"The Door Watcher" from the November 6, 1973 Door County Advocate
By Capistrana
THE DOOR WATCHER
By Capistrana
Washington, D.C.
"Pacem in terris" is a national convocation to consider new opportunities for U.S. Foreign Policy being held for four days here. The opening session was a twin bill of Secretary of State, Henry Kissinger and Sen. J. William Fulbright which drew an unexpected crowd of 3,000 with 500 more listening in an adjourning hall. Since space was reserved for some 90 representatives or the press it is logical to assume that readers of the Advocate interested in international politics have already seen reports of the speeches in some daily.
In capsule, Kissinger's speech was largely in defense of administration policies for granting trade benefits to the Soviet Union. According to the "Washington Post" many in his audience were "intellectual critics including former academic colleagues."
Earlier on in the day we had heard of the unexpected rush to hear Kissinger after the outbreak of the Arab-Israeli War. So, since seats were unreserved, we settled at 5:30 for a three hour wait till the program began. Thus we had a good chance to watch all the arrivals. By 7 p.m. we were surrounded by young, college-age students, quiet and serious.
By 8, the older generation was there in equal force. Middle generation representation was significantly less. Frederick March, the actor of the early talkies, was pointed out to us. We would never have recognized the balding hero.
One half hour before the program began, attendants made a thorough search of chairs, podium and table-even the water pitcher, to make sure there were no bugs or bombs. We laughed at this as a sign of current suspicion. However, it proved not unwarranted, for about 5 minutes into Kissinger's speech there began a cackling as of a joyous hen. This soon arose to such a decibel-level, accompanied by nervous, suppressed laughter on the part of the audience, that Kissinger had to stop.
Two hecklers representing "The Community for Creative Non-Violence" were jingling novelty-store "laugh-boxes". There was a momentary brawl with one of the audience and police rushed the disturbers out, while Kissinger stood silent at the podium. A few called out "Let Them Stay!" but the majority shouted "Out." The police attempted to make arrests, but since this was a peace conference the executive director of the convention, Peter Tagger, refused to press charges. After the meeting, it was reported that Kissinger said jokingly that the out-burst sounded like one of his own staff meetings. In response to the fact that there had been no arrests, Kissinger said "I was very touched by it."
The whole evening was deja vue, Ephraim Public Hearing.
[Mary Chomeau’s pen name, Capistrana, appears to be a feminine form of the place in this song: https://secondhandsongs.com/performance/72818. Her purpose in using it is to point out that she is a snowbird who lives in Door County during the warmer months, like the migratory birds in the song.]
Courtesy of the Courtesy of the Door County Library Newspaper Archive
Articles by Mary Chomeau