Khrushchev's Visit

chairman of the Council of Ministers of the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics Nikita Khrushchev mobile units of WH o T V kr and T TV and woi TV are being used in this special pool telecast ladies and gentlemen this is Jack Shelley speaking from the Des Moines Municipal Airport where a mood of expectancy has been gathering now for many hours and is just about at the peak at this moment as we anticipate that if the latest announcement is correct premier khrushchev splain will be landing here in a matter of only a couple of minutes we have been watching for the last several hours those of us who have been here during that time the first 707 jet airplanes which most of us have seen touching down one by one at the Des Moines Municipal Airport the first one was a commercial jet plane which bore about a hundred and twenty five members of the press radio and TV party all of whom have been proceeding the Russian premier as he makes his stops all the way across the country and then one by one we have seen other jets of the type you're looking at right now planes operated by the US Air Force and used by the military air transport service for so-called VIP flights which have been bringing in first another collection of radio TV and press people then the last one arriving only about five minutes or so ago carried with it men and women of what might be called somewhat secondary importance with a Russian party now you can see those who are watching the the crowd gathered at the scene we're viewing at the present moment people who are standing on the side of the airport runway where the crowds will be greeing the Russian premier and we are at the same time watching what is going on as the members of the press assemble on a large truck body which has been assembled to one side here and which has mounted at the present time on it something like eight or a dozen sound and still motion picture cameras to be used in the coverage of Khrushchev Saraiva off in another direction while the members of the military police and the Air National Guard stand expectantly waiting to move forward with the ramp which will provide the stairway by which Khrushchev will come down from his plane in other directions we see various members of the group of dignitaries who are going to extend an official welcome for the City of Des Moines and for the state of Iowa among those waiting of course and by the way at the very moment that I am speaking you are looking what appears to me to be the convertible car in which the Russian premier will ride he was given his choice we understood of having either a clothed air-conditioned limousine or this open one of the convertible type and the weather while it has been a little doubtful and while there is a forecast of possible thunderstorm conditions this afternoon right now seems to be fairly favorable for his ride downtown and it looks to us as though they're going to prepare the convertible that you see for his ride downtown there has been a great crowd gathering along McKinley Avenue which runs down to floor drive along the fences just outside the south end or I should say the north end of the Des Moines Airport trying to get whatever glimpse they can perhaps you can see in the distance now some of the people gathered there beyond the airport fence you are looking over the heads of the photographers and some of the dignitaries there are more newsman than anybody else in this group that you are watching in the immediate foreground who are watching for the arrival of the Khrushchev plane we are told by others of our new staff who are handling this pool broadcast for the central Iowa television stations we are told that there are downtown now in the vicinity of hotel Fort Des Moines something in excess of a thousand persons that police are already on hand controlling the crowds there and moreover we are told that there have been some signs protesting groups visible in the vicinity of the Fort Des Moines hotel for a brief run down to the other places we're going to take a look right now at the Fort Des Moines Hotel site where later on you will see chairman Khrushchev of the Council of Ministers of the union of socialist Soviet republics as he arrived here you are looking in the area at the corner of the Fort Des Moines hotel there at 9th and walnut notice the tremendous crowd of people gathered there on the parking ramp on that unique in circular parking ramp which undoubtedly offers a wonderful place from which to view Khrushchev Saraiva at the hotel now here you see some of the people who are standing at barricades and there are some signs as you can see expressing sentiments of one kind or another notice that the police in the ninth and walnut area have people kept pretty firmly behind these barricades and of course they'll be kept well back we understand at the time when the premier does arrive at the hotel now you're getting a look actually into a portion of the hotel itself and you can see people waiting on the route and over the red carpet which Christoph will tread on as he enters the Fort Des Moines Hotel from this position we are going to move to our other pickup point at 14th and Locust the intermediate point on the pickup and we hope that from there we'll be able to get a view of the premier after he is left the airport for the moment though we're going to return to the Des Moines Airport and take a look at again at the jet planes which have borne the advance members of the party and at the scenes which are to be found here at the airport as we wait for the arrival of the Russian premier explain notice here this is a house just across from the airport side not at all distant from the place where the f-86 jet fighters of the Iowa Air National Guard are customarily based and you'll see that while it is not a packed crowd that there are substantial numbers of people there who have building up over the course the last several hours some of those cars over there which you can see on the other side of McKinley some of those cars have been there since 8 o'clock this morning as some people came out to choose advantageous spots the crowd of pedestrians has really just built up I would say within the last hour to any size just before we came on the air with our broadcast from the scene I walked over to the 8 the gate of the Air National Guard base and saw that there were substantial numbers of people lined up most of the way down floor drive or I should say McKinley to floor drive now we're taking another look at the scene where the members of the party of official greeters are waiting to give Khrushchev his welcome to the state of Iowa and the City of Des Moines among those in the party who are going to be welcoming the governor of will be welcoming Chris Jeff of course our the governor governor and mrs. Lovelace lieutenant governor and mrs. Edward McManus mayor and mrs. Charles Isles of Des Moines mr. and mrs. Frank de pute he is the president of the Chamber of Commerce and mr. mrs. John Adams John Adams of course being the executive secretary of the Greater Des Moines Chamber of Commerce and while they are waiting as you can see it's almost impossible to distinguish between those who are members of the official breeding party and those who are among the hordes of news men gathered here to cover this event there have been throughout the afternoon different versions one time saying 125 would be his arrival time on other occasions that 145 would be his arrival time and then just as we took the air the word was that he'd be here by now that that approximately 126 p.m. premier khrushchev flying in from San Francisco California in a Boeing 707 jet of the United States Air Force would have landed here here is the entrance to the Iowa Air National Guard's quarters out here and this is the place where the dignitaries had gathered first of all in order to get ready for the arrival of the Russian premier there's quite a lineup of cars already in formation police cars and civilian type cars also those known as pool cars carrying photographers for radio and for television and we are now taking a look at that long lineup of cars each of them in its proper place each one bearing a number designating its place in the parade and now we're back again to the men who are waiting at parade rest out there by the ramp which Khrushchev will be using those who are familiar with the Des Moines area and in particular the Des Moines Fire Department might be interested to know that lieutenant John Connors the red-haired man who for so many years has been a spokesman for the Des Moines firefighters is going to drive the car which governor Lovelace and Khrushchev are expected to ride in for just a very short time as a matter of fact Gianni was telling us just before we came on the air that he expects to drive the car only as far as the place where Khrushchev will enter it here on the edge of the airport runway and that then President Eisenhower's own personal driver will take over the wheel of crews jobs car now let's take another look downtown and see how things are coming on at some of the other points where pickups are being made here we are once more downtown in the vicinity of the route that will be traveled by the Russian premier as you can see there are very large crowds on hand around the Fort Des Moines there but you can also see that there are some protest signs there's one which reads the only good Communist is a dead one and the D is just a little bit out of place in the middle there isn't that a rather hasty job perhaps a sign making but a demonstration that there are those who are protesting certainly those folks who were on the circular ramp which you have been watching from the position of ninth and walnut certainly those folks have an excellent view up there and we consider them to be pretty lucky because there had been some talk in advance that security regulations might not allow the general public or even news photographers to take up a position along the ramp however as you can see it's it's crowded to capacity except I believe for the top level or yes even up there there are some people apparently a limited number there and if we can we'll try now to take a look at the position that 14th and Locust where we hope to be able to see something of the crowd waiting at about the midway point on the cavalcades route from the floor drive and McKinley down to downtown Des Moines where he will disembark at the Fort Des Moines Hotel for the moment we're continuing to view that scene as we have said in the vicinity of the Fort Des Moines hotel and notice in the Plymouth building there right across the street from the Fort Des Moines Hotel great many people whose business offices are places were not much businesses being transacted this afternoon they are filled to capacity every window on the sides which command a view of the interest to the Fort Des Moines with interested persons we were told from our reporter on the scene at the Fort Des Moines a short time ago that for a time at least the police endeavoured to persuade those who were farther back from the scene with signs to stay back and for those who were closer up to join them also but at the present time it appeared to us from our view at the Fort Des Moines that some of those protest signs were rather close to the scene again at the airport taking a look at some of the people who are waiting and they have been waiting many of them since 9 or 10 o'clock this morning at least to get their motion pictures and they're still pictures of the arrival of the Russian Premier Way it was a matter of great interest to most of us who are news men to see this large commercial jet plane arrived about an hour ago and from it be vouching 125 or more news people all of whom had made the flight from San Francisco they report to us that premier khrushchev certainly was in brighter mood when he left San Francisco than he was when he left Los Angeles California as most of you are well aware by now there was a great deal of concern on the part of State Department people that Khrushchev had gotten so angry at some of the exchanges in Los Angeles that he might actually make good his threat that he was going to leave and to go home but in San Francisco he has been able to mingle with the public more generally than was the case anywhere else along the tour so far and in addition to that he apparently by consensus from every newsman I've talked to who has been on the whole tour got the warmest welcome in San Francisco that he received any place along the route and this seems to have encouraged him a great deal and to have made him pretty happy here we are inside the Fort Des Moines hotel you notice that magazine there bearing the letters USSR that of course is the official english-language magazine published in Russia under an exchange agreement which allowed it to be sold in this country in return for the sale of some American magazines inside Soviet Russia the other one was a magazine which outlines some of the history and background some of the facts about the man who's going to arrive here at the Des Moines Airport very shortly once again we're watching some people getting out at the Fort Des Moines hotel very frankly and nobody can tell from this particular point whether these are members of the Russian party or not but I suspect it may very well be the case that they are just about 15 minutes I would guess before we took the air with this telecast the last plane which landed here the most recent jet plane arrived with a large number of members of the Russian party of a somewhat secondary rank and now we are seeing on our television view the plane bearing Russian premier Khrushchev himself he is arriving in a Boeing 707 which has been of course in the air from San Francisco for a matter of something more than two hours now and it makes a beautiful sight in the air as have all these other jets as they approach the Des Moines Airport an excellent shot here you can see that 707 wheels not yet as it goes into its landing pattern and as preparations now very rapidly move forward to have the official welcome as soon as that plane touches the ground it's quite an impressive sight to watch these jets as they come in we have seen now three of them prior to Khrushchev and believe me when when they hit the concrete they hit it hard there is a tremendous scorching of the wheels and a flare of blue smoke as the rubber is burned off as those wheels make contact and then the nose wheel slowly settling down give you another and smaller burst of blue smoke before the great plane rolls on and from our vantage point disappears for a moment before it again turns around taxis back and takes up its position this is Chris Jeff's plane that we have just been watching entering into its landing pattern and which very shortly is going to be coming into our view as it makes a landing here at the Des Moines Municipal Airport expectancy is gathering by the moment the military police are standing ready for action all around the fringes the news men and I would hate to arrive at an exact coward or attempt to but I would suppose it's certainly there must be 500 news men gathered right here on the edge in front of our mobile unit from which our television cameras are operating and they're all waving at each other making sure their cameras are ready to operate watching the play of the various security guards as they begin to take up new position and we are now about to get a good look at premier khrushchev splain and it comes in from the north having passed over a part of the city of Des Moines as it made its big circular approach to the Des Moines Airport and he is very low to the ground however you're going to be able to see him right over the farm buildings that are visible here at the present time right over a White House which is directly ofor across from the Des Moines Airport and you are now seeing that giant plane were the plume of jet fuel smoke a merging from its engines slowly settling down it is going probably to pass behind the in your view for just a moment there it is and it's now very very close to the runway itself we here can listen to the whistle of those giant motors the plane has just set down and that is bouncing a little bit we won't give him too many points for that landing we saw a couple of better ones earlier to be right on it now the nose wheel is down Russian premier Khrushchev has arrived in Des Moines and in the state of Iowa it'll be a little while before we got a look at him because those planes roll a long way before they come to a halt and you have heard the roar of the engines as they attempt to slow down the progress of that roll very shortly however it will have run out its course it will have turned around we will hear the roar of the engines as it taxi slowly toward the position where the official party of greeters governor Lovelace lieutenant governor McManus mayor Isles the president of the Chamber of Commerce Frank de pute and John Adams the executive secretary of the Des Moines Chamber of Commerce are waiting to greeting those who have been in the news party waiting for the arrival of Khrushchev who actually flew here ahead of him as I've explained in the press planes which always precede the arrival of VIP and this sort of a tour of the country tell us that while Chris Joffe is more happy than he was when he left Los Angeles that they have marked him as a man who doesn't attempt to conceal his emotions many times and is pretty impetuous and that they believe on balance at the present moment that not too much has happened on the tour which greatly enhances the prospect of some major agreement coming out of his talks with President Eisenhower at Camp David Maryland at the end of the tour I talked briefly with John Sculley the diplomatic reporter of The Associated Press who arrived on this plane and he expressed his belief that nobody among the American public would be wise to expect really sensational developments out of the conference between Eisenhower and the first job at Camp David now that big plane is coming in you can see it beautifully turning around there is a line marked on the airport runway here where the plane is supposed to stop and as you can hear our directors probably in the background urging our cameraman to get still better shot perhaps you can even hear in the background the roar of the planes motors as that giant 707 jet turns around and begins to take up the position from which it will shortly be disembarking the official Russian party for a moment so that you can get the sound of those jet motors a little better I'm going to step to another point advantage and I think you undoubtedly are going to agree with me that the powerful engines of a Boeing 707 Jets are alone quite an impressive force when you encounter them for the very first time at an airport such as this which has not been used to seeing or to dealing with them beautiful airplanes though military air transport service on the side US Air Force on the label and of course they bear that flaming florescent type of paint on the nose and portions of the wing and tail structure which are intended to serve as recognition marks when the plane is seen in the air now the first off flame is slowly moving over following an Air Force truck from the Air National Guard here which bears a follow-me sign and will move to a position where we along with you can get a better view of the arrival of the Russian premier plane is slowly moving up into the quarter notice that little truck which bore the follow me sign this is guiding the pilots as he turns that enormous airplane and takes up its position at a designated spot already marked on the runway where he will park the plane notice the turn the plane is now pointing in a southerly direction and it will shortly come to a stop the military police are beginning to get ready to roll that ramp out to the side of the 707 and before long the Russian premier American ambassador Lodge who is his official escort on this visit and who is of course our ambassador to the United Nations mrs. Khrushchev members of the Premier's family and many other members of the party including of course his son and two of his daughters will be present as the greeting takes place you see the ramp running up you see the ramp moving up toward the front and in a moment some of the members of the Russian party are going to be emerging here come members of the Air Force crew and the people getting out of the front part of the airplane are evidently other members of the party our indication of the present is that it may probably be from the back door that premier Khrushchev will emerge that seems to be the situation a tenant tension rather is very quickly shifting right now from the front door to the back door another ramp is being rolled up to the back door and military police are taking up their position forming an escort and a protective barrier for the Russian Premier to emerge as is customary some of the security people and other officials are getting off first and there is a pause while we wait for premier Khrushchev himself to appear the camera men along the edge of the runway here all have their machines pointed and eagerly awaiting for their first shot that the Russian premier to record him on motion picture film and everywhere the eye sees there are news men eager to report this on my left for example is a representative of one of the wire services one of the most distinguished reporters I think known for the American press today Pat Moore under the Associated Press realm Patman he's got a phone field phone connected here and is doing an eyewitness description of the arrival of premier khrushchev to the Associated Press office downtown other members of the Russian party are beginning to appear and now here is premier khrushchev he is coming down the ramp now as you see they stocky figure of the premier of Soviet Russia slowly descending the steps gesturing as he so often does stopping waving his hat he wants to be greeted immediately and to return breeding to those who are here from the state of Iowa off to the right practically a flotilla of motorcycles arrives from the police department of the City of Des Moines and as premier khrushchev walks slowly forward to meet the members of the official party of radium he still gestures still carries that grey Homburg hat in one hand jokes a bit as Henry Cabot Lodge follows behind him and as Gromyko is to our left immediately behind him the Russian Foreign Minister here Khrushchev arrived a little closer to the official party you can see him shaking hands now with the governor with mayor Isles and with lieutenant governor McManus mrs. Lovelace is in they close at that you may be able to make out in that picture now you can see just how many people there are in that group as the governor and the mayor and the president the Des Moines Chamber of Commerce the lieutenant governor there's mayor Isles shaking hands mrs. Isles is now doing so Chris job boughs and shakes hands vigorously expresses his delight to be here at Iowa while behind him notice the figure on the left that is that very clever and able interpreter troyanovsky the son of the first Soviet ambassador of the United States who is interpreting as these introductions are made there is mrs. Khrushchev we have an excellent look at her right now she is directly behind and a little bit to the right of the Soviet premier there is John Adams shaking hands with Khrushchev and mrs. Khrushchev is right behind again the hands making goes on as members of the party are being greeted right and left and now the Russian premier stands for a moment waiting with Henry Cabot Lodge while a photographer lifts high his camera trying to get over that mass of humanity packed around the edge as he attempts to get a picture of what is going on now here we are from the field yeah because why it's like a back Selman Keshava governor of Iowa I welcome you to Iowa I think that you're aware that you're in the part of this United States their pride ourselves on all of our farm lands which I think you're familiar with and went on you know and the state of tall corn but plaited a lot of tall industries tool growing up in the midst of our planes the way we hope that you see our hands and factories with the churches in schools much of your time will permit you we have we think we have this form that the culture as well as the production of agricultural products here in this Midwest so we hope that you will be able to see some of the things we have yes virginity Renato the governor Gaspar de domville ladies and gentlemen yeah or chin Bob three with you mush that I am very glad of this opportunity to visit your state or start a national operational knife our people know something about the state of Iowa the worst him has him as my Collison and where we I will I'll be very glad to make my acquaintance with the state dr. Marshall started to see how people live here whose name is the reason you might be a mess see you next up you know we know that as far as corn is concerned your first in the United States Army sativa no division we are competing with you they're the most original and I believe this will be a useful competition for both party but she was a debris Slovak thank you for your kind words the Florida theatre your words of welcome do moonstone actions to achieve each other would be right now I believe that our meetings our talks will bring us years to each other the Buddhist was the wacky academy movies Cappadocia just seems to be a bee species myth is Ruben El Dorado and will help bring about favorable conditions for peace and friendship in the world achievers of spiritual the nobody person I thank you for the warm welcome and the good wishes and there ladies and gentlemen you heard governor Hershel Lovelace of Iowa extending an official welcome on behalf of this state to Russian premier khrushchev and as you heard Khrushchev replied with a tribute to Iowa's ranked as this as the number one corn producing state in the Union and could not resist that the moment the opportunity to mention once again that in this field to Soviet Russia expected to compete with Iowa as he has indicated the Russians do in so many fields with Americans and then very quickly with no other part of the ceremony the group disbanded and the official party is about to get into the cars to begin the cavalcade to the Fort Des Moines hotel traveling down McKinley then down floor to Locust along Locust a tenth and down Locust to the Fort Des Moines Hotel where that large crowd is waiting and where we presume almost equally large crowds are waiting at other places on the route between here and the hotel the governor and premier khrushchev will be getting into the open car you see a group of people including Henry Cabot Lodge clustered about that car right now and you see an exchange of information of some sort going on between large and khrushchev Christoph if I see correctly at the moment has a coat on now and is also wearing that hat that he is used with which to gesture so many many times I've imagined he'll be rather pleased to ride in an open car you know he made some pretty barbed comments about riding in a closed car in Los Angeles which he thought was too hot well the closed car they had for him if he wanted it today here in Des Moines was to be an air-conditioned one so he wouldn't have been able to complain about that too much but it's obvious that he prefers an open car where he would be able to see and be seen with a great deal more ease the motorcycle policeman veritable phalanx of them has been gathered here getting ready to escort him and before long we will see the Khrushchev party leaving out of our view at the moment other members of the party including mayor aisles that the members of the Chamber of Commerce mrs. Khrushchev of course mrs. Lovelace and all the others who have been present for these brief welcoming ceremonies we'll be getting into their cars and the whole cavalcade will head for downtown des moines motorcycle escorts you see on either side the car which bears Khrushchev carries on its forward portion as you thought