After receiving a tip- off from a Durban informant the night before that there would be pre-dawn nationwide raids, I told the News Editor, and we arranged full front-page coverage, with reporters and photographers deployed at several homes from before dawn - The stroy of the raid on me and Eve is told below.
Tony Hall
There was a knock at the door...
Star, May 3rd 1961
There was a knock on the door, a torch flashed through the window and my wife cried out, "Who is it?"- and this was the first I knew of this morning's country-wide raid.
I opened the door and a policeman presented me with a warrent to search the house. As I read the warrent my first thought was "Ah, a scoop." Colonel Spengler was after information about the planned demonstrations at the end of May.
The sergeant said "Stay with us." and the two hour search began. Without question he picked up a copy of "The Journalist" and decided it must be "hot."
As the room-by-room examination got under way the seageant apologetically said "This is not pleasant work." "Yes." the security man agreed, "these late hours"...
My wife took pity on the visitors and half an hour later we all four sat down to a cup of coffee.
"Is this nationwide?" I asked, trying to get a lead for a story. The reaction was a stolid silence.
After paging through reams of private correspondence, children's picture-books, pamphlets and a suspicious looking book with a Russian title - "Tchaikovsky" - the sergeant gave me a receipt for a bundle of papers and Liberal Party magazines.
A quick search of the servant's room was followed by a cordial ."Goodnight." as the two figures faded into the misty dawn I called after them hopefully "Sure you cannot tell me if there are other raids?" Still no reply.
Tony Hall
There was a knock at the door...
Star, May 3rd 1961
There was a knock on the door, a torch flashed through the window and my wife cried out, "Who is it?"- and this was the first I knew of this morning's country-wide raid.
I opened the door and a policeman presented me with a warrent to search the house. As I read the warrent my first thought was "Ah, a scoop." Colonel Spengler was after information about the planned demonstrations at the end of May.
The sergeant said "Stay with us." and the two hour search began. Without question he picked up a copy of "The Journalist" and decided it must be "hot."
As the room-by-room examination got under way the seageant apologetically said "This is not pleasant work." "Yes." the security man agreed, "these late hours"...
My wife took pity on the visitors and half an hour later we all four sat down to a cup of coffee.
"Is this nationwide?" I asked, trying to get a lead for a story. The reaction was a stolid silence.
After paging through reams of private correspondence, children's picture-books, pamphlets and a suspicious looking book with a Russian title - "Tchaikovsky" - the sergeant gave me a receipt for a bundle of papers and Liberal Party magazines.
A quick search of the servant's room was followed by a cordial ."Goodnight." as the two figures faded into the misty dawn I called after them hopefully "Sure you cannot tell me if there are other raids?" Still no reply.
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