Riding the Planes Sky redefined security in the 1970s

ateline September 11th and a President Nixon was responding to a The hijacked Pan Am jet was flown to a somber U.S. president outlines series of organized skyjackings that occurred Cairo on the morning of Sept. 7 and the nation’s reaction to a string of on Sunday, Sept. 6, 1970. Within a four hour blown up after the passengers disembarked. airline hijackings. The year is not period, members of the Popular Front for The other two planes were held at Dawson’s 2001,D but 1970. And the president is Richard the Liberation of Palestine or PFLP took Field, a former British airfield in Jordan, and Nixon, whose foreshadowing 9/11 statement control of three New York-bound planes on Sept. 9, were joined by a hijacked British to the nation opened an important chapter from European cities: A TWA flight from Airways flight from Bombay. By Sept. 11, in the development of the air service Frankfort, a Swissair DC 8 from Zurich and most passengers had been released and the and of interdepartmental cooperation in the a Pan Am flight during a scheduled stop at hijackers blew up the planes. Finally, on Oct. fight against terrorism. Within 24 hours of Amsterdam. Another attempt to hijack an El 1, 1970, the remaining passengers were freed the president’s statement, federal agents were Al flight was prevented in flight. A passenger in exchange for the release of Khaled. traveling on commercial flights to prevent thwarted PFLP member Leila Khaled, who By early October, the nation had on-flight air piracy and working at was armed with a grenade, from entering the already implemented the first phase of as a deterrent to would-be hijackers. Within flight deck, and a crew member wrestled a the president’s plan for sky marshals. The three months, a new sky marshal program gun away from the other hijacker, who was Treasury Department assigned approximately was operational. killed from a gunshot as part of the struggle. 300 agents to air security, about one-third of

H Steve Rusted was part of a team of three that flew on Pan Am flights. Shown here in his Customs uniform which was worn during preflight screening, he flew in H Badge carried plain clothes and kept his identity secret by sky marshals. while on flight duty.

H Sky marshals attended a specialized training school before deployment on commercial flights. Courses included statutory materials on air H Customs security [ crimes in addition to the basics on patch was part of the thwarting would-be hijackers. ] uniform of sky marshals.

H The first identification card issued by the Division of Air Security was honorary and was given to Stuart Seidel, an attorney [ for the Customs Service. ] 40 H CBP History H CBP History

whom came from the former U.S. Customs The of recruits began its In-flight surveillance was short lived Service as an interim measure. They joined training on Nov. 30 and graduated on Dec. 23. for the Customs air security officers. On Dec. personnel from the FBI, U.S. Marshals, By summer of 1971, the 16th class of trainees 5, 1972, Transportation Assistant Secretary Defense Department and CIA. graduated and included the first women. Davis announced a change in emphasis for the The second phase was outlined on Oct. Assistant Treasury Secretary Eugene Rossides program. According to Davis, “ . . . the best 28 in an agreement signed by the Treasury explained that “From now on we double the place to prevent a hijacking is on the ground and Transportation secretaries creating an number of people the skyjacker must fear. before the plane goes into the air. That is why air security force in the Customs Service. The Until today they were only concerned that a the force of about 1,500 sky marshals recruited agreement initially covered two years, but was trained Treasury sky marshal might be among to ride the planes is now employed primarily extended until June 30, 1974. the men accompanying them on flights. on security functions at our principal airports.” Leading air security for Transportation Starting today, they must add to their fears The involvement of the Customs Service was retired Gen. Benjamin Davis, Jr. A the knowledge that there may be sky marshals in the program continued for a graduate of West Point, Davis began his among the women as passengers.” year and half longer. In early 1974, a press military career during the era of segregation Once the marshals were trained, they release announced the “Air Security Program and played a role in bringing about the were deployed immediately, and their is winding down . . . .” James Murphy of the integration of the armed services. He became schedules were hectic. This is reflected in a Federal Aviation Administration notified the the first African-American of the contemporary newspaper article titled, “The Customs Service of the “complete phaseout of and moved to the Transportation 1,440-Hour Day of a Skymarshal.” Chronicling Customs security officers from flight duty.” Department upon his retirement from one agent’s traveling schedule in a month, the U.S. Customs Services’ responsibility military service in 1970. A year later, Gen. Sunday News reported that he had visited for predeparture examination duty was Davis was elevated to assistant secretary Madrid, Tel Aviv, Athens and Zurich and discontinued on June 25, 1974. Commenting of Transportation with responsibilities for “logged 100,000 air miles to do it.” (The agent on the conclusion of the Customs Air Security passenger and cargo security. was not identified or photographed to maintain program, Commissioner Vernon D. Acree On November 20, 1970, U.S. Customs anonymity.) summed up the accomplishments of the Commissioner Myles J. Ambrose announced Former Sky Marshal Stephen G. Rusted program. Across the life of the program, agents the appointment of Michael J. McDonnell attested to the frenetic pace. Rusted was “. . . made 3,828 arrests, some in-flight; seized to head the new air security program. A in the 11th class of the Air Security School, or detained 69,317 potentially lethal weapons; veteran investigator, McDonnell had served which graduated on March 5, 1971. Once and made 248 hard narcotic seizures and 1,667 as an intelligence analyst in psychological deployed, he flew Pan Am out of New York marijuana and dangerous drug seizures.” warfare for the U.S. Army during the 1950s. and San Francisco on 747 or 707 jets. On The men and women who served as McDonnell was also among the first agents the larger 747s, he was one of three marshals Customs air security officers during the assigned as interim air marshals aboard assigned to the flight; on 707s, one of two. phaseout were reassigned or secured other international flights. A typical route originated in San Francisco government positions. Within the Customs McDonnell supervised the recruitment, with a stop in Tokyo with a final destination Service, 672 became Customs screening, training and deployment of almost of Hong Kong, sometimes with only seven officers, 155 became special agents, 230 were 2,000 air security officers to fly on commercial hours on the ground before flying back to appointed as Customs inspectors and 11 were and conduct pre-departure San Francisco. selected as import specialists. inspections. Recruitment employed all Because of the national publicity on the This only marked the closing of a chapter possible outlets and was covered by the major deployment of Customs air security officers, for sky marshals. Today they are known as news media. The Miami Herald outlined passengers often looked for marshals on the federal air marshals and serve the nation in the the requirements for applicants in an article flight. Rusted and the other marshals were Transportation Security Administration (TSA), titled, “Sky Marshal to have gun, will ” instructed not to reveal their role as sky a component of the Department of Homeland on Nov. 3, 1970. Three days later the U.S. Civil marshal. According to Rusted, the public Security. There is also a familial link between Service Commission notified individuals had an easy time identifying one of the sky these chapters in the ongoing history of air with established eligibility of the sky marshal marshal team because a national television marshals. TSA Deputy Administrator Gale openings with a request that they also call it newscast announced 7B as the seat number Rossides is the daughter of former Assistant “to the attention of others who may meet the where sky marshals usually sat. (This seat was Treasury Secretary Eugene Rossides, who requirements.” The positions were at the GS-5 chosen for strategic reasons.) But the officers oversaw the establishment of the Customs sky grade with an annual salary of $6,548 or a used this “leak” to improve surveillance marshal program during the 1970s.  GS-7 with a salary of $8,098. Supplemental since passengers focused on the marshal in rates were established for those in the New the identified seat, thus allowing the other —David D. McKinney, Ph.D. ] York City-Newark, N.J., area. assigned marshals to go unnoticed. CBP Chief Historian Frontline H Vol 4,5, Issue 41 41