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..