A Look Back - February 1962
By Wally Peel
Peiping says “Get Out”
Peiping charged that the U.S. military support of South Viet Nam was seriously affecting the security of Red China and Communist North Viet Nam, and threatened the peace of Asia.
In a broadcast by the New China News Agency, Peiping denounced what it called the armed U.S. intervention, and claimed that the United States was already in an undeclared war in Viet Nam.
Peiping said “Recently the United States of America has become more and more bold and unscrupulous in its intervention and aggression in southern Viet Nam.”
The statement called on the United States to stop at once its armed intervention, and immediately withdraw all its military men and equipment there. 
Glenn Rides the Path of Heroes
Crowds lined the Route of Great Heroes in Washington to get a glimpse of our newest hero, astronaut John H. Glenn Jr.
It was a rainy day in the Nation's Capital, but mother nature didn't dampen the spirits of the crowd of 300,000 that turned out to greet him.
Following a brief stop at the White House, the astronaut, his wife and children got into an open top limousine. Glenn perched on the back of the seat, and waved to the crowd as the parade moved down Pennsylvania Avenue. Part way into the route his wife Annie got up and sat beside him. The Glenn family was accompanied by Vice President Lyndon Johnson.
The snail's pace of two miles an hour was in sharp contrast to the 17,526 miles per hour speed of the orbital journey Glenn had completed less than a week before.
The parade came to an end at the Capitol where Glenn was accorded an honor that is usually reserved for heads of government, he addressed a joint meeting of Congress.
A two minute standing ovation greeted the smiling spaceman as he entered the House Chamber.
Speaker John W. McCormack introduced the 40 year old Marine Lt. Colonel, as :a brave and courageous American".
In a 16 minute prepared speech, Glenn told the members of the House and Senate that his mission was a great experience for all Americans. He spoke of future missions and said, "We are just probing the surface of the greatest advancements of man's knowledge of his surroundings that have ever been made. It is hard to envision the benefits that will accrue in many fields."
Little did he know that his future included a return to Washington in 1974 as Senator John H. Glenn from Ohio.
In 1998, at age 77, he returned to space as a member of the Shuttle Discovery crew, participating in experiments on the aging process. His historic three orbit flight took 4 hours 56 minutes. The discovery mission lasted 8 days 21 hours 44 minutes.
Glenn retired from the Senate in 1999. He and Annie, his wife of 68 years, returned to Ohio.
John Glenn is now 90 years old.
Eye in the Sky?
The U.S. Air Force put a new satellite in orbit, but they weren't saying much about it.
Officials did confirm the launch of an Agena B rocket, boosted aloft by an Atlas missile. No other details were given.
Experts believed it was a test vehicle for the sky-spy Samos and Midas satellites, that were designed to keep Soviet missile bases under surveillance.
The Soviet Union had protested the use of military satellites, terming them acts of aggression.
The new satellite was launched in secrecy from Vandenberg Air Force Base in California.
Note: The Unites States began developing spy satellites in the 1950's, long before it had the ability to send them into space. Unlike the satellites of today that transmit encrypted data to monitoring stations, the earlier models took high resolution negatives then dropped them to the earth in capsules.
Looking Ahead
Senator Hubert H. Humphrey hinted that he might make a run for the Presidency in 1968.
In a Sunday television interview Humphrey said he believed he would have been elected president had he won the Democratic nomination in 1960.
There was a heavy field of Democrats vying for the spot that year. It included five Senators, John F. Kennedy of Massachusetts, Stuart Symington of Missouri, Lyndon B, Johnson of Texas,
Wayne Morse of Oregon, and Humphrey from Minnesota. Also seeking the nomination were Governor Pat Brown of California, and former Governor of Illinois, Adlai Stevenson.
Three Republicans fought for their party's nomination that year, They were Vice President Richard M. Nixon, New York Governor Nelson Rockefeller, and Senator Barry Goldwater of Arizona.
Humphrey lost the 1960 nomination to Senator Kennedy.
Known in the Senate as the "Happy Warrior", Humphrey won his party's nomination in 1968, and was defeated in the General Election by Richard M. Nixon.
Mansfield Hopeful About Health Bill
Montana Senator Mike Mansfield said chances were good that Congress would enact the Kennedy Administrations medical care program.
The Majority Leader had earlier been quoted as saying the odds appeared to be against the passage of the medical care plan, aid to public schools, and standby authority to combat recession.
He changed his view after a weekly breakfast meeting with other Democratic leaders and the President.
It wasn't clear what brought about the change, but after the meeting Mansfield was saying prospects for passage were "quite good", and added that the Senate was ready and willing to act at any time.
Speaker John W. McCormack commented that proponents of the plan would be in good shape if they could pick up two Republican votes in the Ways and Means Committee.
Both Mansfield and McCormack predicted that a lot would be accomplished before the Congressional session ended.
New Concentrating Plant for Butte
The employment picture was looking brighter in Butte.
Construction was about to begin on a new Anaconda Company copper ore concentrating plant.
The plant would be built by a Los Angeles company. They would be bringing in key engineers and supervisors, but the main workforce of craftsmen and construction workers would be hired through normal channels. That meant about 1,400 new jobs in the Mining city.
Officials expected to have the first section of the plant in operation by the summer of 1963, and the entire job completed by the summer of 1964.
Noting that 1964 would be the 100th anniversary of the beginning of mining in Butte, Anaconda Co. Vice President E.I. Renouard said, “It may well be that Butte will start its second century with one of the best years in its history.”
Boom Town
Business was brisk in the small town of Hardin. Clothing stores were packed. The sound of ringing cash registers filled the aisles in the grocery stores. Bank tellers were busier than they had ever been before. Hardin, Montana indeed took on the appearance of a Boom town.
It wasn’t a gold strike that caused all the excitement, but there was money everywhere, and the residents were eager to spend it.
In 1904, the Crow Indian Tribe began a lawsuit against the Federal Government for just compensation for lands taken from it. It took almost 58 years, but the matter was finally resolved. The Court of Indian Claims awarded the Crows $10,242,984.70.
As a part of that settlement, every man, woman and child in the Crow Tribe received a check for $100. More than $100,000 in government checks had already been cashed at Hardin Banks. Nearly $15,000 in checks had been cashed by Hardin merchants.
With the much needed money, cupboards were being stocked, and closets were being filled.
The same was happening in Pryor, and in Wyola at the southern end of the reservation.
The total government payout this time was $450,000. A second payment of $50 for each tribal member was expected the following month. The remainder of the settlement would go to benefit the Crow Tribe as a whole.
Window Space for Class C Teams
Helena was going all out to welcome visitors to the upcoming Class C Basketball Tournament.
The Helena Chamber of Commerce mailed out letters to the principals and superintendents of the 32 schools still in contention for a trip to the tourney. The letters invited the schools to display photos of their team, cheerleaders, graduating classes and historical materials in one of the Downtown merchants windows.
The Chamber letter stated, "We want to know you better and you to know us better. We hope each of you will place an attractive display in a store window while you are here."
Teams that came to town that year were from Corvallis, Dutton, Kremlin, Joliet, Rosebud, Broadus, Outlook and Sheridan.
Also in the News.........
An estimated 135 million people watched television coverage of Astronaut John Glenn Jr's historic orbital flight.
President Kennedy was enjoying a 78% approval rating. Only 11% of those polled disapproved of his job performance.
When four year old Caroline Kennedy met John Glenn Jr. at the White House, she asked him "Where's the monkey?"
Glenn contained his laughter just long enough to reply, "He's eating bananas!"
The top contenders for the Academy Awards were announced. Nominated for the Best Picture were "West Side Story", "Judgment at Nuremberg", "The Hustler", "Fanny", and "Guns of Navarone". Best Actress nominees were Audrey Hepburn, Piper Laurie, Sophia Loren, Geraldine Page, and Natalie Wood. Nominated for Best Actor honors were Spencer Tracy, Charles Boyer, Paul Newman, Maximllian Schell and Stuart Whitman.
Actor James Garner wanted a quarter of a million dollars to play opposite Marilyn Monroe in "Some Like It Hot". He didn't get the part.
Home run slugger Roger Maris signed a one-year $72,000 contract with the Yankees.
Governor Babcock sent a telegram to astronaut John Glenn Jr., congratulating him on his tremendous achievement. He invited Glenn to spend several days in Montana, relaxing amid our mountain scenery and along our trout fishing streams.
In anticipation of a trip to Europe in the summer, Carl, Jean, Jerry, Rob and Paul Richards, the children of Mr. and Mrs. Jerrold Richards, all took their oath while applying for a passport. At age 7, Paul was believed to be the youngest person to make such an application in Lewis and Clark County.
Here at the Station.........
On "The Andy Griffith Show", Sheriff Taylor unwittingly gave the key to the city to a pickpocket.
On "Frontier Circus" the prospects of a long run in the town of Paradise were looking good until they learned that procuring provisions would be a problem.
Robbie got excited over the possibility of becoming a new Hollywood discovery after playing a role in the physics class film on "My Three Sons".
The pursuit of dope peddlers led Eliot Ness and his men to an amusement park on "The Untouchables".
On "Father of the Bride", Doris watched Buckley put away a big meal at her home, and became convinced that Kay was starving the boy.
Chester was captured by a vicious band of Comancheros, and managed to escape with a beautiful woman on "Gunsmoke".
On "Dobie Gillis", Dobie enrolled in an economics class when he learned his current heart throb was interested in money.
Bronco Lane helped the Army track down an ex-guerilla leader who was wanted for robbery on "Cheyenne".
That's
At the fourth week in February 50 years ago.
John Glenn Makes Historic Flight
Cape Canaveral, Florida...Tuesday, February 20, 1962...9:47A.M.
An Atlas rocket throbbed to flaming life on Launch Pad 14 to begin a journey those who witnessed it would never forget.
On board the 93 foot, two ton Rocket was 40 year old Marine Lt. Colonel John Herschel Glenn Jr.
The long awaited mission had been scrubbed several times, but the roar of the rocket told us we were seeing history unfold before us.
From inside the capsule named Friendship 7, astronaut Glenn could see thousands parked along the Florida beaches. More than 100 million people tuned in to watch the TV broadcasts. It was a moment of Pride for America.
5 - 4 - 3 - 2 - 1---Liftoff
The mission was underway. The Atlas rocket slowly pulled its way upward into the bright blue sky. Minutes later Glenn was 100 miles high, orbiting the earth, traveling at 17,526 miles an hour.
With all systems running smoothly during his initial orbit, Control advised him that he 'had a go' for at least seven turns around the earth.
At the end of the first orbit a clogged yaw attitude control jet forced the abandonment of the automatic control system. Glenn was flying Friendship 7 manually.
Then Mercury Control received a telemetry signal indicating that the capsule's heat shield might be loose. If that signal was correct, Glenn and the spacecraft would disintegrate in 3,000 degree heat during re-entry. The only solution was for Glenn to refrain from jettisoning the crafts retro-rocket package upon reentry, with the hope that its titanium straps would hold the heat shield in place.
Mission Director Chris Craft advised Glenn of the decision to end his flight. He was told to plan for reentry after the third orbit.
Four hours 56 minutes after the hold down clamps on the launch pad had released it for its journey into space, Friendship 7 announced its return with a loud sonic boom, and splashed down in the Atlantic.
Seventeen minutes later Glenn was plucked from his watery landing by the crew of the destroyer USS Noa. Once on board, the astronaut intended to leave the capsule through the upper hatch, but the heat was too intense. Glenn decided to blow out the side hatch instead.
Jubilant crewmen used white paint to draw circles around Glenn's footsteps when he stepped onto the ship's deck.
Glenn's first words were "It was hot in there."
Millions of people shared this moment in history, but for many, witnessing it was a very personal experience. A once in a lifetime moment that filled their hearts with great pride.
The Universe awaits us. America was back in the race for space.
U.S. Officials Say Viet Nam Will Be Won With Minimum Loss.
U.S. officials said the guerrilla war in South Viet Nam would be won with a minimum amount of combat and loss of life by Americans.
As that official optimism was being expressed, there was a report in Saigon that the United States was going to triple the length of service for some of its Army personnel in that country.
At the time, 4,000 U.S. servicemen there had been assigned to a temporary six month tour of duty, but an informed source said that was being extended to a permanent 18 month tour for key personnel including helicopter pilots.
The Saigon dispatch said official information about the extension was classified in order to prevent calling more attention to the U.S. military buildup.
U. S. officials based their optimism on the fact that South Vietnamese troops were quickly learning anti-guerrilla techniques that would enable them to fight Viet Cong Communist rebels themselves without direct action by American forces.
U.S. forces supporting and advising Viet Nam's military establishment were increasingly trading port shots with the Communist Viet Cong. President Kennedy made it clear that the Americans were under orders to fire back if fired upon.
The optimistic hopes of limited combat and loss of life by Americans were not to be. A total of 9,087,000 military personnel served during the Viet Nam era. Department of Defense records show that 58,193 Americans died in the conflict.
Note: The Viet Nam Era is defined by two different sets of dates. From February 28, 1961 to May 7, 1965 for those who served in Viet Nam. For those who served elsewhere during the conflict the dates are listed as being from August 5, 1964 to May 7, 1975.
Air Space Dispute
Soviet MIG jet fighters approached several Western planed in the south corridor of Berlin.
The Red planes maneuvered in the 20 mile wide Frankfurt to Berlin lane even as the United States, Britain and France protested previous interference in the other two corridors that linked Berlin and West Germany across part of Communist East Germany,
The Soviets had illegally attempted to reserve a block of air space in the southern most corridor for their own use. their own use. That request was denied. Pilots reported that Communist air activity became more intense during the hours in which the Soviets had asked for exclusive use of levels of the corridor up to 7,000 feet.
The Western Big Three threatened to send fighter patrols into the corridors if the MIG's continued buzzing Allied military and civilian traffic.
"Deke" is Next
As we celebrated the success of John Glenn's historic space mission, workers at Cape Canaveral were already getting ready for the next.
An Atlas 107D rocket was already on its way to the launch pad.
If all went well, it would take Air Force Major Donald K. "Deke" Slayton into space sometime in April. HIs mission would follow Glenn's trail of three orbits, but he will have different tasks to perform during the flight, so that new information can be obtained.
Slayton watched fellow astronaut Glenn's flight from Mercury Control, then flew down range to Turk Island to shake his hand and welcome him back.
Walter Schirra Jr. was the backup pilot for Slayton. Still awaiting assignments were astronauts Scott Carpenter, and Gordon Cooper Jr.
Powers Takes Lie Detector Test
With captured U-2 Pilot Gary Powers safely back on U. S. soil, an intense effort was underway to fund out exactly what happened, and why his spy plane went down over Soviet territory.
U. S. Intelligence officials were questioning the former POW. The interrogation included the use of a lie detector, but Powers was not being injected with truth serum during the extensive questioning.
Officials expected that it would take more than a few weeks to gather information, and piece together an accurate picture of what caused his high-flying reconnaissance plane to go down in May of 1960.
How Powers was shot down was one of the critical mysteries of his ill-fated flight because of the Soviets claim that they had developed a high altitude antiaircraft rocket.
U.S. officials challenged that claim, believing that at an altitude of 68,000 feet, the plane was out of reach of any Soviet weapon. They believed the U-2 wend down due to mechanical failure.
New State Plane
Following approval by the Montana Aeronautics Commission, the three member Administrative Board of Examiners approved, without discussion, a lease-purchase agreement of a new plane. That board consisted of Governor Tim Babcock, Attorney General Forest H. Anderson, and Secretary of State Frank Murray,
The twin engine Model 65 Beechcraft Queen Air was designed to carry five passengers in addition to as pilot and co-pilot, but in some cases a co-pilot would not be used. The aircraft was to be used primarily by Governor Babcock.
The plane was of all weather design, with a full set of instruments. It had a top speed of 239 miles an hour, and a range of 1,220 miles.
The commission said it would employ an experienced pilot to serve as Captain of the aircraft. The new pilot would be under the operational supervision of the Montana Aeronautics Commission.
Governor Babcock, a licensed pilot, expressed confidence in the Queen Air model, and said he had personally flown one.
As for use of the plane, Babcock outlined his position by stating, "It will never be used for any political junkets whatsoever, but I will feel free to take along anyone I want while on State business."
Mrs. Nutter Files for Office
Maxine Trotter Nutter, the widow of Governor Donald G Nutter "tossed her bonnet in the ring" by announcing her bid for the Republican nomination for state senator from Richland County.
Mrs. Nutter said she was very familiar with the programs of state improvement to which her late husband had dedicated himself. Some of those convictions came from his service in the state senate, some from his observations as an attorney and businessman, and still others from the year he served as Montana's Governor.
Governor Tim Babcock voiced approval of Mrs. Nutter's bid for office, and said, "It is typical of Maxine Nutter that she would want to carry out programs her husband was so instrumental in starting. Her decision to file for state senator is certain to serve as an inspiration to people everywhere."
Representing Richland County at the time was Senator C. R. Thiessen, a Democrat, who had defeated Donald Nutter by 10 votes in the 1958 election. He had not announced plans for re-election.
In Their Own Language
A faculty directive to young nurses at Iowa Methodist Hospital read as follows. "The uniform skirt may not be shorter than two inches below the popliteal space." A very simple and clear rule. Ask any nurse, and she'll tell you, the popliteal space is the diamond shaped space posterior to the knee joint bounded superficially by the diverging biceps femoris and semimembranosus muscles above and inferiorly by the two heads of the gastrocnemius muscle; deeply, the fossa is bound superiorly by the diverging supracondylar lines of the femur and the soleal line of the tibia inferiorly.
For those of us that didn't know, the popliteal space is the back of the knee.
Also in the News………
In West Berlin, thousands cheered as Attorney General Robert Kennedy laid a wreath “to the victims of Communist tyranny” at the Berlin wall.
The day after John Glenn’s flight, Soviet Premier Khrushchev proposed that the U.S. and Russia co-operate in the space program. The first joint venture would take place in 1975.
During a news conference President Kennedy declared that reaching full employment at a time when machines are replacing men would be a major domestic challenge of the Sixties.
Students from across the country were traveling to Washington to take part in a two day demonstration for peace.
On “Dennis The Menace”, Mr. Wilson decided to leave Dennis a gold watch in his will. Soon after, Mr. Wilson began to feel old and was convinced he only had a short time to live. Ironically, Actor Joseph Kearns who played Mr. Wilson was quite ill, and died the same week that episode aired.
After setting their wedding date, Frank Sinatra and Juliet Prowse decided not to marry. A conflict of career interests led to the decision.
Entertainer Chuck Berry went to prison after being convicted of violating the Mann Act. He was to serve 20 months of his 3 year sentence.
Speaking to the Helena Kiwanis Club, Judge Lester Loble described the 1939 Diamond Jubilee of the city, an event which he chaired. He said there was dancing in the streets, the fronts of businesses were boarded with slabs reminiscent of miners cabins, the men grew beards, and the women wore vintage clothing. He said Helena should begin planning for its 100th Anniversary in 1964.Here at the Station………
Johnny Shattuck returned home after several years absence to find that a gang was after his family ranch and his girlfriend as well. Unable to resolve the matter by peaceful means, he prepares for a one on one showdown. Ben Cooper and Anna Maria Alberghetti starred in our KBLL Presents Hollywood Friday night movie “Duel at Apache Wells”.
On "The Red Skelton Show", George Appleby invented a gadget, a "cooling" blanket, that he was sure would cool off cantankerous Clara's hot temper.
When Gladys tried to remain speechless to win a bet, she found herself having to testify in a court trial and turned the dignified court procedure into a game of charades on "Pete and Gladys".
On "Thriller", a man plotted to kill his eccentric uncle through his unusual ability to regress in time.
A woman tried to clear the name of her late, obviously guilty bank robbing son by bribing an entire town on "Rawhide".
What did we get when they filled a stage with such notables as jazz man-trumpeter Al Hirt and his combo, the Everly Brothers, Georgie Jessel, song stylist Timi Yuro, comic George Kirby, and the Hugh Lambert Dancers? We got "The Ed Sullivan Show".
On "Father of The Bride", Kay and Buckley returned from their honeymoon and discover that their well meaning in-laws furnished one apartment, hung draperies in another, but had not put anything in the newlyweds new apartment.
That's
At the third week in February 50 years ago.
Gary Powers Released
During a hush-hush operation in the Berlin suburb of Wansee, U-2 Pilot Francis Gary Powers was exchanged for Russian Master Spy Rudolph Abel.
Just before 8 a.m., a group of about ten Americans wearing civilian clothes and overcoats, arrived at the Glienicker Bridge. They rode in German made sedans that bore license plates issued private cars of U.S. civilians in Germany. They parked their cars off the bridge and walked about 75 yards to the middle, where a white line marked the border between West Berlin and Soviet occupied East Germany.
A group of ten men from the Soviet side entered the bridge and joined them. They too wore civilian clothes.
Both groups looked serious. On that cloudy and chilly morning they stood face to face for 20 minutes before anything happened.
An American who had separated from his group to make a phone call rejoined his counterparts. At that point, the two men were exchanged.
A clean shaven man in a fur coat, dark suit and dark overcoat stepped across the line and joined the Americans. It was Gary Powers.
At that same moment, Spy Abel crossed the line to join his comrades.
A few fishermen on the banks of the Havel River watched curiously as the exchange took place.
There was a third person involved in the historic exchange. Frederic L. Pryor, an American exchange student, had also been held by the East Germans. He was to be set free at Checkpoint Charlie. His release is what caused the 20 minute delay at Glienicker Bridge. The American who had left the group called Checkpoint Charlie. When he returned with the news that Pryor had reached West Berlin, Powers and Abel were exchanged.
Once back in Berlin, Powers was quickly flown back to the U.S., where he would begin a two week interrogation by American intelligence experts.
U.S. to Change Viet Nam Strategy
The United Sates developed a military plan to address the ever widening American efforts to block Communist aggression in South Viet Nam.
The new plan would give the U.S. more influence over the conduct of South Vietnamese efforts against the Viet Cong.
The exact details of the reorganization were a closely guarded secret, but among the changes expected was the appointment of a full general to head the U.S. Military Advisory Group.
Another change would bring U. S. forces into closer liaison with the Vietnamese forces they were assigned to train and support. That would lead to the creation of joint U.S.-Vietnamese command teams.
Technically, the role of the United States was to advise and support the South Vietnamese forces, but U.S. servicemen were being exposed more and more to combat, trading shots with rebel guerillas. Army Helicopters were drawing fire almost every time they flew a mission.
Military sources were anticipating a sharp increase in the casualty rate as more American forces became involved.
Kennedy Invokes Executive Privilege
For the first time in his administration, President Kennedy invoked the doctrine of executive privilege.
He did so in order to keep Pentagon personnel from telling a Senate subcommittee the names of censors who altered texts of specific anti-Communist speeches. The President believed that such disclosure would be "contrary to the public interest".
Secretary of Defense Robert S. McNamara read a letter to the subcommittee. In it President Kennedy invoked the executive privilege, and directed Defense Department personnel from top to bottom, not to disclose any information about any individual changes in text.
That position on the issue was accepted by Senator John Stennis. The Mississippi Democrat was chairman of the inquiry that was established to determine whether military leaders had been curbed in their efforts to speak out against communism.
The only objection to the order came from Senator Strom Thurmond, whose charges that the military was being muzzled against anti-Communist statements had resulted in the subcommittee hearing.
Red Commandant Turned Back
Soviet Commandant Colonel Andrei Solovyev attempted to enter the American sector of Berlin, at the Friedrichstrasse Crossing , better known as Checkpoint Charlie, in defiance of a United States ban. He turned back when the U.S. military police asked him to identify himself.
On his way to the British sector to keep an appointment, Solovyev could have entered the British sector directly, and was urged to do so by the British, but he instead chose to test the American ban.
Had he crossed at any point other than Checkpoint Charlie, it would have been viewed as a matter of showing disrespect for the decrees of the East German regime, which the Soviets claimed was a sovereign state.
It was believed the Russian officer was going to British headquarters to deliver the Soviet reply to an Allied proposal to end an impasse between him and his counterpart, U.S. commandant, Major General Albert Watson II.
Funding For Public Shelters
The cold war brought about an ambitious Government plan to provide public shelter to millions Americans in the event of a nuclear attack.
The Kennedy administration proposed that the federal government pay part of the cost of building public fallout shelters. In a letter to Congress, Secretary of Defense Robert S. McNamara outlined the recommended legislation that would carry out the Civil Defense shelter program that had already been announced.
Under the proposal, the government would pay up to $25 for each shelter space provided. The federal incentive would only be for public shelters. The funding would cover new construction, or the cost of bringing existing structures such as schools, hospitals and public buildings up to Civil Defense Act standards.
The estimated federal outlay for the first year of the program was to be $450 million.
The Civil Defense Office still encouraged families to build private shelters, but no financial assistance was being provided to those that did.
Babcock Rejects Udall's Request
Interior Secretary Stewart Udall wired a request to Governor Donald G. Nutter, asking that he reopen the Montana elk hunting season, so that sportsmen could participate in the reduction of the Yellowstone herd.
Nutter responded the following day, January 25th, advising Udall that he would take no such action. Governor Nutter died in a plane crash that afternoon.
Udall then made the same request of Governor Tim M. Babcock. The Governor's Office released the text of a telegram sent to the Interior Secretary. In it Babcock stated:
"I have been advised by the Montana Fish and Game Department that the elk reduction program in Yellowstone National Park has now been completed. Because of this, there seems no reason to declare a special elk hunting season in Montana, and I shall not do so at this time."
Babcock concluded the message by stating that he hoped the situation could be resolved to the mutual satisfaction of all, so that we would not be confronted with the same problem again the following winter.
Jayne Mansfield Ordeal
Imagine a beautiful woman and two men, shipwrecked on a tiny coral reef. The sun is going down, the sharks are circling, and the tide is rising. It's the stuff that movies are made of.
A casting director might have chosen blonde bombshell Jayne Mansfield as the damsel in distress. Her co-star could well have been former Mr. America, Mickey Hargitay.
What we might have seen at the box-office was actually a real life drama unfolding in the Bahamas.
Actress Jayne Mansfield, her husband Mickey Hargitay, and promotion man Jack Drury were missing at sea.
The trio failed to return from an outing in the Bahamas.
Miss Mansfield and her husband were water skiing. She fell, and as he tried to help her, Hargitay also went down.
Their friend in the boat called out a warning of sharks in the area, and Jayne panicked.
As Drury edged the boat close to the couple, she slipped out of her husband's hands and went under. When she surfaced they managed to grab her, but in the process the boat overturned. At that point the actress fainted.
The men eventually managed to get Mansfield atop the capsized boat, and the three drifted for nearly an hour.
As darkness fell they drifted near a small coral island no more than 50 feet in diameter. They climbed onto the sharp rock, but as the tide came in, high water covered all of the island, leaving just enough room for the three to sit. It was going to be a long night.
As daylight broke, the tide dropped and they spotted Rose Island, not far away. Although it was uninhabited, and without communications, it was a much safer place to be.
Holding the actress between them, the two men swam to the island. As they climbed up on the beach, Mansfield fainted again. While awaiting rescue, the exhausted men slept.
A fisherman had discovered their overturned boat late in the evening, and towed it to Nassau.
A search was begun, with boats scouring the area throughout the night. A massive air and sea search involving more than 400 men was launched at daybreak.
The castaways were spotted by a Coast Guard plane, and a charter yacht was sent in to complete the rescue.
Once ashore, the shivering and weeping, 28 year old actress was taken to a hospital for treatment of shock, severe exposure and coral rock cuts. Once rested, the still shaken Mansfield told reporters of her night long ordeal.
Some believed it was all a publicity stunt, a claim that Hargitay heatedly denied.
The story didn't begin with a director calling for "Lights, camera, action". It was real life drama. A part that Jayne Mansfield would have preferred to have played with a script.
"Peanuts"
People in Billings felt a loss when the voice of "Peanuts" Owens was silenced.
If you lived in the Magic City, you didn't need to turn on the radio, or buy a Gazette to find out who was playing at Cobb Field. To get that information, all you needed to do was go downtown, and "Peanuts" would tell you.
He wasn't hard to spot. During the summer months, he was the only one on the street wearing a baseball cap and uniform, announcing through his large megaphone..."ball game tonight-ball game tonight". In the fall he would change his look, and roam the downtown area in a football uniform, and shout out the warning of who was in town to take on the local teams..
In addition to announcing the games on tap, "Peanuts" would often give the scores of recent games played, and often add a salty comment on whether or not the best team won.
The slender man with a great passion for sports, also loved parades. If there was a parade in Billings, "Peanuts" was in it, and dressed the part. He dug out his Fez for the Shrine parade...his rolled brim straw hat for the Go Western Parade.
"Peanuts" loved Billings, and the town loved him. At one time his "fans" in Billings sent him to Pasadena for the Rose Bowl parade and game. He had lunch with another Billings boy, Robert Cobb, owner of the Brown Derby Restaurant. Cobb also owned the Hollywood Stars Pacific Coast League baseball team.
Time took its toll on "Peanuts". As the years passed, he grew feeble and wasn't able to get around as much. After suffering a heart attack, the highly enthusiastic Billings sports fan was hospitalized for several months, and eventually passed away.
Most folks knew him as "Peanuts". His real name was Claude Owens. "Peanuts" Owens was 74 years young.
Also in the News........
Argentina severed diplomatic relations with the Castro Government. It was the 14th hemisphere nation to do so.
The United States launched its fourth Tiros Weather satellite. Within two orbits, the two on board television cameras were transmitting excellent pictures of cloud formations back to earth.
In what was seen as an effort to lower tensions of the cold war, plans were underway for a joint television broadcast by President Kennedy and Soviet Premier Khrushchev.
In speaking with a reporter about new buildings in Washington, D.C., former President Harry S. Truman described the nation's Capital as being "full of chicken coops and cracker boxes".
Secretary of State Frank Murray issued a charter to The State Humane Society of Helena. Established as the result of allegations of mistreatment of dogs impounded at the city shelter, the purpose of the non-profit corporation was for the prevention of cruelty to animals.
The headquarters building of the 143rd Ordinance Company of the Montana National Guard was damaged by an early morning fire. Officials believed faulty wiring was the cause of the blaze.
Gerald Casman was the only Helena Boy Scout to receive the Eagle Scout award during the 1961 scouting year. He was among the 40 Montana Eagle Scouts honored at a recognition dinner in Great Falls.
Here at the Station.........
On "The Jack Benny Show", Tombstone Harry, played by Gerald Mohr, tried to force a beautiful saloon girl to marry him, or he would foreclose on her mortgage. The Cactus Kid was determined to stop him. The two fought for her favors in the strangest gun battle in the history of the west. As they prepared to shoot it out in the saloon, Cactus Kid showed no fear, and gave the villain fair warning with the words..."Tombstone, I'm gonna fill you so full of holes that the flies will get in, and you'll buzz to death." Jack Benny was the Cactus Kid, and guest star Giselle MacKenzie played the saloon girl.
On "Route 66" Julie Newmar starred as a wild-riding motorcyclist whose non-conformism intrigued Tod and Buz, despite the fact that she nearly ran them down.
A man in a nursing home tried to convince fellow residents that he had found the secret to staying young on "Twilight Zone".
On "Tales of Wells Fargo", when the promised bride of a man ran away, he set out to find and kill the artist with whom she had fallen in love.
Pulitzer Prize winning poet Carl Sandberg and comedian Shelley Berman were joined by the McGuire Sisters, and singer Paul Anka on the "Ed Sullivan Show".
On "Have Gun Will Travel", Paladin became a self appointed chaperone to a country bumpkin who had struck it rich and fell into the clutches of a larcenous saloon girl.
On "Maverick", Bret rode into town in search of gold, and met up with Marshall Dooley, Doc and Clyde in a comical spoof of the TV series "Gunsmoke".
On "My Three Sons", Bob got a part time job, but his terrible temper soon got in the way.
When Maynard turned sweet on a tomboy, a well meaning Dobie tried to discourage the relationship on "Dobie Gillis".
On "The Rifleman", a scheming bounty hunter tried to claim a body before Lucas McCain discovered the dead man had a price on his head.
That's
At the second week in February 50 years ago.
No Progress on Berlin
Ambassador Llewellyn Thompson and Soviet Foreign Minister Andrei A. Gromyko met for a third time to try to arrange for negotiations to resolve the difficult situation in Berlin. With Thompson was the second secretary, Kempton Jenkins, an embassy specialist on German affairs. Gromyko was assisted by Ivan Ilyichev, a German specialist from their foreign office.
As was the case in the first two meetings, Thompson did not reveal any details of their discussion.
It was later learned that in the first two meetings, the Soviets stood firm on the position of demanding a quick settlement of the Berlin crisis through a treaty with East Germany. That solution was not acceptable to the West.
Kennedy Orders Cuban Embargo
President Kennedy tightened the economic squeeze on Cuba by ordering a complete ban on the import of Cuban products.
Administration officials said the restriction would strike a severe blow to Prime Minister Fidel Castro. The move would cost Cuba about $35 million a year.
While clamping the embargo on imports, Kennedy specifically authorized the continued sale of U. S. food and medicine to Cuba.
The trade restrictions were just one of several steps that Kennedy and Secretary of State Dean Rusk were planning. Their goal was to put a kind of economic, military and political stranglehold around the island country. Cuba was officially regarded as a Communist beachhead, and the action was intended to help reduce the spread of Communism in the Western hemisphere.
As a means of enforcing the embargo, the U. S. was understood to be strengthening and extending its air and sea patrols of the international waters around Cuba.
Diplomatic efforts would soon be underway to get Canada and other Allied countries trading with Cuba to bring their policies in line with those of the United States.
Note: President Kennedy had a stash of Cuban Cigars set aside. Before signing the ban, he sent his Press Secretary Pierre Salinger out to find as many as he could. It was later learned that Salinger managed to find 1200.
Babcock Takes Oath of Office
"I assume this position with a heavy heart, but with a determination to carry out the policies of the late Governor Donald G. Nutter's administration which I was instrumental in formulating."
Those were the words of Tim M. Babcock after Chief Justice James T. Harrison administered the constitutional oath of office to him at a ceremony held in the Governor's reception room.
During the news conference that followed, Governor Babcock announced the appointment of State Advertising Director John R. "Jack" Hallowell as his Executive Secretary.
He named 48 year old Havre area rancher C. Lowell Purdy as State Agriculture Commissioner.
Babcock told reporters he planned to continue Governor Nutter's program, and said that in governing the state he intended to apply the principles of business that had made him successful in private enterprise. He said that the state's general fund deficit might be wiped out by July 1, 1963.
Except for the appointments of his executive secretary and the state agriculture commissioner, Babcock said he planned no other changes in state offices at that time.
Warden Powell Resigns
There was unrest in Deer Lodge, home of Montana State Prison, but it wasn't caused by the prisoners.
Irate residents were protesting Warden Floyd E. Powell's decision to demote his Deputy Warden Ruben L. Dwight to guard duty.
Warden Powell had claimed the move was necessary because of the existence of conflict
within the 180 man staff at the prison.
Deer Lodge insurance broker E. C. Ellsworth, spokesperson for the protestors, said a great injustice had been done, and he intended to carry the fight to have Dwight reinstated to the State Prison Board.
In a surprise move, Warden Powell resigned.
Governor Babcock appointed Ellsworth Acting Warden. Ellsworth's appointment was immediately confirmed by the Prison Board.
The position would only be temporary for Ellsworth. State law required the Warden to be a person trained through education and experience in a penal institution.
Both Ellsworth and Deputy Dwight were Officers in the Montana National Guard. The two played prominent roles in the quelling of 1959 riot at the prison.
CAP to Honor Nutter
The Montana Civil Air Patrol announced the establishment of a Memorial Flight Award to honor Governor Donald. G. Nutter.
The scholarship, in the form of a continuing memorial to the late Governor, would be awarded to a deserving Montana Civil Air Patrol Cadet.
Colonel John Vance, commander of the Montana Wing of the CAP. announced that Lt. Colonel Sumner Gerard of Ennis had been named chairman of the selection committee. That group would choose a Montana boy or girl to receive the scholarship to an air college that was yet to be named.
Governor Nutter was an enthusiastic supporter of aviation in all its forms, and was particularly interested in the Civil Air Patrol program for teen age boys and girls.
Nutter and five others were tragically killed in the crash of a Montana National Guard C-47 on January 25th.
Malmstrom Growing
Military strength at Malmstrom Air Force Base was expected to increase in the months ahead.
The increase in personnel would include the arrival of three squadrons of the 341st Strategic Missile Wing. They would be in charge of the 150 missile silos and 15 control centers when the Minute Man Missile Complex became operational later in the year.
In addition to increase in military strength, the civilian force on the base was expected to be doubled in size. The increase in civilian workers would mainly consist of Boeing personnel on base to install the missiles in the silos, and set up the intricate equipment needed to make the missiles operational.
Cassius Comes to The Big Apple
A young boxer named Cassius Clay went to New York to fight Lucian "Sonny" Banks in Madison Square Garden.
It was his first appearance in the Big Apple since winning the Golden Gloves on the way to his Olympic title in 1960.
The 20 year old fighter had an opportunity to share his thoughts at a boxing writers luncheon.
"Have you ever heard of Banks?" one writer asked.
"Yeah, I heard of him." Clay answered. "He'll go about four rounds. Banks must fall. Knocking him out should be no trouble at all. I've been in there with rugged guys like that Russian in the Olympic finals. I beat Alonzo Johnson and Alex Miteff. I don't see where this fellow can bother me. It wouldn't look right to let a fellow like this give me...a ranked fighter trouble."
It was very clear he was not satisfied with his Number 9 ranking. Looking far beyond his Saturday night bout, Clay said he wanted a chance to knock Sonny Liston off so that he could get a title shot.
In the Saturday night fight Clay suffered his first knockdown as a pro, but went on to KO Banks in the fourth round.
Clay joined the Nation of Islam in 1964 and changed his name to Muhammad Ali. Muhammad Ali turned 70 on January 17th.
Willie Gets a Raise
Willie Mays became baseball's highest salaried player for the second year in a row when he signed a new contract with the San Francisco Giants.
There was no signing ceremony as was often the case in the Majors back then. Mays simply walked into the Giants office and gave vice president Charles Feeney the pact.
Willie received a $5,000 bump in salary from the previous year, giving him a $90,000 paycheck for the upcoming season. Mickey Mantle had reportedly signed for $85,000 with the Yankees.
Two other players had received higher salaries in recent years. Both Stan Musial and Ted Williams had received in the neighborhood of $100,000 in their peak seasons.
Also in the News.........
General Edwin A. Walker, the controversial Army General who resigned after being relieved of his command of the 24th Division in Germany, filed to run for Governor in Texas.
Famed violinist Fritz Kreisler passed away in New York at the age of 86.
It's the hospital that laughter built. The six million dollar Saint Jude Research Hospital for Children, founded by comedian Danny Thomas, opened in Memphis, Tennessee.
John Uelses became the first person to surpass 16 feet in the pole vault. He cleared the mark by a quarter inch at the Millrose Games in New York City.
Sunbeam Corporation entered the kitchen appliance field with the introduction of the battery-operated Sunbeam Mixmaster hand 
mixer.
Radio star "Fibber McGee" married Gretchen Stewart, the widow of comedian Yogi Yorgesson in Honolulu.
McGee, whose real name was Jim Jordon, lost his first wife and radio partner "Molly" (Marian Jordon) in 1961.
Fans were wondering if the new bride would make "Fibber" clean out the hall closet.
Bill Rykowski, a Missoula bowler with a 157 average. bowled a 300 game at the first annual Treasure State Mixed Handicap Tournament.
Secretary of State Frank Murray issued a charter for Alpha Industries, a Company that planned to build a $400,000 rectifying and bottling plant in Helena. The new firm would import 100 proof whiskey from Kentucky, reduce it to 86.6 proof, and distribute it under a typical Montana brand name.
The Helena Police Protective Association and Helena Parks and Recreation Department regularly sponsored Friday night dances for teenagers. The sponsors pointed out that jeans, saddle pants, uniforms and cheerleader costumes were inappropriate attire for the dances.
Here at the Station………
On Sunday afternoon, viewers tuned in to watch "All Star Bowling" from Capital City Bowl. In this week's match, Wayne Miller, who carried a 198 average, faced the top bowler in town, Jim Easbey. Easbey had a 201 average. The live weekly broadcast featured fifteen of the top bowlers in Helena. Joe Spoja was the announcer.
On "Dobie Gillis", Dobie and Maynard stowed away on an ocean liner to escape the marriage minded clutches of Zelda.
Muldoon was worried that the new police commissioner was going to suspend him because he had grown an inch on "Car 54 Where Are You".
Pearl Bailey and George Gobel appeared on the "Ed Sullivan Show"'
On "Dennis the Menace", Dennis and Mr. Wilson became partners and entered a frog in a frog jumping contest.
Slim Sherman became involved in a range war between cattlemen and mountaineers on "Laramie".
On "Alfred Hitchcock", a young man placed his trust in a faith healer who promised a permanent cure for his ailment.
On "77 Sunset Strip", Stu Bailey tried to prevent foreign agents from using the daughter of a European U.N. delegate in a plot to blackmail her father.
Barney tried to get information from a prisoner by posing as a felon, and unwittingly allowed the prisoner to escape on the "The Andy Griffith Show".
On "Hennesey", When Les Brown and His Band of Renown came to town, Chick agreed to take Martha dancing.
A wealthy friend of the Baxters gave Hazel a free vacation at a fashionable women's resort. She got off to a bad start with the society women when she hitchhiked from the airport, and arrived at the resort driving a big moving van.
That's
At the first week in February 50 years ago.
| For a fascinating look at Helena's past visit Kennon Baird's Website |
| Helena As She Was |
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This feature is intended to be an entertaining look at our world in years gone by. It is in no way intended to be biased, nor are comments intended to offend anyone. While we encourage viewer comment, we do reserve the right to condense, edit or omit them should we feel such action is necessary.
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