The following events occurred in February 1969:
February 1, 1969 (Saturday) U.S. President Richard M. Nixon instructed his national security adviser, Henry Kissinger, to pursue a secret plan of action to establish dialogue between the governments of the United States and the People's Republic of China beginning with meetings between diplomats in Poland, where both nations had embassies. Another future Secretary of State, Alexander Haig, would write later that Kissinger pursued the mission, which was described as merely creating "an impression of activity", despite Kissinger's comment that Nixon "just ordered me to make this flight of fancy come true." Born: Gabriel Batistuta, Argentine-born soccer football striker who starred in Italy's Serie A major league, and for Argentina's national team in three World Cup competitions; in Avellaneda, Santa Fe Province Andrew Breitbart, American conservative news publisher and creator of the Breitbart website; in Los Angeles (d. 2012)
February 2, 1969 (Sunday) The Burdell Mansion commune, home at one time to members of the Grateful Dead rock band and later to more than 50 hippies who called their group The Chosen Family, was destroyed by an electrical fire. Decades later, California state archaeologists would excavate the ruins to study the hippie culture. Born: Dambisa Moyo, Zambian-born economist and author of four bestselling books, including 2010's How the West Was Lost; in Lusaka Died: Boris Karloff (William Henry Pratt), 81, English-born actor known for portrayal of Frankenstein's monster in horror films, and as the narrator in the cartoon adaptation of How the Grinch Stole Christmas!
February 3, 1969 (Monday)
At the Palestinian National Congress in Cairo, Yasser Arafat was elected as the new chairman of the Palestine Liberation Organization (PLO), replacing Yahya Hammuda. Arafat would serve as PLO Chairman until shortly before his death in 2004. Eduardo Mondlane, the 48-year-old leader of the Mozambique nationalist organization FRELIMO, was assassinated by a time bomb that had been planted inside a book mailed to him at his headquarters in Dar es Salaam in Tanzania. Investigators were never able to determine whether Mondlane's murder had been carried out by the Portuguese colonial government of Mozambique or by Mondlane's rivals within FRELIMO. Mondlane was succeeded by Samora Machel, who would become the first President of Mozambique when the east African nation was granted independence by Portugal in 1975. As the hijacking to Cuba of American passenger jets continued, Eastern Air Lines Flight 7 was diverted to Havana along with its 87 passengers, including Allen Funt and a crew from the popular practical joke TV show, Candid Camera. The plane was diverted as it approached Miami on its flight from Newark, New Jersey. Because of Funt's reputation as the host of the hidden camera prank show, many of the passengers thought at first that the hijacking was part of the filming of a Candid Camera episode. Born: Retief Goosen, South African professional golfer and 2001 and 2004 U.S. Open winner; in Pietersburg (now Polokwane) Beau Biden (Joseph R. Biden III), American politician and Attorney General of Delaware 2007–2015; in Wilmington, Delaware (died of brain cancer, 2015) Died: C. N. Annadurai, 59, Chief Minister of Tamil Nadu, died just 20 days after he had successfully lobbied for the name of the populous (over 40 million residents) state of India to be changed from Madras to Tamil Nadu. Al Taliaferro, 63, American comic strip artist who had drawn the Donald Duck newspaper comic since 1938
February 4, 1969 (Tuesday) The derailment of the Trichinopoly to Madras express train in India killed 25 people and injured another 25. Nearly all of the victims had been non-paying passengers riding on the roof of the train.