Page Six
THE MICHIGAN DAILY
Saturday, July 19, 1975
Planning ahead
for the President '
By BETH NISSEN
ST BEGAN WHEN Senator Bob Griffin
cordially extended an invitation to his
former Congressional colleague to visit
his Northern Michigan retreat and play
a round of golf with him. The intended
guest was the President of the United
States-when he accepted the Senator's
hospitable offer, an exxtensive machin-
ery of organization, coordination and
planning was set in motion.
Tie weekend visit would begin with
Ford's arrival in Traverse City, Michigan
on Friday. The President would serve as
Honorary Grand Marshall of the National
Cherry Festival's Cherry Royale Parade,
and then enjoy a reception at the Griffin
home. On Friday evening, Ford would
fly to Chicago to give the commence-
ment address at Chicago State Univer-
sity. He would return to Traverse City
on Saturday, play golf with Bob Griffin
and Gordie Howe in the afternoon and
attend a concert at the Interlochen Arts
Academy in the evening. The President
would tour Mackinac Island anld attend
Episcopal services on Sunday before re-
turning to Washington.
ORGANIZING this brief Presidential
visit involved a total of hundreds
of people in Northern Michigan, Chicago
and Washington, and as many hours.
The planning was centered in the Ad-
vance Office of the White House, an
office designed to coordinate the func-
tions and eefforts of several White House
staff offices, as well as the officials and
planning committees in the areas the
President was visiting. The Advance
Office represents the White House Com-
munications Office, Security (Secret
Service), the Press Office and the Presi-
dent's personal staff.
"An advance team represents all the
elements involved in Presidential travel,"
said Tom DeCair, a member of the Ad-
vance staff. "The team goes on a pre-
advance trip about two weeks before the
President's scheduled visit to meet with
:he local people who'll be involved, and
to make some preliminary arrangements.
The team goes on another advance trip
three to six days before the President's
trip to check the area, coordinate se-
curity, set up communications lines be-
tween the area and Washington, and
complete arrangements for the press and
the President's party."
THE PREPARATIONS and provisions
for even a weekend trip are extensive
and thorough.
The Traverse City officials and the
cherry Festival organizers who greeted
the President at the airport had to
receive security clearance. Security
clearance was also required for the en-
tire Parade Committee. All members of
the local and national press covering the
Presidential trip had to receive official
press accreditation.
Arrangements were made for over
twenty vehicles, including two buses for
he press and a flatbed truck to precede
the President's limousine in the parade,
For use by approved photographers. Two
Lincoln Continentals were rented from
a local auto dealer for use by members
of the Presidential party, one was set
aside as a spare in case the President's
car broke down-both were thoroughly
inspected by the Secret Service. The
Presidential touring limousine was flown
in in advance from Washington.
FILMS OF previous years' Cherry Fes-
tival parades had been sent to Wash-
ington at the end of June and viewed
by the Advance Office staff to give them
an indication of the normal length and
character of the parade, the size of the
usual annual crowds, and the lay-out
of the parade route.
The entire parade route was inspected
by Secret Service agents during the
three days prior to Ford's visit.
In previous years, parade spectators
had positioned themselves along the rdof-
tops of buildings along Front Street, the
first half of the parade route. This year,
the crowd was cordoned onto the side-
walk and the rooftops were the exclusive
perches of patrolling Secret Service
agents. A helicopter was assigned to fly
over the parade route when it was in
progress, and check the building tops and
surrounding areas.
THE PRESIDENT and First Lady attended a concert at the National Music
Camp at Interlochen during their recent swing through Northern Michigan.
T THE BEGINNING of the week, Se-
curity agents had gone door to door
through the business and residential
areas on either side of the parade route
requesting that no windows facing the
street be opened during the parade.
There was complete cooperation with
that request.
The President arrived in Traverse City
on time Friday morning and was trans-
ported directly from the airport to his
waiting limousine at the head of the
parade.
The crowds were behaved behind the
lines, talking nervously and pointing
toward the assembled parade at the end
of the street. Secret Service Agents cir-
culated throughs the crowd and in the
streets, perspiring in their dark suits
and little matchbox-size transmitters
held in their hands, and adjusting the
tiny receivers hung in their ears. State
Police, State Troopers and sheriff's depu-
ties from eleven counties were also on
hand to insure that the crowd remained
orderly behind the ropes.
AT 1:59, one minute before the parade
was scheduled to begin, a thin man
with a six-day beard ducked under the
cordon and walked down the inside of the
street toward the stationary parade,
carrying a small, crumpled brown paper
bag. He walked five blocks before one
of the uniformed police officers that
punctuated the crowd restraint ropes
asked him to please step behind the rope.
He complied and disappeared into the
crowd.
At 2:01, the parade began, led by
ranks of somber, red-kilted youths play-
ing a Scottish march on whining bag-
pipes. The flat-bed truck followed, the
photographers crammed like cattle into
the back. They preceded the Presiden-
tial limousine, the President and Mrs.
Ford half emerged from the automobile
through the roof, both waving and smil-
ing at the cheers and applause and fre-
quent cries of "There he is!
At two designated points during the
parade, the back doors of a parked mov-
ing van were opened and 12,000 helium-
filled red, white and blue balloons were
freed without bond into the sky. Directly
after the second balloon release, as the
parade rounded the corner onto Union
Street, the President said something to
a man walking alongside the car. The
limousine halted and the President and
his wife disappeared momentarily. The
President emerged, minus his sports
jacket and tie, and began to shake hands
along the side of the street. Secret Serv-
ice agents surrounded him, holding the
crowd back behind the single rope.
AS SPONTANEOUS as the Preseident's
move into the crowd seemed, it was
as planned as the parade route itself.
The President chose the most opportune
corner for photograph taking, directly in-
front of the large "photo-opportunity"
platform peopled by national and'state
media. Even the shedding of the Presi-
lential sportcoat was anticipated. He was
wearing a white short-sleeved polo shirt
under his jacket. Had the President not
planned to take off .his coat during the
parade, he would probably have worn a
short-sleeved dress shirt - Presidents of
the United States do not normally wear
ties with polo shirts.
At a motion by a man in a dark blue
suit, the President returned to the lim-
ousine, joined by Governor Milliken and
Senator Griffin, who, according to plan,
had abandoned their wives in cars fur-
ther back in the parade.
The parade left the business district
and entered the residential area. Groups
?f people stood on house porches and
lawn chairs, holding cans of beer, binoc-
ulars, cameras and toddling children up
to see the first President to visit Trav-
arse City. Children hung from tree
branches; Secret Service _people fre-
:uently glanced up. Hundreds of insta-
matic-clutching people crushed their
5ee PLANNING, Page 9
DENT AND MRS. FORD wave to well-wishers during the National Cherry Festival parade in Traverse City,
an last weekend. Ford served as the Grand Marshal during the gala event..