╥After all the lend-lease we sent to Britain, did they have to do this to us?╙ Such was the comment of a distinctly square member of the New York community today after hearing of the Beatle arrival. But there are not many squares in New York today.
Physically, the Beatle invasion was launched just after 1 p.m. when their air liner touched down to pandemonium at Kennedy Airport. But in fact New York has been in the tightening grip of Beatlemania for some weeks and the arrival merely confirmed that the idols really do exist in body as well
as voice.
There were more than three thousand teenagers at the airport who had rallied from distant states as well as New York City, had skipped schools, faced dismissal from their jobs, and were carrying placards that had such amorous slogans as ╥I love you, please stay.╙ Just as there had been weeping when they left London, so there was weeping when the Beatles arrived here. But here the tears were for joy.
Shouts and squeals
There were shouts, too, and squeals when the four Beatles with their numerous entourage emerged from the plane. Maximum police protection had been called out for them ╤ the kind of arrangement that is usually produced for kings and presidents. Certainly without the police barriers little would be left of the Beatles by now ╤ just everyone wanted to get a close sniff of the Beatle aura.
There will be a hundred policemen permanently with them while they are in the city ╤ and one of the policemen drily remarked that the world had gone mad. He could not recall similar scenes since General MacArthur was recalled from Korea.
Today, radio stations from early morning had been playing Beatle records, and yeah, yeah, yeah is on everybody╒s lips. Even staid correspondents were seen today doing their work to the Beatle rhythm and in a supermarket the transistor was playing on a pile of oranges as the clerk packed up my purchases.
At my hairdressers, calls were pouring in from all manner of male hopefuls asking if their hair could be set in Beatle fashion, and Beatle wigs have been on sale for some time.
