MAY 17, 1963 -- In an Associated Press article that ran on the front page of The News on this day in 1963, Sidney Smyer, the president of Birmingham Realty Co., former legislator and president of the Birmingham Chamber of Commerce, discussed his role the leader of the Birmingham truce talks.
"I'm still a segregationist, but I hope I'm not a damn fool," Smyer said.
Smyer said he realized racial unrest was damaging Birmingham businesses during a 1961 trip to Tokyo when news of the beating of Freedom Riders quickly turned his hosts against him.
"They couldn't understand why, in a civilized America, that such violent acts could occur. They gave me a hard time -- a harder time than I've been getting here because of taking part in bi-racial talks," Smyer said. "If we come out of this with a good image, we're going to grow like never before."
- The Birmingham Board of Education said seniors who marched would be expelled and not allowed to graduate. Many student marchers faced suspension but some would be allowed to attend summer school, officials said.
- A U.S. District Judge refused to force The University of Alabama to release applicants records. The NAACP wanted the records to prove three black applicants were discriminated against.
- After days of riots, Birmingham Police Chief Jamie Moore and Jefferson County Sheriff Mel Bailey said the previous night was peaceful. More than 200 state troopers were on a 24 hour patrol of 24 square blocks. "It's an uneasy quiet," Bailey said.
- Two Americans were held captive after a military helicopter was shot down by North Korean ground forces.