Newsman Killed While JFK Pleads for Peace

Rioting which claimed the life of at least one person broke out at the University of Mississippi campus at Oxford last night, at the very moment that President Kennedy was appealing to Mississippians for compliance with the law of the land.

Paul Gulhard, a correspondent for Agence France Presse and for the London Daily Sketch, was shot and killed as brick-throwing students twice charged federal marshals controlling the campus, the Associated Press reported early today.

The students, led by former Maj. Gen. Edwin Walker, were repelled both times with tear gas.

[The 108th Armored Cavalry Regiment, a unit of the Mississippi National Guard which was federalized by President Kennedy Saturday, was ordered to Oxford last night from its base in Tupele, Miss.]

While the rioting was going on, President Kennedy was telling the nation in a radio and television speech that the crisis which had pitted the power of the Federal Government against the determined intransigence of the state of Mississippi was nearing an end.

He said that court orders requiring the admission of James Meredith to the University of Mississippi "are beginning to be carried out."

He expressed the hope that the registration of Meredith would be accomplished without the use of federal troops and called upon the citizens of Mississippi and students at the university to show their "patriotism and integrity" by bowing to the law of the land.

Meredith Arrives on Campus

Escorted by federal marshals, Meredith arrived on the University of Mississippi campus at Oxford last night and was housed by university officials, the Associated Press reported. The university issued a statement saying it had "declined a request to register Meredith on the Sabbath," but the indication was that he would be enrolled as a student today.

Prior to Meredith's arrival, a force of U.S. marshals had entered the campus and seized control of the registration building.

Gov. Ross Barnett in effect conceded defeat last night after being informed that Meredith was on the university campus. The governor, who had personally twice rejected Meredith's application for admission, told Mississippians, "We must at all odds preserve the peace and avoid bloodshed.

Still Says "Never"

"Surrounded on all sides by the armed forces and oppressive power of the United States of America, my courage and my convictions do not waiver," he continued. "My heart still says 'never' but my calm judgment abhors the bloodshed that will follow."

Barnett said that Mississippi would continue to fight the Meredith case through the courts.

In his address to the nation, President Kennedy expressed his regret that it had been necessary to federalize the Mississippi National Guard and to send federal marshals to Oxford. "I deeply regret the steps that were taken, but all other methods, including conciliation, had been tried," he said.