Fans Welcome Beatles
No writer Listed
The Times (San Francisco)
August 31, 1965
Some 2000 teenagers at the
International Airport were disappointed today when top flight security measures
saw the Beatles land, witnessed by four teenagers and three dozen newsmen. The
Beatles landed aboard a chartered Constellation at the old Pan American
terminal at 1:07 p.m. and left the plane to board a limousine for the Cow
Palace, where they performed at 2:30 p.m.
John Lennon handed a cigarette butt to
teenager Joan Sandell, one of the four girls present. Lennon also sang a song, “I'm
glad to be back in San Francisco,” after posing with the other four on the
steps.
Inside the Cow Palace, a private detective
agency lined up 70 security officers for the matinee performance and 95 for the
night show. 27 Daly City police officers were stationed outside the Cow Palace
today to help battle the expected hysteria. “All of our available sheriff's
deputies, regular and reserved, were on hand at the airport and will be on duty
at the Cow Palace,” Sheriff's Captain Eugene Stewart, in charge of security
preparation, said. “The cost of these
activities is extremely high to the taxpayers. These arrangements are being
made for the protection of the youngsters.”
The Beatles are scheduled to spend the night
at the Cabana in Palo Alto, where police are making preparations to handle a
crowd of 10,000 . The young idols will be flown from the airport tomorrow
directly to London.
The Cabana manager, Jack Melcher, said that,
among others, he has hired 25 husky University of Santa Clara football players
to protect the premises during the Beatles stay. There will be four separate
lines of defense around the hotel manned by 245 policemen, private detectives,
and football players. Nonetheless, Melcher said he expects to find a few sneak
through.
The Beatles had difficulty leaving
Hollywood last night when 200 fans mobbed the armored truck carrying them away.
Police and security guards brandished nightsticks to clear a path for the truck
and its cargo. About a dozen youngsters received minor injuries when they were
swept to the pavement by screaming fans running in pursuit of the Beatles who
departed for San Francisco.
Eight persons were arrested for entering the Bowl
without a ticket. Ten others were treated for hysteria. A Fire Department
helicopter hovered over the Bowl, blaring a warning through a bullhorn to
youngsters congregating on Canyon ridges adjacent to the Bowl.
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