Cuban missile crisis, Phillies win World Series: News Journal archives, week of Oct. 29

"Pages of history" features excerpts from The News Journal archives including the Wilmington Morning News and the Evening Journal.

Oct. 29, 1962, Evening Journal

JFK picks 3 to negotiate Cuban crisis

President Kennedy set up a special three-man committee today to handle negotiations looking toward an end to the Cuban crisis.

Kennedy designated John J. McCloy, whom he previously had appointed special assistant to U.N. Ambassador Adlai Stevenson during the period of the Cuban emergency, as chairman of the group …

White House Press Secretary Pierre Salinger described the group as “a coordinating committee to give full time and attention to matters involved in the conclusion of the Cuban crisis.”

U.S. reconnaissance planes focused their sensitive cameras on Cuba today for evidence the Russians are starting to dismantle their missile bases. The American blockading fleet remained on guard in the Atlantic. But no Russian ships were reported within two or three days steaming time of the U.S. “quarantine” line thrown up nearly a week ago.

There was an almost tangible easing of the tension that gripped the nation during the past week of crisis ….

It could take a little time for the Pentagon’s photo interpreters to reach any conclusions as to whether the Russians are living up to Premier Khrushchev’s promise to dismantle the bases ….

Oct. 30, 2008, The News Journal

Phillies defeat Rays to win World Series

By Chris Barrish

Move over Tugger, Schmitty and Lefty. Make room on that too-barren trophy shelf for Ryan, Jimmy, Chase, Cole and the rest of the 2008 Philadelphia Phillies – champions of the baseball world.

Riding a glorious two-month streak of success, the Phillies erased some of their inglorious past Wednesday night, edging the Tampa Bay Rays 4-3 to capture the second World Series crown in the franchise’s 126-season history. The club’s only other title was in 1980.

The Phils vanquished the Rays, baseball’s darling young underdogs, four games to one.

The climatic game was one of the strangest in World Series history. It started Monday night in a mist that became a driving downpour, and was suspended with the score tied 2-2 in the sixth inning. It ended Wednesday night as Phillie Brad Lidge struck out Rays pinch-hitter Eric Hinske in the top of the ninth with the tying run on second ….

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Oct. 31, 1938, Wilmington Morning News

City, nation in panic after radio drama is mistaken for fact

Hysteria among radio listeners throughout the nation and actual panicky evacuations from sections of the metropolitan area resulted from a too-realistic radio broadcast last night, describing a fictitious and devastating visitation of strange men from Mars.

Excited and weeping persons all over the country swamped newspaper and police switchboards with the question: “Is it true?”

It was purely a figment of H.G. Wells’ imagination with some extra flourishes of radio dramatization by Orson Welles, broadcast by the Columbia Broadcasting System ….

The program opened with a routine announcement that another of the Mercury Theater of the Air’s radio dramatizations — H.G. Wells’ novel, “The War of the Worlds” — was about the be presented. The drama began with dance music which was interrupted after a few seconds with a breath-taking announcement in news broadcast tempo: “We interrupt our program of dance music to bring you a special bulleting from the Intercontinental Radio News. Twenty minutes before eight, Professor Farrell of the Mt. Jennings Observatory, Chicago, Illinois, reports observing several explosions of incandescent gas occurring at regular intervals on the planet Mars. An object was reported moving toward the Earth with enormous velocity like a jet of blue gas shot from a gun”….

In Wilmington, telephone switchboards of the Morning News and police headquarters were jammed with calls from half-hysterical residents who wanted to know what they should do. One man rushed into a mid-city restaurant and created a near panic by excitedly announcing the invasion from Mars with the warning that, “They’ll be here any minute.”

Another broke into a service at a suburban church to get his mother. He said he was going to “take her to safety” and warned the rest of the congregation to leave….

After the program, Iowa Sen. Clyde L. Herring (D) said he planned to introduce a bill in the next session of Congress “controlling just such abuses as was heard over the radio tonight.”

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Nov. 2, 1950, Journal-Every Evening

President Truman survives assassination attempt

President Truman’s guard was increased and extraordinary precaution taken for his safety today while the Secret Service dug into whether others were involved in the attempt to kill him by two fanatics for Puerto Rican independence.

The investigation centered on questioning of Oscar Collazo, 37, one of the two men who tried yesterday to blast their way with pistol shots into Mr. Truman’s official home, Blair House, but were cut down by the bullets of guards.

While repairs are being made at the White House, the President still conducts his business there but he and his family live across the street in Blair House.

Collazo fell on the steps of Blair House after being shot in the chest, but was reported today to be “in fine shape.” His companion, Griselio Torresola, was killed by a bullet through the head.

Three police officers were wounded in the battle. One, Pvt. Leslie Coffelt, 40, died last night ….

Reach reporter Ben Mace at rmace@gannett.com.

This article originally appeared on Delaware News Journal: Cuban crisis, Phils win Series: News Journal archives, week of Oct. 29