1963 Sun Bowl, Game summary
It was up to Danny Thomas and Mac White to try to bring SMU back, and they narrowed the lead to 21–14 as each threw a touchdown pass to John Roderick in the fourth quarter. SMU's onside kick with less than a minute remaining went out of bounds, giving the Webfoots the ball and ultimately the win. Redshirt junior Berry was 11 of 26 for 146 yards with two touchdowns (and one interception) and was named the game's MVP. Conversely, SMU's Thomas was 15-of-26 for 188 yards for one touchdown and two interceptions. Oregon's defense (with Murphy's interceptions) held off SMU in the second half to win 21–14. Murphy also added 49 yards rushing on only three carriers on the offensive side of the ball.


1963 Sun Bowl, Game summary
Oregon won their first bowl game in 47 years (Rose Bowl in January 1917); it was their last bowl for over a quarter century, until a win in the 1989 Independence Bowl.


1963 Surinamese general election
General elections were held in Suriname in March 1963. The result was a victory for the National Party of Suriname, which won 14 of the 36 seats.


1963 Swansea East by-election
The Swansea East by-election, 1963 was a parliamentary by-election held for the British House of Commons constituency of Swansea East on 28 March 1963.


1963 Swansea East by-election
The seat had become vacant when the Labour Member of Parliament (MP) David Mort had died on 1 January 1963, aged 74. He had held the seat since being elected unopposed at a by-election in 1940.


1963 Swansea East by-election
The Labour candidate, Neil McBride, held the seat for his party.


1963 Swedish football Division 2
Statistics of Swedish football Division 2 for the 1963 season.


1963 Swedish football Division 3
Statistics of Swedish football Division 3 for the 1963 season.


1963 Swiss federal election
Federal elections were held in Switzerland on 27 October 1963. The Social Democratic Party emerged as the largest party in the National Council, winning 53 of the 200 seats.


1963 Swiss federal election, Results, Council of the States
In several cantons the members of the Council of the States were chosen by the cantonal parliaments.


1963 Swiss referendums
Three referendums were held in Switzerland in 1963. The first was held on 26 May on a popular initiative on giving voters the right to decide on whether the Swiss Armed Forces should have nuclear weapons, and was rejected by voters. The second and third were held on 8 December on a federal resolution on continuing with the government's financial plans and on an amendment to the constitution on scholarships and educational allowances, both of which were approved by voters.


1963 Syracuse Grand Prix
The 12th Syracuse Grand Prix was a motor race, run to Formula One rules, held on 25 April 1963 at Syracuse Circuit, Sicily. The race was run over 56 laps of the circuit, and was won easily by Swiss driver Jo Siffert in a Lotus 24.


1963 Syracuse Orangemen football team
The 1963 Syracuse Orangemen football team represented Syracuse University in the 1963 NCAA University Division football season. The offense scored 255 points while the defense allowed 101 points. Led by head coach Ben Schwartzwalder, the team won eight games. Despite their 8–2 record, they were not invited to a bowl game. Syracuse played in their eighth and final game at Yankee Stadium, on Thanksgiving Day, with the Orangemen defeating Notre Dame, 14–7. This was a rematch following the teams' controversial 1961 game won by Notre Dame, 17–15.


1963 Syrian coup d'état
The 1963 Syrian coup d'état, referred to by the Syrian government as the 8 March Revolution (Arabic: ثورة الثامن من آذار), was the successful seizure of power in Syria by the military committee of the Syrian Regional Branch of the Arab Socialist Ba'ath Party. The planning and the unfolding conspiracy was inspired by the Iraqi Regional Branch's successful military coup.


1963 Syrian coup d'état
The coup was planned by the military committee, rather than the Ba'ath Party's civilian leadership, but Michel Aflaq, the leader of the party, consented to the conspiracy. The leading members of the military committee throughout the planning process and in the immediate aftermath of taking power were Muhammad Umran, Salah Jadid and Hafez al-Assad. The committee enlisted the support of two Nasserists, Rashid al-Qutayni and Muhammad al-Sufi, and the independent Ziad al-Hariri. The coup was originally planned for 7 March, but was postponed one day after the government discovered where the conspirators were planning to assemble.


1963 Syrian coup d'état, Background, Events leading up to the coup
Modern Syria was first established in 1920 as the Arab Kingdom of Syria under King Faisal. This state was planned to be a new Arab kingdom, and not just Syrian, and the state espoused Arab nationalism and pan-Islamic policies. However the British, who had helped establish the state after World War I, made a secret agreement with France and established the Mandate for Syria and the Lebanon. The area thereby functioned as one of France's colonies, and the newly established state was viewed unfavorably by most Syrians, with many of them regarding it as a vassal of European imperialism. At this stage, some movements tried to establish a Syrian identity, most notably the Syrian Social Nationalist Party, or became advocates of communism and Islamism. The majority of Syrians continued to see themselves as Arabs rather than Syrians.


1963 Syrian coup d'état, Background, Events leading up to the coup
The mandate was feudal in character, and it rested on a semi-liberal oligarchic social base. This system remained unchanged until the establishment of the United Arab Republic (UAR). This system created a class society reflecting urban-rural living patterns. An estimated three thousand families owned half of the land in Syria. The middle class owned the majority of small to medium properties. Some two-thirds of peasants were landless.


1963 Syrian coup d'état, Background, Events leading up to the coup
Agricultural revenues were highly skewed – the top two percent of the population received 50 percent of the income, while the middle class (merchants or middle landowning groups), which was 18 percent of the population, earned 25 percent of agricultural revenues. The bottom 80 percent received the remainder. The landowner–peasant alliance was based on class differences, and social antagonism between each other – this would lead to the landowner's downfall.


1963 Syrian coup d'état, Background, Events leading up to the coup
The mandate was dissolved in 1946 because of a British ultimatum to France, and Syria became an independent country on 17 April 1946. The same elite that had governed Syria during the mandate continued in power, and they ruled in the same manner. The failure in the 1948 Arab–Israeli War led to the downfall of the traditional elite and the rise of the military in politics. Husni al-Za'im became the first military dictator of Syria in 1949, but in 1950, military officer Adib Shishakli gained power behind the scenes, and by 1953 had established another military dictatorship. The military's introduction to the Syrian political scene destroyed the oligarchy enabling the middle class to participate in Syrian politics. However, while their powers were weakened, the traditional elite retained the majority of the wealth produced.


1963 Syrian coup d'état, Background, Events leading up to the coup
It was in this environment that the ideology of Ba'athism came into being. The Arab Ba'ath Movement was established by Michel Aflaq and Salah al-Din al-Bitar in the 1940s, others who played a notable role in the early stages of the Ba'athist movement were Zaki al-Arsuzi, Wahib al-Ghanim and Jallal al-Sayyid. Akram al-Hawrani founded the Arab Socialist Party (ASP) in 1953 – the Ba'ath Party was established through a merger of the ASP and the Arab Ba'ath Party.


1963 Syrian coup d'état, Background, Events leading up to the coup
Of the 150 delegates to the founding congress of the Arab Ba'ath Party in 1947, the majority were either middle-class professionals or intellectuals. By the 1950s the party had managed to acquire an urban middle-class base. However, the Ba'ath Party was not a purely middle-class party, and from the very beginning, it sent party cadres to rural areas to recruit new members and form new party organisations. In 1956, the Ba'ath Party organized the first labour protest in Syrian history. While the Ba'ath Party was strong, its decision to recruit members from across society led to tribalism and clientelism within the party. Party leaders then opted to overlook democratic norms and procedures.


1963 Syrian coup d'état, Background, Events leading up to the coup
The Ba'ath Party faced a significant dilemma: take power through competitive elections or forceful takeover. Even the liberal and democratic-inclined founding leaders were partial to forceful takeover, citing the corrupt electoral process. Before taking control, the Ba'ath Party gambled that it would be allowed to share power with Gamal Abdel Nasser in the United Arab Republic (UAR). The UAR would prove to be Egypt-dominated, and the Ba'ath Party was forced to dissolve itself, but in 1961 the UAR collapsed because of a military coup in Syria.


1963 Syrian coup d'état, Background, Events leading up to the coup
The establishment and the dissolution of the UAR was a catastrophe for the Ba'ath Party as it divided among those who supported the UAR, those who opposed it and those who opposed or supported the traditional leaders of the party. In 1962, Aflaq convened a Ba'ath Party congress and re-established the party. Several branches had not followed orders and had not dissolved during the UAR years. Instead, they had become deeply hostile to pan-Arabist thought and had become radical socialists instead. The military committee, which would launch the 8 March Revolution, shared most of their views.


1963 Syrian coup d'état, Background, Economic and social context
The 8 March Revolution has often been viewed as a mere military coup, but it had many of the ingredients of national revolts from below. The revolution was led by an anti-oligarchical alliance of a radicalised lower middle class, strategic members of the officer corps, marginalised minorities and a significant number of peasants who were mobilised for agrarian conflict. In an international context, the revolution took place because the state boundaries established by France were artificial and the hostility within the newly established Syria to the creation of Israel.


1963 Syrian coup d'état, Background, Economic and social context
The traditional elite that took power in Syria when the country gained independence had come to power during the Mandate for Syria and the Lebanon. The external imposition of arbitrary state boundaries on Syria with no corresponding popular acceptance led to discontent. The national struggle was shaped by ideologies such as Arab nationalism, pan-Islamism and Greater Syrianism. The plebeian character of the struggle and the radical ideologies spawned radical solutions to the agrarian problem.


1963 Syrian coup d'état, Background, Economic and social context
The growth of the new middle class in Syria fueled discontent since the traditional elite dominated the agrarian sector – the largest sector of the economy – and created most of the wealth. The new middle class consisted of capitalists and entrepreneurs who opposed the traditional elite – the monopolisation of power by the traditional elite led to the radicalisation of the new middle-class. The military, which in many countries is conservative and elitist, became radicalised in Syria because the military wanted greater power, believing that the traditional elite was unable to defend the country. A significant group of military personnel were recruited from the new middle class or the hinterlands.


1963 Syrian coup d'état, Background, Economic and social context
In Syria, religious minorities were often underprivileged, and a specific ethnicity usually belonged to a specific social class. The Alawites, the Druzes and the Isma'ilis for instance, were religious groups with low social class who began to embrace a radical form of Arab nationalism, e.g. Ba'athism. Without the peasantry there could not have been a Ba'athist revolution in Syria. The new middle class alone could only produce instability, but together with the peasantry, the revolution became possible.


1963 Syrian coup d'état, Background, Economic and social context
The inequality between urban and rural dwellers, together with capitalist penetration of the agrarian sector and the traditional elites' monopolisation of most large revenue sources, led to the establishment of peasant movements who fought for change or opposed the system. The Syrian branch of the Arab Socialist Ba'ath Party was able to recruit youth from radical peasant movements and thus was able to mobilise large sectors of the population.


1963 Syrian coup d'état, Planning
In 1962, the military committee of the Syrian Regional Branch of the Arab Socialist Ba'ath Party spent most of its time planning to take power through a conventional military coup. The military committee decided it had to capture al-Kiswah and Qatana, two military camps, seize control of the 70th Armoured Brigade at al-Kiswah, the Military Academy in the city of Homs and the Damascus radio station. While the conspirators of the military committee were all young, the sitting regime had been slowly disintegrating and the traditional elite had lost effective political power.


1963 Syrian coup d'état, Planning
For the coup to be successful, the military committee needed to gain the support of some of the Syrian officer corps. The collapse of the UAR, coupled with mutinies, purges and transfers left the officer corps in complete disarray and open to anti-government agitation. At the time, the officer corps was split into five different factions; the Damascus faction which supported the Syrian Government, supporters of Akram al-Hawrani, a Nasserist faction, a Ba'athist faction and a group of independents.


1963 Syrian coup d'état, Planning
The Damascus faction was the enemy of the military committee because of their support for Nazim al-Kudsi's Government and the Hawranist were considered as rivals because of their stance against pan-Arabism. The Nasserists became allies of the Ba'ath, even while they supported Gamal Abdel Nasser and the reestablishment of the UAR.


1963 Syrian coup d'état, Planning
The military committee's alliance with the Nasserists led to the establishment of secret contact with Colonel Rashid al-Qutayni, the head of the military intelligence, and Colonel Muhammad al-Sufi, the commander of the Homs Brigade. The military committee ordered a group of junior officers to recruit the leading independent Colonel Ziad al-Hariri, the commander of the front facing Israel, to their cause. The group was  successful, and they promised al-Hariri that "If we succeed, you can become chief of staff. If we fail, you can disown us." Al-Hariri supported the committee because Khalid al-Azm, the Prime Minister of Syria, was planning to demote him.


1963 Syrian coup d'état, Planning
While it planned the coup, the military committee and its members were frowned upon by civilian Ba'athists. The reason for the army–party alliance in the first place was to safeguard the party from repression. The military committee did not look favourably on the civilian leadership led by Michel Aflaq, objecting to his dissolution of the Ba'ath Party during the UAR years. While Aflaq needed the military committee to seize power, the committee needed Aflaq to hold on power – without Aflaq they would have no support base.


1963 Syrian coup d'état, Planning
At the 5th National Ba'ath Party Congress, held on 8 May 1962, it was decided to reestablish the party and keep Aflaq as Secretary General of the National Command. Muhammad Umran, a leading member of the military committee, was a delegate at the 5th National Congress, and told Aflaq of the military committee's intentions – Aflaq consented to the coup, but no agreement was made between him and the committee on how to share power after the coup.


1963 Syrian coup d'état, The coup
On 8 February 1963, the Iraqi Regional Branch, led by Ali Salih al-Sa'di, took power in Iraq by overthrowing Abd al-Karim Qasim. He was a far more formidable opponent than al-Kudsi, and the Iraqi Regional Branch managed to take power through an alliance not only with military officers, but also with segments of the middle class. Qasim's downfall changed the rules of Arab politics – the Nasserists had monopolised the Arab nationalist movement since the UAR, but the takeover made the Ba'ath Party a force to be reckoned with.


1963 Syrian coup d'état, The coup
In contrast to the Iraqi regional branch, the Syrian regional branch did not have mass support or a significant support base in the middle class. While Aflaq cautioned the plotters because of the party's lack of support, they failed to share his worries, and planned to launch the coup on 7 March. However, that day the military intelligence raided the apartment where the plotters were planning to assemble. Assad was given the task of reporting to other units that the coup had been postponed to 8 March.


1963 Syrian coup d'état, The coup
On the night of 7–8 March, tanks and units loyal to the conspiracy began moving on Damascus. Al-Hariri led a brigade from the Syrian front towards Israel, while Ba'athists were able to gain control of a second brigade stationed in Suwayda. Caught in a pincer movement, the commander of the 70th Armoured Brigade, Lieutenant General Abd al-Karim surrendered to the plotters – Umran took over as acting commander of the 70th Armoured Brigade. The potentially hostile unit stationed in Qatana, south-west of Damascus, did not intervene – probably because Widad Bashir had taken control over communications in the Damascus area.


1963 Syrian coup d'état, The coup
With the forces in al-Kiswah defeated and Qatana neutralised, al-Hariri's forces marched upon Damascus and began to set up road-blocks in the city, while at the same time seizing critical facilities such as the central post office. Captain Salim Hatum, a party officer, seized the radio station. The Ministry of Defence headquarters were seized without a fight, and General Zahr al-Din, the commander-in-chief, was put under arrest. Both al-Kudsi and al-Hawrani were easily tracked down and arrested. Salah Jadid bicycled into the city that morning, and captured the Bureau of Officers' Affairs, which later became his personal fiefdom.


1963 Syrian coup d'état, The coup
Assad led a small group of conspirators to capture the al-Dumayr air base, 40 kilometers (25 mi) north-east of Damascus – the only unit that resisted the coup. Some of its planes had been ordered to bomb rebel positions. The plan was that Assad would lead a company from al-Hariri's brigade to capture the air base before dawn to prevent air strikes. The surrender of the 70th Armoured Brigade took longer than expected, putting Assad's forces behind schedule. When Assad's forces reached the outskirts of the base, it was broad daylight.


1963 Syrian coup d'état, The coup
Assad sent an emissary to tell the commanders that he would start shelling the base if they did not surrender. They negotiated their surrender even though, according to Assad himself, their forces could have defeated his rebel company in combat. Later that morning, the coupmakers convened at the army headquarters to celebrate.


1963 Syrian coup d'état, The coup
820 people were reported killed during the takeover and another 20 were executed shortly afterwards. The coup was met by indifference in the population at large. Saber Falhout, a Druze who was later known as "the poet of the revolution", wrote and announced the first communique of the plotters. The ninth communique reinstated the five members of the military committee in the armed forces. The senior members of the newly established regime were Umran, Jadid and at last, Assad.


1963 Syrian coup d'état, Immediate aftermath
The first act of the new rulers of Syria was to establish the twenty-man National Council for the Revolutionary Command (NCRC), composed of twelve Ba'athists and eight Nasserists and independents. On 9 March, the NCRC ordered Salah al-Din al-Bitar, one of the Ba'ath Party founders, to form a government, and to implement the policies of the NCRC. Later, six civilians were given membership in NCRC, three Ba'athists (Aflaq, al-Bitar and Mansur al-Atrash) and three Nasserists. However, this did not change the balance of power, and the officers still controlled the country.


1963 Syrian coup d'état, Immediate aftermath
From the beginning, the military committee members formed state policies behind the backs of other NCRC members – when the civilian leadership found out,  al-Atrash said: "Why do not these gentlemen speak? May I suggest they appoint a liaison officer to communicate their views to us?" From that day, Umran gave the civilians a faint idea of what the committee members were planning.


1963 Syrian coup d'état, Immediate aftermath
At the beginning, there were no signs of the quarrels that would destroy the military committee. At the time, the members were bound together by their goal of building a prosperous nation. On 9 March the NCRC released Lu'ay al-Atassi from jail, promoted him to the rank of lieutenant general, appointed him commander-in-chief and NCRC chairman, the de facto head of state. Hariri was appointed chief of staff. While Atassi and Hariri held powerful posts, they did not possess enough personal or political power to threaten the NCRC.


1963 Syrian coup d'état, Immediate aftermath
The Nasserist officers were also given notable offices with Muhammad al-Sufi becoming Minister of Defence and Rashid al-Qutayni becoming deputy chief of staff. However, the Military Committee, which had expanded its membership with five new members, ensured that the Ba'athists controlled the real levers of powers. The committee decided state policies before the sessions of the NCRC, and by doing so became the real seat of power.


1963 Syrian coup d'état, Immediate aftermath
Umran was first given the command of the 5th Brigade in Homs, but was promoted in June to become commander of the 70th Armoured Brigade. As head of the Bureau of Officers' Affairs, Jadid appointed friends to senior positions, purged his enemies and appointed several Ba'athists to senior positions. Ahmad Suwaydani, one of the new members of the Military Committee, was appointed Head of Military Intelligence and Mazyad Hunaydi became Head of the Military Police.


1963 Syrian coup d'état, Immediate aftermath
The Military Academy at Homs was put under Ba'athist control—several hundred Ba'athists, including Assad's brother Rifaat al-Assad, were given a crash course in military teaching before being given command. Assad became the de facto head of the Syrian Air Force, a dizzying promotion for a man in his thirties. Considering that the members of the Military Committee were all too young to be perceived as the real leaders of Syria by the populace, the Military Committee appointed Colonel Amin al-Hafiz to the post of Minister of the Interior.


1963 Syrian coup d'état, Immediate aftermath, Purges and failed coup of 18 July
Pressure from consistent pro-Nasser demonstrations in northern Syria and Damascus and from pro-union Ba'athist leaders like Jamal al-Atassi, the Nasserists and the Arab Nationalist Movement (ANM), coupled with the weakness of the Ba'athists at the popular level in Syria, led to unification efforts between the new government and the governments of Egypt and Iraq. The latter's anti-UAR government had also been overthrown by pro-UAR officers in 1963. On 17 April a new stage-based unity agreement was reached that would include the three states in a federal union with Nasser as President and Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces.


1963 Syrian coup d'état, Immediate aftermath, Purges and failed coup of 18 July
However, between 28 April-2 May, the Ba'athist-dominated Military Committee virtually renounced the agreement when it purged over 50 Nasserist officers from their high-ranking positions in the armed forces, leading to a wide-scale propaganda campaign by Egypt via radio denouncing the Ba'ath (Nasserist-leaning newspapers had been previously shut down.) Mass pro-union rioting in Aleppo, Damascus, Hama and other parts of the country followed. The purges prompted the protest resignations of Nasserist officials, including Defense Minister al-Sufi, Deputy Chief of Staff al-Qutayni, and four other Nasserist cabinet members.


1963 Syrian coup d'état, Immediate aftermath, Purges and failed coup of 18 July
Later, on 19 June, Chief of Staff al-Hariri led a high-ranking delegation that included Prime Minister al-Bitar, Aflaq and Education Minister Sami Droubi to Algeria for a state visit. While al-Hariri was away, the Committee used the opportunity to undertake a purge of about 30 elite officers—mostly political independents—under al-Hariri's command. Al-Hariri was ordered to take a direct flight to the Syrian embassy in the United States, where he was reassigned as the embassy's military attache. Instead, he returned to Syria via a flight to Beirut on 23 June to protest the Committee's move against him. Unsuccessful, he left the country for France in a self-imposed exile on 8 July. The Committee's virtual ousting of al-Hariri was to the chagrin of al-Bitar, who viewed al-Hariri as the last military counterweight able to check the Committee's domination over his government.


1963 Syrian coup d'état, Immediate aftermath, Purges and failed coup of 18 July
The Nasserists still maintained a relatively high level of strength in the military, despite the purges, and on 18 July, under the leadership of Jassem Alwan and the help of Egyptian intelligence, they attempted to launch a daytime coup against the new government. The Army Headquarters, personally defended by al-Hafiz, and the broadcast station were attacked, and the ensuing battle left hundreds of people dead, including several civilian bystanders. The coup attempt failed and 27 participating officers were arrested and executed.


1963 Syrian coup d'état, Immediate aftermath, Purges and failed coup of 18 July
The executions were a rare punitive action used to deal with the participants of a failed coup in Syria, with the typical punishment being exile, imprisonment or reassignment to a foreign diplomatic post. President Lu'ay al-Atassi subsequently resigned, signalling his disapproval of the executions. After evading the authorities for a short period, Alwan and his chief co-conspirators Raef al-Maarri and Muhammad Nabhan were apprehended and brought to military trial, where they were found guilty of treason and sentenced to death. They were released exactly a year later and exiled, after lobbying by Nasser and Iraqi President Abdul Salam Arif.


1963 Syrian coup d'état, Immediate aftermath, Purges and failed coup of 18 July
The failure of Alwan's revolt marked the end of significant Nasserist influence in Syria's military and civilian institutions, and with the pro-Nasser forces largely defeated, the Military Committee became the sole power center of the country. Relations with Egypt immediately soured, with Nasser, still popular with the Syrian masses, issuing broadcasts denouncing the Ba'athists as "murderers" and "fascists", and representing the forces of heresy and atheism, a derogatory reference to the party's embrace of strict secularism and the numerous leadership positions held by non-Sunni Muslims. Nasser also announced his withdrawal from the 17 April unity agreement.


1963 São Paulo FC season
The 1963 football season was São Paulo's 34th season since club's existence.


1963 TANFL season
The 1963 Tasmanian Australian National Football League (TANFL) premiership season was an Australian Rules football competition staged in Hobart, Tasmania over nineteen (19) roster rounds and four (4) finals series matches between 6 April and 14 September 1963.


1963 TANFL season, Participating Clubs, State Preliminary Final
Note: Burnie (NWFU guernsey) and Hobart (TANFL guernsey) wore alternate strips due to a guernsey clash.


1963 TANFL season, 1963 TANFL Ladder, Grand Final
Source: All scores and statistics courtesy of the Hobart Mercury and Saturday Evening Mercury (SEM) publications.


1963 TCU Horned Frogs football team
The 1963 TCU Horned Frogs football team represented Texas Christian University (TCU) in the 1963 NCAA University Division football season. The Horned Frogs finished the season 4–5–1 overall and 2–4–1 in the Southwest Conference. The team was coached by Abe Martin in his 11th year as head coach. The Frogs played their home games in Amon G. Carter Stadium, which is located on campus in Fort Worth, Texas.


1963 Tampa Spartans football team
The 1963 Tampa Spartans football team represented the University of Tampa in the 1963 NCAA College Division football season. It was the Spartans' 27th season. The team was led by head coach Fred Pancoast, in his second year, and played their home games at Phillips Field in Tampa, Florida. They finished with a record of four wins, five losses and one tie (4–5–1). Pancoast resigned as the Spartans' head coach on January 20, 1964, to take the position of ends coach at Florida.


1963 Tangerine Bowl
The 1963 Tangerine Bowl was an NCAA College Division game following the 1963 season, between the Western Kentucky Hilltoppers and the Coast Guard Bears. Western Kentucky quarterback Sharon Miller was named the game's most valuable player.


1963 Tangerine Bowl, Notable participants
Western Kentucky linebacker Dale Lindsey and running back Jim Burt were selected in the 1965 NFL Draft. Lindsey has subsequently coached at both the college and professional levels, and in December 2012 became the head coach of the  San Diego Toreros. Lindsey, Burt, and head coach Nick Denes are inductees of the university's athletic hall of fame.


1963 Tangerine Bowl, Notable participants
Coast Guard head coach Otto Graham is an inductee of both the College Football Hall of Fame and the Pro Football Hall of Fame.


1963 Targa Florio
The 47° Targa Florio took place on 5 May 1963, on the Circuito Piccolo delle Madonie, Sicily (Italy). Porsche took the overall victory, marking the beginning of its dominance at the event which – apart from 1965 – will last until 1971.


1963 Targa Florio, Race
Strong of two consecutive victories in 1961 and 1962, Scuderia Ferrari deployed its new 250 P prototypes which previously received a double victory at the Sebring event. However, the Scuderia was deprived of driver Nino Vaccarella because he was not in compliance with driving documents. After an early dominance, the two 250 P driven by John Surtees and Willy Mairesse respectively, were both crashed. The Ferrari 196 SP driven by Lorenzo Bandini and Ludovico Scarfiotti then took the lead, pursued by the Porsche 718 GTR of Jo Bonnier and Carlo Maria Abate. Mairesse was again chosen for driving the leading 196 SP for the last shift, but a driving error costed him the first place, won by the 718 by just 11 seconds.


1963 Taça de Portugal Final
The 1963 Taça de Portugal Final was the final match of the 1962–63 Taça de Portugal, the 23rd season of the Taça de Portugal, the premier Portuguese football cup competition organized by the Portuguese Football Federation (FPF). The match was played on 30 June 1963 at the Estádio Nacional in Oeiras, and opposed two Primeira Liga sides: Sporting CP and Vitória de Guimarães. Vitória de Guimarães defeated Sporting CP 4–0 to claim their sixth Taça de Portugal.


1963 Temple Owls football team
The 1963 Temple Owls football team was an American football team that represented Temple University as a member of the Middle Atlantic Conference (MAC) during the 1963 NCAA College Division football season. In its fourth season under head coach George Makris, the team compiled a 5–3–1 record (1–2 against MAC opponents) and finished fourth out of six teams in the MAC's University Division.


1963 Temple Owls football team
Temple's season-ending November 23 matchup with Gettysburg was canceled following the assassination of John F. Kennedy the previous day.


1963 Temple Owls football team
The team played its home games at Temple Stadium in Philadelphia.


1963 Tennessee Volunteers football team
The 1963 Tennessee Volunteers football team (variously "Tennessee", "UT" or the "Vols") represented the University of Tennessee in the 1963 NCAA University Division football season. Playing as a member of the Southeastern Conference (SEC), the team was led by head coach Jim McDonald, in his first and only year, and played their home games at Neyland Stadium in Knoxville, Tennessee. They finished the season with a record of five wins and five losses (5–5 overall, 3–5 in the SEC).


1963 Texas A&M Aggies football team
The 1963 Texas A&M Aggies football team represented Texas A&M University in the 1963 NCAA University Division football season as a member of the Southwest Conference (SWC). The Aggies were led by head coach Hank Foldberg in his second season and finished with a record of two wins, seven losses and one tie (2–7–1 overall, 1–5–1 in the SWC).


1963 Texas Longhorns baseball team
The 1963 Texas Longhorns baseball team represented the University of Texas at Austin in the 1963 NCAA University Division baseball season. The Longhorns played their home games at Clark Field. The team was coached by Bibb Falk in his 21st season at Texas.


1963 Texas Longhorns baseball team
The Longhorns reached the College World Series, finishing tied for third with losses to eventual runner-up Arizona and third-place Missouri.


1963 Texas Longhorns football team
The 1963 Texas Longhorns football team represented the University of Texas at Austin in the 1963 NCAA University Division football season. The Longhorns won their first national championship. Tommy Nobis was the only sophomore starter, and was an important participant on the Longhorns' 1963 team, which defeated #2 Navy led by Heisman Trophy winner Roger Staubach in the 1964 Cotton Bowl Classic, 28–6.


1963 Texas Longhorns football team, Schedule
After defeating Baylor in their eighth game, the Longhorns became the only major team with no losses and no ties in college football. After defeating their first nine opponents, the Longhorns clinched the Southwestern Conference title and a spot in the Cotton Bowl. The Longhorns ended up finishing the regular season with a 10–0 record and defeated #2 Navy in the 1964 Cotton Bowl Classic, 28–6. Texas was the consensus national champion before the game with #2 Navy, regardless of the outcome because the AP Poll and UPI Poll did not release polls after bowl games until years later. However, the win ensured that there would be no dispute as had happened in other years when #1 teams lost their bowl games.


1963 Texas Longhorns football team, 1963 Longhorns in the NFL
The following players were drafted into professional football following the season.


1963 Texas Longhorns football team, 1963 Longhorns in the NFL
Ernie Koy, Jr. and Olen Underwood would be selected in the 1964 NFL Draft, while Tommy Nobis would be selected in the 1965 NFL Draft.


1963 Texas Tech Red Raiders football team
The 1963 Texas Tech Red Raiders football team represented Texas Tech University in the Southwest Conference during the 1963 NCAA University Division football season. In their third season under head coach J. T. King, the Red Raiders compiled a 5–5 record (2–5 against conference opponents), tied for sixth place in the conference, and were outscored by opponents by a combined total of 178 to 147. The team's statistical leaders included James Ellis with 536 passing yards, Donny Anderson with 609 rushing yards, and David Parks with 499 receiving yards. The team played its home games at Clifford B. and Audrey Jones Stadium.


1963 Texas Western Miners football team
The 1963 Texas Western Miners football team was an American football team that represented Texas Western College (now known as University of Texas at El Paso) as an independent during the 1963 NCAA University Division football season. In its first season under head coach Warren Harper, the team compiled a 3–7 record and was outscored by a total of 142 to 98.


1963 The Citadel Bulldogs football team
The 1963 The Citadel Bulldogs football team represented The Citadel, The Military College of South Carolina in the 1963 NCAA University Division football season. Eddie Teague served as head coach for the seventh season. The Bulldogs played as members of the Southern Conference and played home games at Johnson Hagood Stadium.


1963 Théâtre des Capucines
1963 Théâtre des Capucines is the fourth live album by Serge Gainsbourg (the first recorded chronologically), released in 2009, featuring a 1963 concert at the Théâtre des Capucines, Paris. It features the same type of minimalist jazz arrangement as his 1963 album, Gainsbourg Confidentiel; the 2001 re-release of which actually featured this album in its entirety as bonus tracks.


1963 Tipperary Senior Hurling Championship
The 1963 Tipperary Senior Hurling Championship was the 73rd staging of the Tipperary Senior Hurling Championship since its establishment by the Tipperary County Board in 1887.


1963 Tipperary Senior Hurling Championship
On 27 October 1963, Thurles Sarsfields won the championship after a 4-10 to 2-10 defeat of Roscrea in the final at Thurles Sportsfield. It was their 25th championship title overall and their third title in succession.


1963 Titleholders Championship
The 1963 Titleholders Championship was the 24th Titleholders Championship, held April 25–29 at Augusta Country Club in Augusta, Georgia. Two-time defending champion Mickey Wright came from three strokes back on Sunday to tie Marilynn Smith and force the second consecutive playoff at the event.


1963 Titleholders Championship
Tied after nine holes in the 18-hole playoff on Monday, Smith fell three strokes behind, then Wright double-bogeyed the par-3 14th and Smith birdied the 16th to tie. All even on the 18th green, Wright missed a 12-foot (3.7 m) par putt while Smith sank hers from 8 feet (2.4 m) to take her first major title. It was the first of two consecutive wins in the championship for Smith, age 34, which were her only two major titles.


1963 Titleholders Championship
Wright was the 36-hole leader at 146 (+2), a stroke ahead of Smith.


1963 Togolese constitutional referendum
A constitutional referendum was held in Togo on 5 May 1963 alongside the general elections. The changes to the constitution would make the country a presidential republic with a unicameral National Assembly. It was approved by 98.5% of voters with a 91.1% turnout.


1963 Togolese coup d'état
The 1963 Togolese coup d'état was a military coup that occurred in the West African country of Togo on 13 January 1963. The coup leaders — notably Emmanuel Bodjollé, Étienne Eyadéma (later Gnassingbé Eyadéma) and Kléber Dadjo — took over government buildings, arrested most of the cabinet, and assassinated Togo's first president, Sylvanus Olympio, outside the American embassy in Lomé. The coup leaders quickly brought Nicolas Grunitzky and Antoine Meatchi, both of whom were exiled political opponents of Olympio, together to form a new government.


1963 Togolese coup d'état
While the government of Ghana and its president Kwame Nkrumah were implicated in the coup and assassination of Olympio, the investigation was never completed, and the international outcry eventually died down. The event was important as the first coup d'état in the French and British colonies of Africa that achieved independence in the 1950s and 1960s, and Olympio is remembered as one of the first heads of state to be assassinated during a military coup in Africa.


1963 Togolese coup d'état, Background
Togo had originally been a protectorate of the German colonial empire but was taken by the British and French during World War I. The French and British divided the area administratively with the French taking control in 1922 of the area of present-day Togo. The eastern portion joined the British Gold Coast colony, dividing the Ewe population between British and French colonies.


1963 Togolese coup d'état, Background
During World War II, the French Vichy government considered the powerful Olympio family of Togo to be pro-British and so many members of that family were arrested, including Sylvanus Olympio who was held for a significant time in a prison in the remote city of Djougou (in present-day Benin). His imprisonment became a key point impacting his future relationships with the French and a metaphor for the need for political and economic independence for Togo which he would use repeatedly in speeches.


1963 Togolese coup d'état, Background
In the 1950s, Olympio became an active leader in pursuing independence for Togo from French rule. His political party boycotted the territorial assembly elections throughout the 1950s because of French interference in those elections (including the 1956 election that made Nicolas Grunitzky, the brother of Olympio's wife, the Prime Minister of the French colony) and Olympio made repeated pleas to the United Nations (UN) to assist in resolution of the country's claims for independence (Olympio's petition to the UN in 1947 was the first official petition for UN resolution of a dispute).


1963 Togolese coup d'état, Background
In the 1958 election, despite French interference, Olympio's party (the Comité de l'unité togolaise) swept the elections defeating Grunitzky's party (the Togolese Progress Party) and the French named Olympio the Prime Minister of the colony. Olympio's victory triggered a significant realignment of French colonial policy and resulted in a series of independence plebiscites throughout colonies in French West Africa. Olympio spearheaded the passing of a new constitution for Togo by popular vote in 1961 and became the first president of Togo with an election victory of over 90% of the vote. After this significant victory and as a result of repression following an attempt on Olympio's life in 1961, Togo largely became a one-party state at independence.


1963 Togolese coup d'état, Background
Early in his career, Olympio had worked with Kwame Nkrumah, a leader of the independence struggle in the neighboring colony of Ghana and the first president of that country, on the issue of ending colonialism in Africa; however, the two leaders split over figuring out the eastern part of the German colony which had become part of Ghana and the division of the Ewe people. In order to unite the Ewe, Nkrumah proposed openly that Togo become part of Ghana while Olympio sought to have the eastern part of the old German colony returned to Togo.


1963 Togolese coup d'état, Background
When Nkrumah made a surprise visit to Togo soon after the country had achieved independence and proposed a union of the two countries in the name of African unity Olympio responded that "African unity, so much to be desired, must not be used as an excuse for an expansionist policy."


1963 Togolese coup d'état, Background
The relationship between the two leaders declined with Olympio often dismissing Nkrumah as a "black imperialist" and, although he initially claimed he did not want a military in Togo, upon achieving independence Olympio funded and built a small military largely to protect the country against any possible advances by Nkrumah and Ghana.


1963 Togolese coup d'état, Background
During his administration, Olympio adopted a unique position for the early independent African leaders of former French colonies. Although he tried to rely on little foreign aid, when necessary he relied on German aid instead of French aid. He was not part of all French alliances (notably not joining the African and Malagasy Union), and made significant connections with former British colonies (namely Nigeria) and the United States. However, he did sign a defense pact with the French and maintained active diplomatic relations throughout his tenure as president. The French were distrustful of Olympio and considered him to be largely aligned with British and American interests.


1963 Togolese coup d'état, Immediate preceding conditions, Togo–Ghana relations
Relations between the countries of Ghana and Togo (and between Nkrumah and Olympio) became very tense in 1962 with repeated assassination plots. Assassination attempts on both leaders were blamed on the other. Refugees and political dissidents from Ghana found refuge in Togo, while political dissidents from Togo found refuge in Ghana. After the Togolese Progress Party and the Juvento movement were implicated in a 1961 attempt on Olympio's life, many prominent politicians including Nicolas Grunitzky and Antoine Meatchi left the country and received welcome and support from Ghana. Similarly, political dissidents from Ghana had fled to Togo after attempts on Nkrumah's life. In 1961, Nkrumah warned Olympio of "dangerous international consequences" if the support for dissidents to his rule that were living in Togo did not cease, but Olympio largely ignored the threat.


1963 Togolese coup d'état, Immediate preceding conditions, Domestic support for Olympio
Despite the large electoral victory, Olympio's policies caused significant problems for many of his supporters. His insistence on budget austerity aggravated unionists, farmers, and educated youth who sought jobs in the public sector. In addition, he clashed with the Catholic authority in the country and exacerbated tensions between the Ewe and other ethnic groups. As political difficulties increased, Olympio became increasingly authoritarian by locking up political prisoners and intimidating or shutting down opposition parties. According to Frederick Pedler "He seems to have believed that if he swept away the politicians he could rely upon the good sense of ordinary honest people."


1963 Togolese coup d'état, Immediate preceding conditions, Togolese military relations
Olympio had considered the military to be unnecessary in his efforts to develop and modernize the country and kept the military force small (only about 250 soldiers). However, as a result, troops who had left the French Army to return to their home in Togo were not provided with enlistment in the limited Togolese Armed Forces. Emmanuel Bodjollé and Kléber Dadjo, the leaders in the Togo military, repeatedly tried to get Olympio to increase funding and enlist more of the ex-French Army troops returning to the country, but were unsuccessful. On 24 September 1962, Olympio rejected the personal plea by Étienne Eyadéma, a sergeant in the French military, to join the Togolese military. On 7 January 1963, Dadjo again presented a request for enlisting ex-French troops and Olympio reportedly tore up the request.


1963 Togolese coup d'état, Coup
The military led by Emmanuel Bodjolle and Étienne Eyadéma met and agreed to remove Olympio from office. The coup began in the early morning hours of 13 January 1963 with shooting heard throughout the capital city of Lomé as the military attempted to arrest Olympio and his cabinet. Just before dawn, shots were heard outside of the United States Embassy which was close to the residence of Olympio. With the light of dawn, the dead body of Olympio was found three feet from the gate at the front of the embassy by the U.S. Ambassador Leon B. Poullada.


1963 Togolese coup d'état, Coup
It was claimed that when the soldiers attempted to arrest him in the streets of Lomé, he resisted and was shot in the process. Eyadéma claimed later that he was the one who pulled the trigger killing Olympio, but this is not clearly established. His body was taken inside the embassy and later picked up by his family.


1963 Togolese coup d'état, Coup
During the coup, most of his cabinet were arrested but the interior minister and information minister were able to escape to the Republic of Dahomey and the health minister, Jerson Kprochtra, who was a member of Grunitzky's party, was not arrested.


1963 Togolese coup d'état, Coup
The reasons given for the coup by the military leaders in a radio broadcast were economic problems and a failing economy. However, analysts often contend that the main roots of the coup were in the disgruntled ex-French soldiers who were unable to gain employment because Olympio kept the military small.


1963 Togolese coup d'état, Coup
The military leaders quickly reached out to exiled political leaders Nicolas Grunitzky and Antoine Meatchi to head a new government as president and vice-president, respectively. The two returned to the country and agreed to take leadership positions. The ministers in Olympio's cabinet who had been taken prisoner were released after the new government was established. However, it was reported that these ministers, led by Theophile Mally, attempted to reestablish rule by Olympio's party on 10 April 1963 and as a result they were arrested again.


1963 Togolese coup d'état, Coup
Elections were organized in May 1963 and the only candidates were Nicolas Grunitzky and Antoine Meatchi who were elected as president and vice-president of the country, respectively. The ministers who were arrested in the coup attempt in April were released after the election.


1963 Togolese coup d'état, Coup, Account of assassination by U.S. Ambassador Leon B. Poullada
The U.S. Ambassador, Leon B. Poullada, provided the following account of the assassination of Olympio:


1963 Togolese coup d'état, Coup, Account of assassination by U.S. Ambassador Leon B. Poullada
"Gunfire broke out in various parts of Lome at about 2 am. The shooting continued sporadically for several hours. "Just before dawn an Embassy official who lives across the street from the Embassy building heard shouting and gunfire in front of the Embassy gate. "When dawn broke, officials found Olympio dead on the ground. The body was moved into the Embassy building. Later members of the president's family—he had five children—took the body away."


1963 Togolese coup d'état, Coup, Account of assassination by Dina Olympio
After moving to the Republic of Dahomey right after the attack, Dina Olympio, the widow of Sylvanus Olympio (whom she called Sylvan), provided her account of the assassination:


1963 Togolese coup d'état, Coup, Account of assassination by Dina Olympio
"It was around 11:30 pm. Saturday when I was wakened by noises outside our house... All of a sudden they [the 70 soldiers] began shooting through our parlor door downstairs and then smashed through it with gun butts. About 1 a.m. they found four girls in the servant quarters and forced them upstairs at gunpoint to show them where we slept. Twelve militaries (soldiers) came up the stairs but Sylvan had already left. It is not true he fired at them when they came to the door.


1963 Togolese coup d'état, Coup, Account of assassination by Dina Olympio
He had no pistol; his old hunting gun was in my room all the time. It is a complete lie that he shot... [the soldiers searched] as if they were looking for a needle. They even wanted to see under my bed... Just before six o'clock I went to the back of the house and looked out of the window to try to see our servant boy Bernard and see why he had left us women alone.


1963 Togolese coup d'état, Coup, Account of assassination by Dina Olympio
"When I opened the window I saw Sylvan...hunched over the wheel [of an official U.S. station wagon on the grounds of the American embassy]. Then I saw four soldiers between two embassy buildings. They saw him and Sylvan put up his hands like this and they grabbed him by his arms. "I thought he was safe and I rushed downstairs and out the front door to try to get around the back and tell him he should go to the camp. Some soldiers stopped me but I ran past them and then I heard three or four shots—pah pah pah! "I thought they might be shooting at our party supporters but I ran to the embassy gate and there was Sylvan lying on the ground with his eyes open and his intestines running out. I said 'Papa, Papa, speak to me,' but he did not."


1963 Togolese coup d'état, Coup, Account of Étienne Eyadéma
Etienne Eyadéma, one of the leaders of the coup, provided his account of the assassination claiming that he himself had pulled the trigger:


1963 Togolese coup d'état, Coup, Account of Étienne Eyadéma
"I was the leader of the commando. It was not my intention to kill the president but to arrest him. When I knocked on his door, however, the president fired. I gave orders to my men to fire a burst into the air to show him we meant business. [ But Olympio lept from the second floor of his house and hid until they found him] "I ordered him out and told him to get dressed so we could take him. Then he tried to flee so we fired on him." [A reporter asked "Who fired?"] "I fired." "I would not have shot at him if he had not run. I arrested three other ministers and they are safe, although they carried pistols."


1963 Togolese coup d'état, Aftermath
As the first military coup d'état in the newly independent French and British countries of Africa, the event had a large impact throughout Africa and around the world. Multiple African countries condemned the attack and the event became a key lesson in the formation of the Organisation of African Unity (OAU), completed months after the coup. The charter of the OAU claims "unreserved condemnation, in all its forms, of political assassination, as well as of subversive activities on the part of neighboring States or any other State".


1963 Togolese coup d'état, Aftermath, Togo
The official inquiry by the military officers claimed that Olympio had fired at the officers attempting to arrest him; however, his wife claimed that his only gun was inside the house when he was killed and that he had peacefully surrendered to the troops. There were multiple calls for independent inquiry into the murder, but these were foiled by the military and government of Grunitzky in Togo. His son attempted to get a UN inquiry the year after the assassination but the effort largely went nowhere.


1963 Togolese coup d'état, Aftermath, Togo
Violence and resistance to the military was very limited with the largest protest coming after the elections in May 1963 in the town of Palimé. The military quickly increased its size, largely with French aid, to 550 men by the time of the May 1963 elections and to 1,200 by January 1966. Military power in Togo further increased with the 14 April 1967 coup d'état where Étienne Eyadéma deposed the government of Nicolas Grunitzky and ruled the country until 2005.


1963 Togolese coup d'état, Aftermath, Togo
The Ewe people largely doubted the official story provided by Eyadéma and were largely excluded from positions of power with Grunitzky (who had a Polish father and an Atakpamé mother) and Antoine Meatchi (who was from the north of Togo) being from different ethnic groups. The Ewe people resisted the government with mass protests in 1967 opening the door for Eyadéma's coup on Grunitzky.


1963 Togolese coup d'état, Aftermath, Ghana reaction
Because of the poor relations between the country, Nkrumah and Ghana were suspected to be involved in the coup and assassination. The Nigerian Foreign Minister Jaja Wachuku suggested immediately after the coup that the event was "engineered, organized, and financed by somebody." Wachuku also made clear that Nigeria would intervene if Ghanan troops entered Togo in the crisis. Other governments and the press similarly wondered whether Ghana had actively supported the coup.


1963 Togolese coup d'état, Aftermath, Ghana reaction
Ghana responded to the situation by denying any involvement in the coup or support in Antoine Meatchi return to Togo. The Ghanan ambassador to the United States stated: "The Ghanan government does not believe in assassination in solving differences. It is believed that the unfortunate incident was purely an internal affair. The government of Ghana is deeply concerned with attempts of a section of the United Press to link Ghana with the recent unfortunate event in Togo."


1963 Togolese coup d'état, Aftermath, Ghana reaction
The United States government made a statement that there was no clear evidence of Ghanan involvement in the coup attempt. Nkrumah promised a delegation from the Republic of Dahomey that he would not interfere in the post-coup crisis.


1963 Togolese coup d'état, Aftermath, United States reaction
Immediately after the fact, the White House released a statement saying that "The United States Government is profoundly shocked by the news of the assassination of President Olympio of Togo. President Olympio was one of Africa's most distinguished leaders and was warmly received here on his recent visit to the United States. The situation in Togo is unclear and we are watching it closely." A day later, President Kennedy's Press Secretary expressed that President Kennedy felt this was a "blow to the progress of stable government in Africa" and was "a loss not only for his own country but for all those who knew him here in the United States."


1963 Togolese coup d'état, Aftermath, Reactions from Africa
Ghana and Senegal recognized the government immediately when it was established and the Republic of Dahomey recognized them as the de facto government. Guinea, Liberia, the Ivory Coast, and Tanganyika all denounced the coup and the assassination.


1963 Togolese coup d'état, Aftermath, Reactions from Africa
President William Tubman of Liberia contacted other African leaders wanting a collective lack of recognition of any government installed by the military after the coup. The government of Tanganyika (present-day Tanzania) called on United Nations action with the statement that "After the brutal murder of President Olympio, the problem of recognition of a successor government has arisen. We urge no recognition until satisfied first that the government did not take part in Olympio's murder or second that there is a popularly elected government."


1963 Togolese coup d'état, Aftermath, Reactions from Africa
Nigeria convened a meeting of the fifteen heads of state of the African and Malagasy Union and a few other interested states on 24–26 January 1963. The leaders were divided on the position to take and so they called on the interim Togo government to prosecute and execute the military officers responsible. However, Guinea and others were able to get agreement that the government of Togo would not be invited to the Addis Ababa Conference which formed the Organisation of African Unity in May 1963.


1963 Togolese general election
General elections were held in Togo on 5 May 1963, alongside a constitutional referendum. It followed a military coup earlier in the year which had ousted (and killed) President Sylvanus Olympio, who had dissolved all political parties except his own Party of Togolese Unity in 1961.


1963 Togolese general election
Nicolas Grunitzky, who had served as Prime Minister since shortly after the coup was elected President unopposed, whilst in the National Assembly election, a single list of candidates containing members of the Party of Togolese Unity, Juvento, the Democratic Union of the Togolese People and the Togolese People's Movement (all of which had 14 seats) was put forward under the name "Reconciliation and National Union". It was approved by 98.6% of voters. Voter turnout was 91.1%.


1963 Toledo Rockets football team
The 1963 Toledo Rockets football team was an American football team that represented Toledo University in the Mid-American Conference (MAC) during the 1963 NCAA University Division football season. In their first season under head coach Frank Lauterbur, the Rockets compiled a 2–7 record (1–5 against MAC opponents), finished in seventh place in the MAC, and were outscored by all opponents by a combined total of 176 to 118.


1963 Toledo Rockets football team
The team's statistical leaders included Dan Simrell with 610 passing yards, Jim Gray with 645 rushing yards, and Tom Nolan with 169 receiving yards.


1963 Tongan general election
General elections were held in Tonga on 27 May 1963.


1963 Tongan general election, Electoral system
The Legislative Assembly had seven directly-elected members; three representing Tongatapu and nearby islands, two representing Haʻapai and two representing Vavaʻu and nearby islands.. A further seven members were elected by the nobility based on the same constituencies, seven ministers (including the governors of Haʻapai and Vavaʻu) and a Speaker chosen by the monarch, Sālote Tupou III.


1963 Tony Bettenhausen 200
The 1963 Tony Bettenhausen 200 was the seventh round of the 1963 USAC Championship Car season, held on August 18, 1963, at the 1-mile (1.6 km) Milwaukee Mile, in West Allis, Wisconsin.