Author: webuiltitblog

The “Cold War” prisoner exchange is the story of a prisoner exchange between the US and USSR in 1962, at the height of the “Cold War.”  Currently, it is being depicted in the movie “Bridge of Spies” starring Tom Hanks and directed by Steven Spielberg.

Anyone over the age of 60 remembers the so-called “Cold War” between the US and the USSR – drills in schools where kids cowered under their desks (like that would do any good in the event of a nuclear attack), Russian missiles in Cuba, the Bay of Pigs fiasco, Russian leader Nikita Khrushchev pounding his shoe on his desk while speaking at the UN.  Those were scary times, tense times.  Many people feared the world would end at any time in the fireball of a nuclear holocaust.  That was the historical context of the Cold War prisoner exchange.

There were a lot of intracacies and subplots to the situation, but basically, we had their spy, Rudolf Abel, and they had our U-2 pilot, Francis Gary Powers.  Each one possessed significant sensitive information.  Therefore, each country wanted its man back – badly.  An additional complication was that East Germany was detaining an American graduate student, Frederic Pryor, who was an innocent pawn in the drama.  Furthermore, the US could not be seen as negotiating with East Germany because, officially, it did not recognize East Germany as a “country.”  It needed the negotiations to be handled by a non-government person, in secret, without official sanction.  That is the essence of the back story.

Enter James Donovan.  Donovan was not a diplomat.  He was not an experienced negotiator per se.  He was not connected to the government in any way.  He was simply a partner in a NY-based law firm specializing in insurance cases.  There was nothing in his background that prepared him to negotiate an extremely delicate prisoner exchange with the Soviets and East Germans at the height of the Cold War in East Berlin without any official government sanction or protection.  He had defended Abel in 1957 as a favor to the Brooklyn Bar Association in order that Abel, heinous as his crimes were, could receive the “due process” guaranteed by the US Constitution.  Abel, an extremely successful Soviet spy, had been found guilty of espionage and “failing to register as a foreign agent.”  (In the movie, the Abel character responds to that absurd charge by asking facetiously how many foreign agents actually bother to register?)  Even though Abel was convicted, Donovan managed to save him from being executed.  In a remarkable piece of foresight Donovan had argued successfully that by keeping Abel in prison the US could possibly use him prospectively in exchange for a valuable American held by the Soviets.

That opportunity arose when the Soviets captured Powers in 1960.  Powers had been flying a U-2 spy plane, equipped with the latest and most sensitive surveillance equipment over Russian soil.  The Russians tried and convicted Powers of espionage and sentenced him to ten years. The government (CIA?) convinced Donovan, whom Abel trusted, to negotiate unofficially.  They were not really interested in securing Pryor’s release, but Donovan was.  He had to travel to East Berlin as a private citizen without diplomatic “cover” and negotiate with shadowy people who were likely connected to Soviet  and East German espionage agencies.  At the time, East Berlin was a very dangerous and lawless place.  The Berlin Wall had just been constructed.  Donovan had to deal not only with the East German police, who often acted as they pleased, but also gangs of thieves who roamed wild and unfettered.  Additionally, the obvious risk was that if things were to go “sideways,” he was on his own.

Another complication was that even though the USSR had some degree of control over East Germany the latter had its own agenda, which did not necessarily coincide with that of the former.  There were many twists and turns, but ultimately Donovan not only pulled it off, but he also managed to secure Pryor’s release.  On February 10, 1962 Abel and Powers were exchanged at the Glienicke Bridge, which separated East and West Berlin, and Pryor was released through “Checkpoint Charlie.”  This was a tremendous feat accomplished under the most trying circumstances.

CONCLUSION

So what became of Donovan, Powers and Pryor?  A few years later, Donovan successfully negotiated the release of 1,100 survivors of the failed Bay of Pigs invasion and 8,500 political prisoners from Cuba. Later, he became vice president of the NYC Board of Education and president of the Pratt Institute in Brooklyn.  He ran unsuccessfully for the US Senate in 1962.  He died in 1970.

Powers was not exactly received as a conquering hero upon his return.  Many thought he should have destroyed the plane and the sensitive equipment onboard rather than permit it to fall into Soviet hands and/or taken the “optional” suicide pill provided by the CIA.  He was called to testify before the Senate Armed Services Select Committee (whose members included Barry Goldwater and Prescott Bush – George’s father and W’s grandfather).  Eventually, it was determined that he had followed orders and had not divulged any crucial information to his captors.  Powers worked as a test pilot for Lockheed Aviation and then as a helicopter reporter for a news station in Los Angeles where he died in 1977 in a tragic helicopter crash while on the job.

Pryor achieved success as an academic at various well-known universities as both a professor and researcher.  In addition, he has written over a dozen books primarily dealing with the economy in communist countries.  Currently, he lives in the Philadelphia area.

I just read a truly amazing book about the Holocaust. The story is even more compelling because it is true. I know there have been many novels, movies and plays dealing with this horrible subject, but this one stands out, and I recommend it heartily. It is called “Dancing with the Enemy: My Family’s Holocaust Secret” by Paul Glaser.

Briefly, so as not to give away too much of the plot, it is about a Catholic man living in the Netherlands in the 1970s who, by happenstance, discovers his Jewish heritage. Along the way, he discovers a long-lost aunt named Rosie, who was imprisoned in various camps during WWII and is the heroine of the story. It is told as two simultaneous stories – Rosie and her desperate struggle to survive and Paul and his tale of discovery.

Rosie proves to be a remarkably resourceful person who does whatever is necessary to survive as she is thrust into one horrendous situation after another. She is betrayed to the Nazis, in turn, by her husband, brother-in-law, lover and friends. She survives by inventing ways to be useful to her captors. Since she speaks German fluently she becomes an interpreter, at times even befriending lonely German soldiers and prison guards who miss their families and loved ones. She has administrative skills, so she becomes an administrator. She has skills as a dancer and song writer, so she writes songs and poems, plays the piano, and dances for them (hence the title). And, yes, being attractive, she becomes a lover to a couple of them. Rightly or wrongly, she does whatever is necessary to survive.

This raises the moral question concerning Jewish prisoners and concentration camp victims who cooperated with the Nazis guards in order
to survive. It has been well documented that many prisoners did so and were hated by the other prisoners for it. It is easy to criticize their actions after the fact, but you have to ask yourself what you would do in their situation. Would you cling to your principles regardless of the consequences, or do whatever is necessary to survive? Not an easy dilemma to solve. Personally, I cannot condemn Rosie for what she did. It appears she was not an informant against other prisoners, which would have been a different story in my mind.

One of the surprising and disturbing subplots of the story is the considerable degree to which the non-Jewish Dutch cooperated with the Nazis. According to the author his research disclosed that the Dutch police and even ordinary citizens, rather than resisting the Nazis, were willing and sometimes enthusiastic participants in enforcing the anti-Jewish laws and practices. Frequently, they would turn Jews in for a reward. Some of them even stole property that had been entrusted to them. Others were indifferent to the plight of the Jews, particularly if their economic and personal situation was stable. For them, life under the Nazi occupation went on relatively normally; therefore, they didn’t really care about the plight of the Jews. Reading the story, I couldn’t help but contrast their actions and inactions with those of the Danes and Swedes, for example. Approximately, 72% of the Dutch Jews perished during the War. 72%!

As if the foregoing were not enough, after the War the Dutch government, in many cases, refused to return property and in some cases pursued the surviving Jews for “back taxes.” According to the author most of the non-Jewish Dutch didn’t seem to oppose these policies. Consequently, many Jews who had escaped to other countries, including Rosie, resisted returning. Many emigrated to Israel, or other more welcoming countries, such as the US or Canada. Others simply remained where they were. Rosie remained in Sweden even though the Dutch government tried to coerce her to return. She married and made a life for herself there.

CONCLUSION

This personalized account provides a perspective of life in the Netherlands under the Nazis of which I had not been aware. You will not be able to put the book down!

Yesterday, Yogi Berra, lovable “King of the Malaprop,” passed away of “natural causes” at the age of 90.  Although he initially built his reputation as a superb baseball player he also achieved much notoriety for his “Yogisms.”  They sounded funny and weird, but, in a convoluted way, they actually made sense.

Lawrence Peter “Yogi” Berra was born on May 12, 1925 in St. Louis.  His parents were poor first generation Italian immigrants.  They believed in hard work and saw little value in their children playing sports.  Supposedly, Yogi’s older brothers had to work really hard to convince them to let him pursue a baseball career.  Thank God they did.

Two other soon-to-be famous boys lived on the same block – Joe Garagiola and Jack Buck.  Garagiola was actually widely considered to be the better baseball prospect, and the hometown St. Louis Cardinals chose to sign him instead of Yogi.  Garagiola became a journeyman major league catcher and had better success as a broadcaster and entertainer, demonstrating that scouting is an inexact science.  Buck became one of the most accomplished baseball announcers of his generation and was the “Voice of the Cardinals” for many years.  (Younger readers will be more familiar with his son, Joe, who has followed in his footsteps.)   As a result of their success the name of the street on which they lived was later changed to “Hall of Fame Place.”  There is a story that Branch Rickey, the general manager of the Cardinals, actually liked Yogi. Supposedly, he purposely didn’t sign him because he was leaving to go to the Dodgers.  He was hoping to save him for the Dodgers.  In any event, before Rickey could pull off that coup the Yankees signed Yogi for the bargain price of $500.  I would say they got their money’s worth.

After serving in the US Navy during WWII as a gunner’s mate and a brief stint in the minor leagues Yogi made his major league debut on September 22, 1946.  As they say, the rest was history.  Supposedly, Yogi’s nickname is derived from his habit of sitting with his arms and legs crossed like a Hindu yogi.  Sounds good to me.

Yogi is widely regarded as one of the best catchers in baseball history. In particular, he was a fabulous “clutch” hitter.  Consequently, many opposing pitchers actually feared to face him in a big spot more than any other Yankee, even the more famous Mickey Mantle.  In addition, he was one of the best “bad ball ” hitters of his time.  He had the facility to hit a pitch up by his eyes or down by his ankles.  Yogi often said “If I can hit it, it’s a good pitch.”

Below please find a few of Yogi’s professional accomplishments:

1. He was an All-Star for 15 years and played in 18 such games.
2. He won three AL MVP awards (1951, 1954 and 1955).
3. He holds numerous World Series records, including most games, at-bats, hits, doubles, catcher put-outs, games caught, Series appearances (18 as a player, coach and manager), and, most importantly, Series won (ten).
4. After retiring as a player, he managed or coached the Yankees, Mets and Astros.
5. He caught the only perfect game in World Series history (by Don Larsen in 1956).
6. He was elected to the Baseball Hall of Fame in 1972.  That same year, the Yankees “retired” his number 8.
7. “The Sporting News” included him on its list of the “100 Greatest Baseball Players.”
8. The fans voted him onto the “MLB All-Century Team.”

CONCLUSION

This piece would not be complete without discussing Yogi’s unique way of “turning a phrase.”  His famous “malapropos” obscured the fact that he was a superb baseball player and an underrated manager.  Below please find, in no particular order, a list of my favorites:

1.  “When you get to a fork in the road, take it.”
2. “It’s like ‘deja vu’ all over again.”
3. Referring to a popular Italian restaurant, “no one goes there anymore.  It’s too crowded.”
4. “Baseball is 90% mental, and the other half is physical.”
5. “Always go to other people’s funerals; otherwise, they won’t go to yours.”
6. “You better cut the pizza into four slices.  I’m not hungry enough to eat six.”
7. “How can you think and hit at the same time?”
8. Referring to the Yankees penchant for “comeback ” victories: “It gets late early out here.”
9. “Pair up in threes.”
10. Referring to Sandy Koufax after the he led a Dodgers sweep of the Yankees in 1963: “I can see how he won 25 games.  What I don’t understand is how he lost five.”
11. “So, I’m ugly.  I saw anyone hit with his face.”
12. “I never said most of the things I said” (probably true).  For example, golfers often attribute to Yogi the saying “90% of short putts don’t go in.”  If he didn’t say it, he should have.
13. And my personal favorite, while commenting on the Mets seemingly insurmountable deficit during the 1973 pennant race:  “It ain’t over till it’s over” (turned out to be accurate).

What’s your favorite “Yogism?”  I’d like to know.

Finally, as a lifelong Dodgers fan and Yankees hater, I rooted against Yogi, but I respected and feared him, especially with the game on the line.  Yogi, you were one of a kind.  Rest in peace.  We will miss you.

Finally, some good news! Nowadays, it seems that all the news we hear is dire. North Korea, which is run by an unpredictable mad man, has nuclear weapons capacity; Iran will likely have it in due course; Russia stalks Eastern Europe with impunity with no fear of retribution from a timid world; ISIS and other radical Islamic Jihadists have formed a Caliphate in the Middle East and threaten to annihilate Israel and the US; the economy is static, at best; there is racial and political conflict reminiscent of the 1960s; the Federal government seems to be ineffective; and we have been hit with one political scandal after another seemingly without end. I may have omitted one or two issues, but you get the idea.

Amid all of the foregoing, however, we finally got some good news last month, something to make us feel good about ourselves, even if only for a few days. Three normal, everyday Americans – Alek Skarlatos, Anthony Sadler and Spencer Stone – were able to foil an Islamic terrorist on a passenger train in France. These three men had grown up together in the Sacramento area and were lifetime friends. They had gone their separate ways. Skarlatos is a member of the National Guard; Sadler is a college student; and Stone is a member of the Air Force. They were on vacation together and were enjoying a quiet, relaxing train ride to Paris. By now, you’re all familiar with the story. An Islamic terrorist, armed with an assault rifle, a pistol and a box cutter, began to fire randomly on other passengers. There was no one to stop the man – no security guards or even railroad employees in sight. This had the potential to turn into a significant terror attack like many others we have seen in recent years. But, the heroes foiled the attack. They bravely took it upon themselves to subdue the gunman. According to the heroes they didn’t think; they just reacted. Furthermore, they stated not only were the railroad employees no help, one of them was actually an impediment during the struggle for the terrorist’s weapons. Mr. Stone was the first to charge the terrorist, but he was joined quickly by the other two. Mr. Stone was stabbed in the melee.

Afterwards, the President of France, Francois Hollande, presented them with the country’s highest civilian honor, the Legion of Honor. Back in the US they became celebrities appearing on various news programs and talk shows. Their home town honored them with a parade. One trivia point: the Mayor of Sacramento is one Kevin Johnson, former star NBA guard known as “KJ” during his playing days. Mr. Skarlatos is appearing on “Dancing with the Stars,” and best of all, they were invited to the White House where they met President Obama. (Regardless of one’s political leanings it has to be a tremendous honor to actually meet the President.)

Incidentally, France’s state-run railroad company, SNCF, conducted an internal investigation, which, to no one’s surprise absolved its employees of any malfeasance. It said that one of the guards “confronted” the gunman, and the actions of two of the conductors caused him to “lose enough time” to enable the Americans to subdue him. Despite this “spin,” it is significant to note that the company has implemented enhanced security procedures and employee training.

CONCLUSION

It should be noted that despite the military background of two of the heroes they were not trained in counterterrorism, nor was it their responsibility to intercede. They were just brave men who saw a developing situation and reacted without regard for their safety. Most of us would like to think we would have reacted similarly, but who knows.

It’s been a while since I published a quiz, so here it is.  This one is on American history and geography.  Test your knowledge.  Are you smarter than a fifth grader?  No peeking at the internet.

1.  The only US President to serve two terms non-consecutively was:

(a)  Theodore Roosevelt; (b) James Madison; (c) James Monroe; (d) Grover Cleveland

2.  The first state to secede from the Union before the Civil War was:

(a)  South Carolina;  (b)  Georgia;  (c)   Alabama;  (d) Florida

3.  Mount Rushmore is located in which state?

(a) North Dakota;  (b) Montana;  (c)  Idaho;  (d) South Dakota

4.  All of the following facts about Abraham Lincoln are true EXCEPT:

(a)  He did not graduate from college; (b) he did not have a middle name; (c) he was a lawyer; (d) he served in the US Senate.

5.     The first state to ratify the US Constitution was:

(a)  Georgia; (b) Virginia; (c) Delaware; (d) Massachusetts

6.  Fifty-six delegates to the Second Continental Congress signed the Declaration of Independence.  The most from any one state was nine.  Which one was it?

(a)  Virginia; (b) Pennsylvania; (c) Massachusetts; (d) New York

7.  During the War of 1812 the hero of the Battle of New Orleans was:

(a)  Andrew Jackson; (b) John Paul Jones; (c) Davy Crockett; (d) Daniel Boone

8.  Of the states listed below, which is the most populous?

(a)  New York; (b) Florida; (c) Texas; (d) Illinois

9  Which is the eastern-most state?

(a) Florida; (b) Maine; (c) Alaska; (d) Virginia

10.  Which is the western-most state?

(a)  Alaska; (b) Hawaii; (c) California; (d) Washington

11.  Which is the southern-most state?

(a)  Florida; (b) Texas; (c) Mississippi; (d) Hawaii

12.  Which war started with an assassination?

(a)  Crimean; (b) Revolutionary; (c) WWI; (d) WWII

13.   Which of the following was NOT President during the Vietnam War?

(a)  Truman; (b)  Eisenhower;  (c)  Ford;  (d) Nixon

14.  WWII began on 9/1/39 when Germany invaded which country?

(a)  Austria;  (b) Czechoslovakia; France; (d) Poland

15.  What year was “9/11?”

(a)  2000; (b) 2001; (c) 2002; (d) 2003

16.  The state in which the highest number of Presidents were born was:

(a)  Virginia; (b)  Ohio; (c) Missouri; (d) California

17.  The first signer of the Declaration of Independence to become President was:

(a)  George Washington; (b) John Adams; (c) Thomas Jefferson; (d) Benjamin Franklyn

18.  The President of the US during WWI was:

(a)  Taft; (b) Hoover; (c) Wilson; (d) Teddy Roosevelt

19.  The last of the 48 contiguous states to join the Union was:

(a)  Hawaii; (b) Utah; (c) Arizona; (d) Wyoming

20.   During WWI which of the following was NOT one of the Central Powers?

(a)  Germany; (b) Bulgaria; (c) Ottoman Empire; (d) Italy

ANSWERS: 1. (d), 2.  (a), 3. (d); 4.  (d), 5. (c),  6. (b),  7. (a), 8.  (b),  9. (c), 10. (a), 11. (d), 12. (c), 13. (a), 14.(d), 15. (b), 16.  (a) (8), 17. (b), 18. (c), 19. (c), 20. (d)

Please let know how you did.

This is an ultimate feel-good story. It is about a person who refused to be limited by his handicap. Indeed, he might insist that he is not handicapped at all, and in view of all that he has achieved in his life it would be hard to argue with him.

Erik Weihenmayer was born on September 23, 1968. At the age of five he was diagnosed with juvenile retinoschisis. Soon after, he went totally blind. To be clear, Erik is not merely legally blind; he is TOTALLY blind. He sees nothing.

Even as a child, Erik refused to make concessions to his blindness. For example, as his sight deteriorated he resisted using a cane and learning braille. Instead he held on to living like a person with normal sight as long as possible.

In High School, despite his blindness,he became a champion wrestler, competing in the National Junior Freestyle Wrestling Championships. Imagine, he would routinely defeat opponents he couldn’t even see. Later, he tried rock climbing. Incredibly, even though he couldn’t see the rock face he became proficient at using his hands and feet to locate the proper “holds.” He was a “natural.” He graduated from Boston College with a double major in English and Communications. He became a school teacher and wrestling coach.

But, Erik was not satisfied. He wanted more. So, again, refusing to acknowledge his physical limitations he began to challenge himself. Below please find some highlights of his achievements:

a. He started mountain climbing in 1995. His first conquest was Mt. McKinley. Since then, he has scaled many other noteworthy mountain peaks, including El Capitan in Yosemite, Carstensz Pyramid in New Guinea, and the biggie, Mt. Everest, the only blind person to have done so. He has completed the famous Seven Summits, again, the only blind climber to have done so.

b. He has developed into an athlete, adventurer, author, activist and motivational speaker.

c. He was the subject of a Time Magazine cover story.

d. He is the author of “Touch the Top of the World: A Blind Man’s Journey to Climb Farther Than the Eye Can See”and “The Adversity Advantage, Turning Everyday Struggles into Everyday Greatness.”

e. In 2005 he co-founded “No Barriers USA,” which assists and encourages those with special challenges to live more active and meaningful lives. The organization’s motto is “What’s Within You Is Stronger Than What’s In Your Way!” Injured soldiers are a major focus of the organization.

f. In 2011, his 3-person team competed on ABC’s Expedition Impossible, a race across the deserts and mountains of Morocco, finishing second.

g. He has completed the Leadville 100 Mountain Bike Race, at elevations above 10,000 feet, and Primal Quest, an adventure race over 460 miles with 60,000 feet of elevation gains.

CONCLUSION

Erik’s accomplishments speak for themselves. They stand as an inspiration not only to other special needs individuals, but to all of us.

Long-time readers of my blogs realize that lately I have refrained from writing about controversial political issues.  The reason is that my experience has been that regardless of the topic or my opinion on it I have found that I end up offending some of you. Consequently, I have been blogging on “feel-good” stories, historical pieces, quizzes, humor or sports. However, this blog on the “Black Lives Matter” Movement will be an exception.  To paraphrase the late Lesley Gore: “It’s my blog, and I can write what I want to.”

The BLM Movement has been gaining traction. Many supporters, not just blacks, but other liberal-minded people as well, have expressed the opinion that the police routinely target blacks. Others feel just as strongly that the aforementioned opinion is based on a false narrative. They say the overwhelming majority of police are just trying to do a difficult job as best they can and that in very few of the police-on-black incidents have the police been at fault. I have been following this issue closely for many months as I’m sure many of you have, and my opinion is as follows:

1. The overwhelming majority of police do not target blacks.  They are just trying to do their jobs as well as they can and go home to their families at the end of the day.  Yes, there are some bad cops, just like there are bad accountants, plumbers, and politicians.  But, it is ludicrous to think that the typical policeman goes to work with the attitude: “I’m going to kill me a black or Hispanic today.”
2. The press and politicians have inflamed the situation. For example, whenever there has been an incident of police versus a black person the press has covered it extensively, both on television and in print.  Fair enough, but I don’t believe the coverage has been fair and balanced.   For example, in the Ferguson incident most of the press had prejudged that Officer Wilson was guilty. “Hands up, don’t shoot” became the famous mantra that still resonates. However, when the local and Federal investigations, including the one by Eric Holder’s Department of Justice, exonerated Wilson and debunked the story that Mr. Brown had ever even raised his hands, the press coverage was scant and the politicians were nowhere to be seen.
3. Furthermore, the press underreported the extensive, massive looting in Ferguson. Businesses, most of them, minority-owned, were destroyed. Looters, most of them outsiders, merely used the protests as an excuse to steal, destroy and even murder.
4. Many politicians, from the President on down to local officials, and even those now running for President took partisan positions that were not always based on fact, but rather were designed to appeal to their political supporters.
5. Black leaders, such as Jesse Jackson and Al Sharpton have also inflamed the situation with their rhetoric and prejudgment.
6. Most egregious of all have been the protest marches in which people chanted inflammatory anti-police statements such as “What do we want? Dead cops. When do we want it? Now” and the descriptive “Pigs in a blanket.”  One could argue that the recent cop assassinations were a direct result of their actions.

CONCLUSION

The rhetoric on both sides has become overwhelmingly strident, and neither side has been in a mood to listen to the other. I would like to believe that the protest marchers, slogan-chanters, and looters represent a very small minority. They are just the ones getting the press coverage, which goes back to my earlier point. Furthermore, they are part of the problem, not the solution, because their actions, rather than garnering support, appall most Americans.

The only way we have a chance of resolving this issue is if we discuss it calmly and rationally. To paraphrase the late Vice President, Spiro Agnew, I believe there is a “silent majority” with respect to this issue that wants a peaceful resolution.

No one wants even to talk about the major underlying issues.

1. The deterioration of the family structure in minority families. Approximately, 74% of blacks are born out-of-wedlock. It has been proven that a child, any child, in a single parent household has a significantly lesser chance at success in life. Typically, a single mother has to devote all her energy to earning a living wage; she has scant time and energy to address raising her children.  Thus, the cycle of poverty and violence is perpetuated from generation to generation.
2. Children of single parents are more likely to drop out of school and fall under the influence of the streets. Again, it has been proven that lack of a good education is the biggest single indicator of economic success or failure in life. We all know the inevitable results of hanging out in the streets – death, prison or poverty.
3. The overwhelming percentage of crime in the cities is black on black. Therefore, the supreme irony is that the same cops that are being vilified are actually protecting law-abiding blacks.

If Dr. Martin Luther King were alive today he would be appalled at the violence surrounding this issue. He was a great leader because he was able to address and resolve issues without violence. He was able to convince others that violence does not solve the problem; it exacerbates it by hardening the positions on both sides and it impedes progress.

I would welcome your comments on this issue. As I said, I know there are strong feelings and emotions on both sides. In particular, I would welcome comments from readers who reside outside the US.  What do you think of us when you see the strident rhetoric and violence?

Thirty-nine years ago this past July commandos of the Israeli Defense Forces pulled off a bold rescue mission that stunned the world.  Briefly, the background of the operation was as follows:

1. On June 27, 1976 terrorists belonging to the Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine hijacked an Air France jetliner with 248 passengers on board.
2. The stated objective was to trade the hostages for various Palestinians that were being held in jail in various countries.
3. They forced the crew to fly the jet to Entebbe Airport in Uganda where they would be under the protection of Ugandan dictator Idi Amin who was sympathetic to their cause.
4. Over the ensuing couple of days the hijackers released the non-Jewish passengers and continued to hold the Jewish passengers.
5. The French crew insisted on staying with the Jewish captives.
6. The hijackers made it clear that if their demands were not met they would kill the hostages.
7. To put this incident in perspective it was just four years after the terrorist group, Black September, had slaughtered eleven members of the Israeli Olympic team at the Munich Olympics in 1972. Some of you may recall that the German police had botched a rescue attempt at the airport, which precipitated the carnage.
8. In addition, it was less than three years after Israel had defeated a coalition of Arab States in the “Yom Kippur War.” Relations between Israel and the Arab World were “not so good,” to put it mildly.
9. There seemed to be no way to resolve the situation satisfactorily, either by negotiation or rescue. No country was willing to help Israel overtly. It looked like another disaster in the making.
10. But, unbeknownst to the rest of the world, the Israelis had other ideas.

“Operation Thunderbolt” was conceived, planned and executed by the Israelis to rescue the hostages. Consider the audacity of the mission:

1. The hostages were being held over 2,000 miles away from Israel.
2. The Israelis had to fly through hostile territory, undetected, and carry out the mission in a hostile land.
3. Refueling was an issue until Kenya finally gave permission to fly through its airspace and refuel at one of its airports.
4. Reliable intelligence was very limited. For example, at one point the Israelis considered a plan whereby they would drop naval commandos into Lake Victoria, but they had to abandon that idea when they ascertained that the lake was infested with crocodiles.
5. But, against all odds, they managed to pull the raid off successfully.

On July 4, 1976, while the attention of the rest of the world was focused elsewhere, for example, Americans were focused on their bi-centennial celebrations the Israelis successfully rescued the hostages and flight crew. Many of you will recall the shock of waking up on July 4 to hear about the successful raid. Only three of the hostages were killed (out of 106). All seven terrorists and some 40 Ugandan troops were killed. Unfortunately, one Israeli commando (Yonatan Netanyahu, brother of the current Israeli Prime Minister) was killed.  The Israelis went in and out fast.  The entire operation lasted 53 minutes, 30 minutes of which included the actual battle.

CONCLUSION

The daring rescue was a rousing success. The hostages were rescued; the terrorists were killed. Much of the world admired Israel’s audacity in pulling off the operation successfully. The US and the UK called the raid an “impossible operation.”  France and Switzerland also offered praise. West Germany went so far as to label it “an act of self-defense.”

Unfortunately, as always, some people had a different view. The Chairman of the Organization of African Unity filed a complaint with the UN accusing Israel of aggression. It took the UN Security Council all of five days to convene to consider it. (It’s not often that the UN takes such prompt action, is it?  But such was the degree of antipathy toward Israel in many countries.)   The Secretary General of the UN, Kurt Waldheim, called the raid “a serious violation of the sovereignty of a Member State of the United Nations.”   I’m not aware of any comment by Waldheim condemning the actual hijacking, but that was no surprise considering his well-documented antipathy toward Jews. The UK and the US sponsored a “wishy-washy” resolution that deplored the loss of life resulting from the hijacking while, at the same time, re-affirming the principle of territorial integrity of all States, and the matter faded away.

Various books have been written on the raid. In addition, Hollywood produced a movie “Raid on Entebbe,” starring Charles Bronson, Peter Finch and Martin Balsam, which was released in 1977.

I believe the main takeaway from the raid was Israel demonstrating to the world that it would not take aggression against its civilians lying down. Terrorists would be hunted down and punished. This point was hammered home as Israeli operatives eventually hunted down and killed all the surviving members of the Black September terrorist group that had been responsible for the Munich Massacre.

JULIUS ROSENWALD

Most of you have probably never heard of Julius Rosenwald. Who was he, and why was he so significant to the advancement of African Americans in the US?  Read on.

JR was born on August 12, 1862 in Springfield, IL. His parents were German immigrants who owned a small clothing business. The family lived near and was acquainted with Abraham Lincoln.

At the age of 16 JR’s parents sent him to NY to apprentice with his mother’s relatives who were also in the clothing business. JR received no more formal education, but he became an extremely successful businessman.   While in NY he made the acquaintance of Henry Goldman, co-founder of the investment firm, Goldman, Sachs, who would become a key player in his later endeavors.

In 1890 he married Augusta Nusbaum, the daughter of a very successful competing clothier. Soon after, he moved his business to Chicago because he wanted to be closer to his clientele, which was located primarily in rural areas. Also, he developed the idea of selling men’s clothing in standardized sizes, which increased the efficiency of his operation considerably.

JR’s big opportunity came in 1893. At the time, Sears & Roebuck, had been primarily a watch manufacturer, however, its owners, Richard Sears and Alvah Roebuck were beginning to diversify.  As it happened, JR’s company was their primary supplier of men’s clothing.  S & R got overextended during the Panic of 1893 and ran up a substantial debt to JR, which they couldn’t pay. One thing led to another, and soon JR became half owner of S & R for an investment of less than $1 million.

JR’s forte was management. Under his direction, S & R flourished. It diversified into virtually every type of product, including dry goods, consumer durable goods, drugs, hardware, and furniture.  Whatever a rural household needed S & R could provide.   He developed the famous S & R Catalogue, which became the retail customer’s bible.  The catalogue enabled a customer in a remote location to order practically any product,  and after a short time it would be delivered.  This type of service was extremely valuable.   In reality, it was a primative version of shopping online.  Remember, at that time, America was largely a rural country comprised of farms and small towns.  Few people owned cars.  There were no highways.  One could not simply hop into the family car and go to the mall to shop.  Thus, S & R became very profitable and grew into a retail colossus.  As an aside, JR realized his chief competitor, Montgomery Ward, was also distributing a catalogue to the same clientele. JR came up with the idea of making his catalogue smaller so a customer who had both of them would likely stack his on top on the table.

In the early 1900s JR became interested in the plight of African Americans. He realized there was a severe lack of quality education available to them, especially in the South.  He was one of the first to recognize what we all know today to be true.  That is, a good education was the key ingredient in enabling poor people to break the cycle of poverty. Under the prevailing educational doctrine of “separate, but equal” AAs were being saddled with inadequate schools, lack of materials, such as books, and insufficient and/or unqualified teachers.  Although their education was indeed “separate,” it was far from “equal.”  Basically, they had very little chance to succeed virtually guaranteeing a continuation of the cycle of poverty. In addition, there were no funds available to remedy the situation.

Improving the quality of education became JR’s primary mission. In cooperation with prominent black educators, such as Booker T. Washington and William Baldwin over the rest of his life he arranged funding for the construction of over 5,000 schools in poor black areas throughout the South. They became known as “Rosenwald Schools.”  The aforementioned Henry Goldman assisted him in financing.

JR’s methodology was brilliant. He set up a fund, the Rosenwald Fund, to administer the program.  JR would agree to donate funds provided that the community matched it. This gave the community a stake in the success of the project.  In this manner, the Fund contributed matching funds in excess of $4 million for schools.  Furthermore, the Fund donated millions to build and support museums, housing developments, charities and universities.

Perhaps, the Fund’s crowning achievement was the Michigan Boulevard Garden Apartments on Michigan Avenue in Chicago, which was completed in 1929. Housing segregation was prevalent in the North at the time.  Therefore, as AAs fled the South to seek better opportunities in the North a severe housing shortage had developed. The purpose of this complex was to accommodate these working class minorities. It was one of the first complexes to combine residential and commercial properties. The Fund also supported the construction of YMCAs for minorities, some of which are still active today.

CONCLUSION

Through his fund JR had a substantial impact on the lives of thousands of AAs. It is impossible to quantify the effect precisely, because it is difficult to determine the precise value of a first-rate education. However, there is general agreement that it was a crucial component of their economic and social advancement from one generation to the next. Suffice to say, thousands of middle class AAs and their descendants owe their success, at least in part, to the opportunities presented to them by a Rosenwald School.

JR died on January 6, 1932. Despite his largesse he left an estate valued at more than $80 million, which was equivalent to $1.4 billion in today’s dollars.

July 4 was the 75^th anniversary of Lou Gehrig’s “Luckiest Man” speech, arguably the most famous speech in baseball history.  The name, Lou Gehrig, is all too familiar to many people who wouldn’t know a baseball from a football and could care less.  (Baseball fans would be surprised to know that there are an awful lot of people who fall into that category.)  He is one of the few people who is famous for more than one thing.  He is famous not only for being one of the greatest baseball players in history, but also for the fatal disease, which bears his name, amyotrophic lateral sclerosis, or ALS.  Laymen commonly refer to it as “Lou Gehrig’s Disease.”

The cause of ALS is unknown.  It  attacks and destroys the motor function of the central nervous system, but, at the same time, the patient’s mind remains fully cognizant of what is happening.  It is a progressive disease, relentless and incurable.  It is one of the most horrible ways to die, for the patient, his caregivers, his relatives, and his friends.

Lou Gehrig, aka “The Iron Horse,” or “Larrupin Lou,” was born in NYC on June 19, 1903.  He played 17 years in the Major Leagues, all for the Yankees.  He is generally regarded as one of the best baseball players in MLB history (#6 on the Sporting News’ all-time list) and the best first baseman (as voted by the Baseball Writers’ Association in 1969).  His accomplishments and awards would fill many pages, but I have listed the highlights below:

• Lifetime “slash” line (batting average, slugging percentage and on-base plus slugging percentage) of .340/.447/632 with 493 home runs and 1,995 RBI.  If the home run total seems relatively modest, remember that Gehrig played before the home run “inflation” of the last 40 years, and at the time of his retirement his total ranked near the top.
• Triple Crown winner in 1934, one of only 13 players to accomplish that feat in the “Modern Era” (after 1901).
• Seven-time all-star.
• Six-time World Series champion.
• Voted into the Baseball Hall of Fame.
• Played in 2,130 consecutive games
• Hit 23 grand slams.
• Hit four home runs in one game, one of only 14 payers to do and the first in the “Modern Era.”
• Two-time AL MVP.
• Leading vote getter on All-Century team voted by fans in 1999.

CONCLUSION

When Gehrig was diagnosed few people had even heard of the disease, much less understood it.  In fact, it was often confused with the more familiar polio.  The well-known sportswriter, Jimmy Powers, even wrote in his column that Gehrig had contributed to the Yankees sub par 1938 season by introducing the “polio germ” into the “Yankees clubhouse” as if ALS were some communicable disease.

During the 1939 season the disease had progressed to the point where Gehrig could no longer play effectively, and he was forced to retire.  The Yankees arranged for him to be honored between games of the July 4^th doubleheader at the Stadium.   Gehrig was shy, by nature, so when it came time for him to say a few words, he was reluctant to do so.  But, eventually he summoned the nerve and delivered a short, but poignant speech.  Afterwards, the crowd reacted with a two-minute ovation, and there were very few dry eyes among those who heard the speech either in person or over the radio.

The famous part where he characterized himself as “the luckiest man on the face of the earth” resonated with the public and was subsequently immortalized by Hollywood in the film “Pride of the Yankees.”  If you have the chance I recommend you play it on U-Tube.  It will be well worth your time.

Gehrig died on June 2, 1941, but, ironically the disease that killed him has also ensured that he will always be remembered.