Daryl F. Gates dies at 83; chief of the LAPD Los Angeles Police Department

Daryl F. Gates dies 83 chief LAPD Los Angeles Police Department

Anatoly F. Dobrynin, Longtime Soviet Ambassador to the U.S., Dies at 90

Anatoly F. Dobrynin, the Soviet ambassador to Washington from 1962 to 1986, whose behind-the-scenes diplomacy was credited by many historians with helping to resolve the Cuban missile crisis and ease tensions in the cold war era, has died, the Kremlin announced Thursday. He was 90.
Known to American colleagues as Doby, he served six Soviet leaders: Nikita S. Khrushchev, Alexei N. Kosygin, Leonid I. Brezhnev, Yuri V. Andropov, Konstantin U. Chernenko and Mikhail S. Gorbachev. In his 24 years in Washington — the most by far of any Soviet ambassador — he became dean of the diplomatic corps and worked with six American presidents and seven secretaries of state.
In later years, Mr. Dobrynin’s diplomacy covered much of the cold war: American and Soviet roles in Vietnam, strategic arms control talks, wars in the Middle East, summit meetings, Soviet invasions of Czechoslovakia in 1968 and Afghanistan in 1979, the downing of a Korean jetliner by Soviet warplanes in 1983, and other flash points.
Anatoly F. Dobrynin, the Soviet ambassador to Washington from 1962 to
1986, whose behind-the-scenes diplomacy was credited by many historians
with helping to resolve the Cuban missile crisis and ease tensions in
the cold war era, has died, the Kremlin announced Thursday. He was 90.
His tenure began in 1962 with the most dangerous confrontation of the
nuclear age. Khrushchev, gambling for strategic advantage, had set up
missile bases in Cuba, and President John F. Kennedy had blockaded
Soviet ships that were carrying missiles. As pressure on Kennedy to bomb
or invade Cuba mounted, his brother, Attorney General Robert F. Kennedy,
met secretly three times with Mr. Dobrynin in October.
Those meetings were critical, enabling President Kennedy and Khrushchev
to communicate freely. After each, Mr. Dobrynin cabled Khrushchev, and
the attorney general briefed the president. Robert Kennedy later
disclosed that Mr. Dobrynin had remained calm through the crisis,
analyzing options and speaking carefully.
The solution to the crisis had two parts: a public American pledge not
to invade Cuba in exchange for withdrawal of the Soviet missiles, and a
private Kennedy agreement to withdraw obsolete missiles from Turkey and
Italy. Historians say that the latter was a face-saving device for
Khrushchev, and that the president wanted it private so that it would
not seem a concession to nuclear blackmail.
Anatoly Dobrynin, a Soviet diplomat who represented Moscow during the Cuban missile crisis and later in key superpower negotiations to curb the growth of nuclear arsenals, has died at age 90,
Anatoly Dobrynin, Soviet diplomat at centre of Cuban missile crisis, dead at 90
Anatoly F. Dobrynin, whose diplomacy is credited by many as having helped to resolve the Cuban missile crisis and subdue Cold War era tensions, died at the age of 90 on Thursday. He served as the Soviet ambassador to Washington from 1962 to 1986. Dobrynin was the singular channel for Soviet-American relations. Known to Americans as Doby, he served six Soviet leaders, spent 24 years in Washington, and became dean of the diplomatic corps while working with six American presidents and seven...
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/huff-wires/20100408/eu-obit-anatoly-dobrynin/
http://content.usatoday.com/communities/ondeadline/index?loc=interstitialskip
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Anatoly_Dobrynin
http://www.nytimes.com/2010/04/09/world/europe/09dobrynin.html
http://groups.google.com/group/alt.obituaries/msg/3f975ad2779575ff

Tom Dixon dies at 94; L.A. radio's voice of classical music

Tom Dixon dies L.A. Radio's Voice of Classical Music for over 50 years
At KFAC, KUSC and other stations, Dixon was known for his mellow baritone and keeping his authoritative commentary to a minimum. He was considered L.A.'s longest running radio host.

Tom Dixon, who was a familiar voice to classical-music lovers for more than 50 years as a Los Angeles radio host, has died. He was 94.
Dixon died March 13 of age-related causes at a rehabilitation facility in Burbank, said his wife, Catherine.
Don Barrett, publisher of LARadio.com.
Jim Svejda, an announcer at classical station KUSC-FM (91.5) who knew Dixon, said he "was a total pro and a consummate gentleman of the old school."
"He was just the nicest guy, totally knowledgeable, totally prepared," Svejda said. "He loved the subject, never got tired of the subject, and he always made you feel that he was as excited to discover the stuff as you were."
Dixon already was a seven-year broadcast veteran in 1946 when he became a host on the classical station KFAC. It remained his home for the next 40 years.
Fired from KFAC by its new owners along with other hosts in early 1987, Dixon presided over a nighttime classical music program at KUSC from 1987 to 1988 before moving to KKGO-FM (105.1), another classical station.
When he retired in 1998 at 82, Dixon was known as the Southland's longest-running radio host.