Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1957-02-03
BY ROGER GREENE

Sixty seconds before President
Eisenhower's plane was set to roll.
Secret Service agents moved quietly
and swiftly to seize a shabbily
dressed man and woman who had
been lettering near the big silver
aircraft.
In the mans pockets, agents
found toy pistol-filled with plain
water.
Under questioning, the man and
woman unfolded a weird tale.
AS soon as the Presidents plane
began to move. they said. they
planned TO dash toward it, waving
the pistol. in the hope that Secret
Service guards would shoot them
down. Their mission: Suicide with
blaze of publicity.
The incident, hushed up by the
Secret Service. occurred about a
year ago.
Lit. Col. William G. Draper, the
Presidents personal pilot and Air
Force aide at the White House, cited
the episode by way of illustrating
how special Air Force guards and
Secret Service agents must keep a
constant vigil to protect the lite Of
the President when he travels by
plane.
Cronks q Menace
We get all kinds OF cranks and
cracKpots-you just wouldn't be-
lieve it." said Col Draper. who has
flown Mr.. Eisenhower more than
100000 miles since he became the
Chief Executives pilot in January
1858.
The Presidents plane-chris-
tened "Columbine III by Mrs.
Eisenhower after the State flower
of her native Colorado-is a four
engine Locxheed Super ConStel-
lation with a range Of 1000 miles
without refueling and a top speed
OF more than 335 niles per hour.
Technically owned by the Air
Fore" 1t cost more than $l.6l5,000.
Probably nothing except the Presi-
dents life. the Nations atomic
secrets and the gold at TT. Knox
is more closely guarded than the
Columbine III.
All members Of the crew are
crack pistol sharpshooters The
eight special Air Force guards-five
master sergeants and three tech
nical serseants--are trained by the
FBI, the Secret Service and Air
Force Intelligence in anti-Sabotage
methods.
Anyone who works on the plane.
including factory employe. is SUBJ
1ecte6 to a security check back to
his childhood.
Heavily armed guards keep "a
hour watch over the plane. whether
1t Is parked in its own hanger at
Washington National Airport or
elsewhere. Secret Service men
check all packages and luggage
brought aboard. A Secret Service
agent is always present when food
for the Columbine is bought at a
store and he stays with 1t until it
reaches the planes galley.
A Tour OF the Ship
BY special permission. after
rigid security checkup. l was shown
through the entire plane from cock
pit to tail, except for the secret
code room.
The President and Mrs. Eisen-
hoWer-when she accompanies him
on his frequent air travels--ride
in a comfortable but far from Law
ish 28-foot private cabin decorated
in pale green and beige.
Immediately forward are two
sleeping car style compartments,
capable If sleeping eight, for White
House staff members. Beyond those
are the crew quarters.
The Presidents staterOom has a
radio with four speakers and a
tape recorder for static free music.
but no nv set. The plane flies too
through one Nv channel
wave-lengtl after another--to
make television practical.
THE President sometimes comes
up front TO sit in the co-pilot's
seat when we're flying" said Col.
Draper It's quiet W there. ahead
OF the propeller noise. except for
the wind whistling around the nose
so far the President has never
taken over the controls. though