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SUNDAY. AUGUST S. 1962
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Skirmishes Highlight Hydrant Problem
New York - ilPH - There sat . major engagement in the tin
the green-and-aluminum fire ending conflict between the
hydrant, and there sat a 1959 city of New York and the UN
black Ford with "DPL" on its diplomats who flaunt their
license plate. immunity to New York's laws.
The lines were drawn for a Police commissioner after
! police commissioner had sur-
i rendered to the ancient doc
trine of diplomatic immunity
PUSHED FROM HYDRANT-
A car bearing DPL (diplo
matic) license plates is pushed
away from a fire hydrant by
fireman Andrew Callahan in
tne vicinity oi tne united a. Edward Thompson, 48. a for
Hons headquarters in this pic- j mcr rank-and-file smokeeat
ture taken recently. By declar- er with a passi0n about fire
mg war on diplomats who j plugs.
park near lire hydrants, i ire Symbol of Interference
which once protected an en
voy's horse as well as its mas
ter and now seemed to extend
to speed limits and parking
laws.
Up stepped a new contender
last week: Fire Commissioner
Commissioner Edward Thomp
son drew new battle lines in
the unending conflict between
the city of New York and UN
diplomats who flaunt their im
munity to its laws. (UP1)
To him, hvdrants had be
come a symbol of foreign in
terference with domestic se
curity. They were habitual
parking places for the drivers
i of New York's 859 diplomat
ically immune vehicles.
Thompson, who as an ex
judge knew the futility of or
dinary measures (summonses)
against diplomats, issued a
declaration of war:
"Parked cars that block fire
hydrants are a menace to life
and property. Whether owned
by just average New Yorkers
or even diplomats - they
will be towed away by the- fire
department."
Within a week, the fire de
partment had skirmished with
four nations, come under pro
test from the UN Secretariat
and gotten involved with the ;
U. S. State Department.
Skirmishes Noted
Skirmish No. 1 N.Y.F.D.
versus Nationalist China.
Newsmen report black Ford,
DPL 613, parked in hydrant
zone by east side skyscraper,
two blocks from UN. Thomp
son, just back from near-dis
aster (206 patients escape
three-alarm fire M Brook
lyn's St. Mary's hospital), or
ders Ihree-alarin flap. Three
fire chiefs clang up, also en
gine Co. 21. Battalion Chief
John De Pietri releases brake,
moves car. Cmdr. J. C. Wang,
Chinese military delegate to
UN. apologizes profusely.
Skirmish No. 2 N.Y.F.D.
versus Haiti. Ambassador Car
let Augusle, illegally parked
around the corner from Wang,
rejects protest from deputy
chief Bernard Dulberger and
deputy assistant chief Charles
Sireesler, almost brushes
Stresslcr with ambassadorial
Buick as he drives off; pro
tests to UN; UN protests to
mavor.
Skirmish No. 3 N.Y.F.D.
versus Somalia. Battalion
Chief De Pietri and assistant
chief of department Richard
Dcnahan ordered into action.
Ambassador Hassan Nur El
i mi's chauffeur refuses to move
Cadillac; then moves 13 feet
(the law says 15); finally
drives off.
! Skirmish No. 4 N.Y.F.D.
versus Japan. Second Secrc-
tary Wataru Hiraizumi's ma
! roon Buick parked by hydrant
in front of Grand Central hos
pital (one block from UN).
Deputy Chief Dulberger takes
: direct action: get in car, push
i es it down block.
Speaks Up for Parkers
Within 48 hours, the Uni
ted Nations was speaking up
i for its hydrant-parkers. C. V.
I Narasimham, Undersecretary
I for political afairs, protested
; to deputy mayor Edward F.
: Cavanagh Jr. That was prob
ably a mistake; Cavanagh had
been fire commissioner until
seven months ago.
, The deputy mayor informed
' the United Nations that diplo
mats will be given a week's
grace to adjust to the no-fireplug
rule.
It appeared a week might
not be necessary. Thompson
dispatched firemen on a two
hour hydrant check on a
j Thursday evening. They hand
ed out 364 tickets, towed away
11 cars whose owners could
n't be found. But not one of
the offenders had the "DPL"
symbol of diplomatic immu
nity. The state department, mean-
i while, took a position in favor
of both diplomats and fire
plugs. "A number of diplomats
having DPL plates have made
it known to the mission that
they are doing their best to
live up to the regulations ev-
j en though they have diplomat
j ic immunity," a spokesman
j for the American UN dcle
; gallon said.
in
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