realtime1960s

July 13, 1964 - George Christopher, who served as the 34th Mayor of San Francisco from 1956 until January of this year, spoke tonight at the Republican National Convention in San Francisco. Support this project at patreon.com/realtime1960s

July 13, 1964 - The national chairman of CORE and SNCC predicted today that if Senator Barry Goldwater is nominated, there will be national demonstrations with civil disobedience — starting at the Cow Palace in San Francisco. Although the Cow Palace pickets have been peaceful so far, “it is conceivable” there will be civil disobedience starting tomorrow, said CORE’s chairman, James Farmer. “I’ll expect it not only here but all over the country,” Farmer said. “CORE will picket everywhere Goldwater speaks from now to November.” Support this project at patreon.com/realtime1960s

July 13, 1964 - Senator Barry Goldwater’s forces took firm command of the Republican National Convention at the opening session today in San Francisco. They defeated a proposed rule change which would have banned “lily white” delegations from states practicing racial discrimination. The action reinforced predictions that the Arizonan will win the GOP Presidential nomination on the first ballot Wednesday night. Goldwater raised his claim to “more than 800” delegates, with 655 needed to nominate, after the 58-member Ohio delegation — as expected — was released from its favorite son commitment by Gov. James Rhodes. Goldwater got 42 of those votes. Goldwater’s Cow Palace floor managers also declared they are ready to throw back a last-ditch attack by Pennsylvania Gov. William Scranton’s troops on platform issues tomorrow night. Support this project at patreon.com/realtime1960s

July 13, 1964 - Bill Lawrence and James Hagerty of ABC News interviewed former President Dwight D. Eisenhower tonight at the Republican National Convention in San Francisco. Support this project at patreon.com/realtime1960s

July 12, 1964 - Charles Evers, civil rights activist, spoke today about the Civil Rights Act of 1964. After his brother Medgar’s assassination in June 1963, Evers took over his position as field director of the NAACP in Mississippi. Support this project at patreon.com/realtime1960s

July 10, 1964 - This afternoon, CBS reporter Harold Keen interviewed Jackie Robinson and William H. Chester in San Francisco on the eve of the Republican National Convention at the Cow Palace. Mr. Robinson and Mr. Chester, a labor official, will participate in a massive “human rights march” Sunday. The march, obviously intended to impress Republican brass and delegates, is frankly anti-Goldwater. Mr. Chester, march co-coordinator, said that its first aim is to “make known to the nation and the world” Negro opposition to Goldwater and his “racist platform.” Mr. Robinson said the nomination of Goldwater would be “a tragedy,” adding that “the kind of violence you see now in Mississippi, Alabama, and St. Augustine” will spread throughout the country if Goldwater wins. Support this project at patreon.com/realtime1960s

July 10, 1964 - J. Edgar Hoover, director of the FBI, disclosed today that the bureau’s force in Mississippi had been increased to 153 agents because of the civil rights drive. This is roughly 10 times the number normally stationed in the state. Hoover flew to Jackson, Miss., this morning from Washington at President Johnson’s request and opened an FBI field headquarters which covers two full floors of the First Federal Savings and Loan Building. His disclosure of the bureau’s build-up came at a news conference following the headquarters ceremony, which was attended by Governor Paul Johnson Jr., Mayor Allen C. Thompson (right), and other state and local officials. Hoover’s aides said that before his return to Washington tomorrow he might visit Philadelphia, Miss., focal point of the continuing search for three civil rights workers missing since June 21. Hoover said in reply to newsmen’s questions that he thought the three were dead and that “there is, at the present time, no positive indication that there is an imminent break” in the investigation. “The investigation is intensively being carried on,” he said. “This may be a prolonged effort. But it will be continued until it is solved, until we find the bodies of those three men that have disappeared and the persons who may be responsible for their disappearance.” The missing men are Michael Schwerner, 24 years old, and Andrew Goodman, 20, both of New York, and James Chaney, 21, of Meridian, Miss. At his news conference, Hoover emphasized that FBI agents were not in Mississippi to protect civil rights workers but, rather, to investigate violations of Federal law. “We most certainly do not and will not give protection to civil rights workers,” he declared. “In the first place, the FBI is not a police organization. It is purely an investigative organization. “The protection of individual citizens, either natives of this state or those coming into the state, is a matter for the local authorities. The FBI will not participate in any such protection.” Charles Evers, state field secretary of the NAACP, brother of the slain integration leader Medgar Evers, stepped in front of Hoover as the director walked out for his news conference. He introduced himself and said he would like to speak to him. Hoover took him into a conference room and conferred with him for about 10 minutes. “We wanted to give our side of the picture,” Evers said later. Support this project at patreon.com/realtime1960s

July 10, 1964 - Fantastic scenes marked the return of the Beatles to their hometown of Liverpool tonight. They got a frenzied welcome from at least 100,000 fans — “the biggest thing that has ever happened in Liverpool,” said Chief Constable Joseph Smith. At least 40 people caught in the crush were taken to the hospital — and one hospital had to close its casualty ward because it could take no more cases. Ambulance men treated more than 300 who fainted in the swaying, screaming crowds. The greatest ever welcome for the Beatles began at 5:25 p.m., when their airliner touched down at Speke airport, Liverpool. Five thousand shrieking, banner-waving fans were waiting there — but all that most saw of their idols was the mopheaded musicians submerged in a sea of policemen. All police leaves in the city had been suspended, and reinforcements were rushed to the airport in double-decker buses. Chief Constable Smith was brushed aside as the fans broke through a cordon and tried to touch the Beatles. And the storming welcome went on all the way along the seven-mile route from the airport to the town hall, where the Beatles had a civic reception before the premiere of their film, “A Hard Day’s Night.” As the Beatles’ limousine, followed by two official cars, crawled into the center of the city, the police linked arms and leaned at an angle of 45 degrees to keep back the cheering crowds. Teenagers were bowled over in the rush. “They went down like ninepins,” said one police officer. Castle Street, in front of the town hall, was jammed with people — and three mobile first-aid stations worked at top pressure. Girls sat along the wall of an insurance building waiting for treatment. Others, who appeared to be hysterical, had sponges of water flung into their faces — which were also slapped by nurses. When the Beatles appeared on the balcony of the town hall with the Lord Mayor, Alderman Louis Caplan, the crowd went crazy. Casualties being treated in the street rose from their stretchers on the pavement and fought men and women police to get back in front of the town hall. Mounted police rode down the street to block the way. Girls screamed more loudly when they realized they could not get through. The crowd in front of the Town Hall kept calling back the Beatles, who eventually pointed to their watches to indicate that it was time for the civic reception at which there were 650 guests. On their way to the reception, the Beatles came across the Liverpool City Police Band. Paul McCartney grabbed a trumpet, George Harrison a horn, and Ringo Starr whipped the conductor’s baton from the hands of a chief inspector. Outside, the excitement was dying down. And Chief Constable Smith wiped his brow and said: “I estimate that at least 100,000 people turned out. The crowds were quite fantastic. The only thing I am sorry about is that so many people have been hurt.” Earlier, after arriving at the airport, the Beatles had held a press conference full of noise and confusion. John Lennon began the conference with: “Anyone from Liverpool here?” Fellow Beatles Paul McCartney said: “We have no intention of going to South Africa or to any other places in America where there is segregation for the audiences.” Support this project at patreon.com/realtime1960s

July 9, 1964 - Ida Blackburn interviewed the Beach Boys tonight following their concert at the Spring Lake Amusement Park in Oklahoma City. Also appearing on the program were Freddie Cannon, Jimmy Griffin, Lynn Easton, and the Kingsmen. Support this project at patreon.com/realtime1960s

July 8, 1964 - “He’s beat us enough. I figured he owed me something.” That was manager Walter Alston’s reaction to the three-run homer that Johnny Callison of the league-leading Phillies hit in the ninth inning of yesterday’s All-Star Game for a 7-4 National League victory. Alston chose Callison as an extra man beyond the vote of the players, coaches, and managers because of the outfielder’s hitting against his Dodgers. “Callison may not hit everybody like he hits us,” Alston said. “But I know one thing — he wears us out.” By an odd coincidence, the homer beat Al Lopez, the American League manager who used to be Callison’s boss with the White Sox. It took the National League 31 years to catch up with the American, which led 12-4 after the 1949 All-Star Game. Finally, they have squared the series at 17-17-1. Support this project at patreon.com/realtime1960s

July 2, 1964 - President Johnson signed the historic civil rights bill into law tonight and urged “every American to join in this effort to bring justice and hope to all our people and to bring peace to our land.” “This is a time of testing,” he said, “and we must not fail.” The President signed the measure less than five hours after it received final Congressional approval, the House voting for it by a sweeping margin. In a ceremony carried on live TV from the White House East Room, the President said he had asked all Federal agencies “to fully discharge the new responsibilities imposed upon them by the law without delay and to keep me personally informed of their progress.” Calling the far-reaching act a challenge to Americans to “eliminate the last vestiges of injustice in America,” Johnson told his nationwide audience: “Let us close the springs of racial poison. Let us pray for wise and understanding hearts. Let us lay aside irrelevant differences and make our nation whole. “Let us hasten the day when our unmeasured strength and our unbounded spirit will be free to do the great works ordained for this nation by the just and wise God who is the father of us all.” The President promised that enforcement of the new law would not be approached in a “vengeful spirit.” He said: “Its purpose is not to punish. Its purpose is not to divide but to end divisions — divisions which have lasted too long. Its purpose is national, not regional.” He added that the law will work because “most Americans are law-abiding citizens who want to do what is right.” The new law outlaws racial discrimination in public accommodation, employment, voting, education, and use of Federal funds. In all, 153 Democrats and 136 Republicans voted for the bill today. Voting against it were 91 Democrats and 35 Republicans. Support this project at patreon.com/realtime1960s

July 7, 1964 - Governor Terry Sanford (D-N.C.) declared today that North Carolina’s racial temperament would preclude any violent reaction to the Civil Rights Act of 1964. In a statement, Sanford said: “Every indication is that the citizens of North Carolina will obey the law. This is the result of a good climate of tolerance and understanding which exists here, and it is a wonderful credit to the people of the state.” Support this project at patreon.com/realtime1960s

July 7, 1964 - Now you know why the Philadelphia Phillies are the Cinderella Kids of the National League. So do the 50,815 fans who swarmed into the brand new stadium of the New York Mets. So does Dick (The Monster) Radatz, who is recognized as one of baseball’s finest relief pitchers. The Phillies, proudly perched atop the NL standings, didn’t have a single player picked for any starting position in the 35th All-Star game today. But they had one that ended it. He was outfielder Johnny Callison, who stepped into a belt-high fastball from Radatz in the last of the ninth inning with the score tied at 4-4 and two men on base with two outs. He drilled the pitch, the first one Radatz threw his way, deep into the second balcony in right field for the three-run homer that gave the Nationals a come-from-behind 7-4 victory. Support this project at patreon.com/realtime1960s

July 3, 1964 - Negroes at steak side by side with whites in a Danville, Va., restaurant today for the first time. A Negro boy got a haircut in a previously all-white hotel barbershop in Kansas City, Mo. And Negroes went swimming in a previously segregated swimming pool in Savannah, Ga. They were among scores of Negroes who tested the Civil Rights Act of 1964, which was signed by President Johnson yesterday. For the most part, their integration attempts were accepted quietly by communities in the South where racial trouble has often flared in the past. There was only scattered resistance. In Jackson, Miss., the Chamber of Commerce urged all businessmen to adhere to the provisions of the new law. The action was considered significant because the city is the headquarters of the White Citizens Council and a center of segregationist views. Two bowling alleys in Beaumont, Tex., and some eating places in Selma, Ala., and Valdosta, Ga., refused to serve Negroes. But adherence to President Johnson’s call for compliance with the law was the general rule. However, in many cities, such as racially troubled St. Augustine, Fla., there was no attempt to test the law. The Reverend Andrew Young, a Negro leader there, said he would be glad to work with restaurant owners so that tests could be peaceful. “We’re not concerned,” he said, “with forcing our rights down somebody’s throat.” The attitude of most restaurant owners in the South appeared to be summed up by Cy Shiap, owner of a steakhouse in Danville, Va. “Last year, we fought them because they were breaking the law,” Shiap said. “This year, I’d be breaking the law if I refused to serve them. I’m a law-abiding citizen. If the law says feed them, I feed them. While I don’t like it, I’m not going to break the law.” When four Negroes ate in his restaurant today, it was the first time in the city’s modern history that whites and Negroes had dined together in a public restaurant. In Dallas, the Piccadilly Cafeteria, which had been the recent site of picketing by white and Negro demonstrators for 28 days, served a Negro minister about two hours after President Johnson signed the rights bill. The Reverend John Bethel said: “Everyone was polite, and the food was good.” Support this project at patreon.com/realtime1960s

July 2, 1964 - At the White House today, before President Johnson and sworn in by Secretary of State Dean Rusk, Gen. Maxwell Taylor ended his 21-month career as the nation’s ranking military chief and his long and distinguished career in the Army to take on newly assigned duties as U.S. Ambassador to South Vietnam. In that post, he succeeds Henry Cabot Lodge, and to both of them President Johnson, at this morning’s ceremony, gave admiring tribute, remarking that “one great American follows another great American.” Support this project at patreon.com/realtime1960s

July 1, 1964 - In a surprise to most experts, the Philadelphia Phillies are making a strong push for their first National League pennant since 1950. Support this project at patreon.com/realtime1960s

In this episode, we review our 10th and 9th-ranked films for 1964, “The Naked Kiss,” a neo-noir directed by Samuel Fuller, and “That Man from Rio,” a French adventure-comedy directed by Philippe De Broca and starring Jean-Paul Belmondo and Françoise Dorléac. Support us at patreon.com/realtime1960s

LBJ envisions the “Great Society”; Reagan stumps for Goldwater; racial violence in St. Augustine; Malcolm X returns from Mecca; Jews patrol Crown Heights; Mickey Mantle slows down. Newscaster: Joe Rubenstein. Support this project at patreon.com/realtime1960s

June 30, 1964 - President Johnson today welcomed President Francisco Orlich of Costa Rica to Washington for a state visit. Both men immediately forecast great things for the Alliance for Progress. Orlich, his wife, and a party of Costa Rican officials arrived by helicopter from Williamsburg, Va., where they spent the night. Mr. Johnson and his wife, together with Secretary of State Dean Rusk and other officials, welcomed the visiting chief executive on his arrival on the South Lawn of the White House. In an exchange of remarks under a hot sun, Mr. Johnson recalled that it was only about a year ago that the late President Kennedy visited Costa Rica. President Johnson said Orlich’s presence in the U.S. “demonstrates the growing and cordial bond between our countries.” Orlich went a sizable step beyond Johnson in his praise and expectations for the Alliance. He called the program a “supreme example of perpetual amity which unites the hemisphere.” He expressed the hope that he and Mr. Johnson might one day see the “political unification” of North and South America. Orlich, who recieved a 21-gun salute, is the first Latin American chief of state to make an official visit to Washington in the Johnson Administration. Support this project at patreon.com/realtime1960s

June 30, 1964 - Hopes for racial peace in St. Augustine, Fla., revived tonight with the announcement that Florida Governor Farris Bryant had named an emergency committee to “restore communications” between whites and Negroes. Dr. Martin Luther King, leader of the desegregation campaign in the 400-year-old city, termed the action “a demonstration of good faith” and called off civil rights demonstrations. However, he said he was not leaving St. Augustine until “a meaningful resolution” of the conflict had been worked out. The Governor refused to disclose the membership of the committee, but it reportedly consists of two whites and two Negroes. The committee will serve until a permanent biracial group to mediate the bitter civil rights dispute is named by a special grand jury investigating the troubles in St. Augustine. Dr. King too refused to divulge the names of the emergency committee members, but he said it was made up of “four distinguished citizens” of the city. “We have agreed to withhold the names so that there will be no external harassment of these people,” he said. Dr. King called the formation of the committee the first step toward a settlement of the problem.“ Every 1,000-mile journey begins with the first step,” he said. “This is merely the first step in a long journey toward freedom and justice in St. Augustine, but it is a creative and important first step for it at least opens the channels of communications.” However, Dr. King said that after the civil rights bill became law there would be tests of the law through small sit-ins. St. Augustine Mayor Joseph Shelley, a physician and an outspoken segregationist, was highly indignant when he learned that Governor Bryant had formed the committee without having consulted him. “It’s a stab in the back,” Mr. Shelley told a friend. Support this project at patreon.com/realtime1960s

June 29, 1964 - The Beatles arrived in Brisbane, Australia, just after midnight today and were greeted at the airport by 8,000 fans. They were paraded in an open-top truck, but some Beatle haters in the crowd pelted them with food and bits of wood. The Beatles were quickly taken to their hotel — aptly named Lennons — where they declared there would be “no more unscheduled appearances. For as long as we’re in Brisbane, it’s the hotel and hall for us.” Their two concerts at the Festival Hall tonight were each seen by 5,500 people, and all tickets sold out well in advance. Once again, the lads from Liverpool were subjected to eggs thrown at the stage, but the Beatles played on, and the miscreants were swiftly ejected from the venue. Support this project at patreon.com/realtime1960s

June 28, 1964 - Frank Sinatra interrupted Ed Sullivan’s monologue tonight to present him with a special cake celebrating the show’s 16th anniversary. Sullivan asked Connie Francis, who was standing nearby, to help him cut the cake but Sinatra said, “Should we do it together and have a honeymoon a little later?” Sinatra and Sullivan cut the cake together, and Sinatra continued to interrupt Sullivan throughout the show, hugging him, playing with his cheeks, and helping him host the show. Support this project at patreon.com/realtime1960s

June 26, 1964 - On a special NBC news program tonight, Mrs. Carolyn Goodman, mother of 20-year-old Andrew Goodman, one of three missing civil rights workers in Mississippi, spoke of her family’s ordeal. Support this project at patreon.com/realtime1960s

June 25, 1964 - In St. Augustine, Fla., today, state troopers clashed with segregationists in a wild melee on the beach. The troopers waded into the surf and arrested about a dozen whites who had tried to break up a “swim-in” by civil rights demonstrators. For the first time, the troopers were under orders to arrest any whites who attempted to bar Negroes from the public beach. A big crowd of segregationists listened with apparent disbelief and anger as a police captain called through a bullhorn: “Let ‘em go swimming. Stand back and let ‘em in the water.” There was a growl of disapproval when the captain continued: “Anyone blocking ‘em will be arrested.” Down the ramp marched some 70 Negroes and two white men. The tide was out. Someone had planted two Confederate flags at the base of the ramp.The beach was broad enough for the police to line up a dozen squad cars on either side. As the Negroes walked slowly toward the water, 100 policemen closed in to seal them from the white crowd. But the racists — the same crowd of whites that had successfully blocked the Negroes yesterday and again this morning, were already knee-deep in the water.“Come on in, you black bastards,” yelled one of the mob. The Negroes tried to outflank their white adversaries. They walked a little way up the beach and then entered the water. About 30 were knee-deep in the surf when the white mob, led by a tall blond woman in a white bathing suit, charged into the water. The Reverend Fred Shuttlesworth, a Negro clergyman from Birmingham, Ala., was knocked off his feet. Then the police waded in. They wrestled the white racists away from the Negroes, using clubs on whites who resisted. The Negroes had made no attempt to defend themselves. A white youth, blood streaming from his head, was led to a squad car. The mob, reportedly infiltrated by members of the Ku Klux Klan, now turned its ire against the state police. A deputy sheriff was heard protesting that the state police should have arrested the Negroes. “Those finks!” cried a woman in disgust. “They didn’t beat the n*****s at all!”The arrested whites, as well as four or five young Negroes who were also detained, were taken to a National Guard armory at the edge of the city.“Get those n*****s out of here,” screamed one of the arrested whites when he saw that the armory was not segregated. Two women, including the blonde leader of the charge, were among those held for disorderly conduct. Support this project at patreon.com/realtime1960s

June 24, 1964 - After the U.S. Congress passed a bill to help increase the number of nuclear power plants, the Atomic Energy Commission built the Atomsville, U.S.A. exhibit for the New York World’s Fair. Aimed at conveying to children atomic energy’s benign benefits, the exhibit uses science-oriented entertainments to educate and entertain. Support this project at patreon.com/realtime1960s