HUMPHREY RUNS INTO A
ROMAN HOLIDAY
Rome
When Vice-president Hubert Humphrey visited Rome, his obvious intention was to avoid contact with the people and confine his socializing to the “top circles." But the people were afraid that Johnson's emissary might get a wrong impression of their city and that he really ought to get acquainted with at least the antiwar movement.
Special measures had been taken to spare the distinguished guest such an experience. Wherever he went, the screen of police was so thick he could hardly see the attractions which make Rome one of the world's great tourist centers. As an added touch that brought everything up to their standards of efficiency, American agents -- probably the FBI or some other alphabetical outfit -- stuck to the vicepresident like leeches. They kept checking their guns, too. When Kennedy was here, one of these members of the world's top-rated police had a most embarrassing experience. After being jostled a few times, he suddenly discovered that his Colt or Beretta, or whatever it is they wear, was gone -- swiped right out of the holster!
In response to a call issued by the committee opposing the war in Vietnam, members and sympathizers of the leftist parties demonstrated in various ways. There was wide distribution of a leaflet that read: "H. Humphrey: Wanted for Murder of 260,000 Vietnamese Children." Detergent coupled with a red dye was added to many fountains so that the water ran like blood. The flag of the National Front for Liberation was hoisted near the Colosseum. It also waved from the dome on St. Peter's Church.
Meetings and marches were staged in many places despite a police ban. (The authorities refuse permits to most demonstrations, especially if they could embarrass representatives of foreign governments.
When Humphrey arrived in town March 30, his itinerary called for a night at the opera. In the lounge a group of young Communists paid him their re-
spects. As they let go with little bags
of paint, 007's brave colleagues rose to
the occasion, evidently determined, no
matter what the risk, to save that
sharply creased suit. The youths, never-
theless, got their message across. While
Humphrey's suit was only lightly sprin-
kled, his bodyguards had rather exten-
sive mementos of the evening's enter-
tainment.
The Italian cops arrested a member
of the national leadership of the Commun-
ist Youth, who was there, and, along with
others, an American citizen named David
Blun.
The next day Humphrey was sched-
uled to get together with Italian govern-
ment officials. In the early evening the
area around the Palazzo Chigi, where the
prime minister's office is, began to fill
up with an unusual number of strollers.
Heavy contingents of police watched them
suspiciously and occasionally rounded up
groups and hauled them off to police sta-
tions.
At 7 p.m. the strollers -- about
3,000 in all -- formed into squads and
began shouting anti-imperialist slogans.
The police responded by going after then
with chains (carried for use as hand-
cuffs).
In the scuffling, a number of peo-
ple were hurt, including six policemen. A
reported 131 demonstrators were taken to
police stations and held until later in
the night. Seven were charged with par-
ticipating in a “seditious demonstration"
(this became an offense for the first
time in Italy under Mussolini). Among
those arrested were two Communist members
of parliament and a member of the Na-
tional Political Bureau (E. Berlinguer).
Traffic was completely blocked for
two hours. As the evening wore on, Com-
munist leaders tried to get the youth to
break it off. "That's enough," a local
Communist leader told a group of young
demonstrators; "the demonstration is
over." He got a salty response. One of
them invited him to go perform an act
that is generally not even mentioned,
still less done, in polite company.
AND SEES PARIS IN THE