Quick, Warm Gesture

One day last winter Editor Basil ("Stuffy") Walters of the Minneapolis Star had a fine idea. When King George and Queen Elizabeth reached Winnipeg on their tour of Canada (see p. 23), Minnesota would send a delegation to greet them, thereby stealing a march on the other 47 United States and providing the Star with a good promotion stunt. As the Royal Train neared Winnipeg last week the city was jammed with some 15,000 visitors from nearby States; twoscore U. S. bands were on hand to play God Save The King; a squadron of U. S. Army planes from Minneapolis was hovering overhead; and Minnesota's Governor Harold E. Stassen was waiting to be the first U. S. Governor to shake the Royal hands.

The night before in Winnipeg, Governor Stassen had addressed 400 guests at a civic reception in his honor. Subject: good will. That morning he had addressed 135 members of the Winnipeg Board of Trade at a good-will breakfast. The Governor's plump wife had spent several hours dressing for her presentation to the King and Queen. The Governor had donned his cutaway and striped trousers, plastered down his bright red hair.

The Star had been given the use of the Winnipeg Free Press's newsstands for the day. A special plane had left Minneapolis, 435 miles to the south, loaded down with copies of the early edition. Under an eight-column headline the Star played the story, written in advance, which it had worked so hard to promote:

"GOVERNOR, KING SHAKE

HANDS AT WINNIPEG

"Winnipeg--A governor and a king shook hands today.

"The governor was Harold E. Stassen of Minnesota.

"The king was George VI of England.

"The quick, warm gesture was symbolic of everything that has happened here in the past two days. . . ."

What took place in Manitoba Parliament Building was a newspaperman's nightmare--the awful thing that sometimes happens to newspapers that jump the gun. As Governor Stassen and his lady stepped into line to do their handshaking, a guard tapped the Governor on the shoulder, asked him to step aside. The Governor, his face as red as his hair, handed the guard a card. The guard sent it to Manitoba's Premier John Bracken, who was standing beside the King and Queen. Before the card reached the premier an aide took it, gave it one glance, laid it aside. The presentation ceremony ended minus the quick, warm gesture.

The best thing the Star could think of in the emergency was to try to cover up its blunder. The next edition announced:

"GOVERNOR HAS PLACE OF HONOR NEAR KING

"Winnipeg--A governor and a king sat side by side today.

"The governor was Harold E. Stassen of Minnesota.

"The king was George VI of England.

"The gesture was symbolic of everything that has happened here in the past two days. ..."

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