50 years ago in Expo history: Extra security was in place for the big Soviet National Day as threat of protests loomed

Expo ’74’s Soviet National Day was scheduled for Sept. 19, and extra security had already been ordered.

That’s because the Spokane inter-Religious Committee for Soviet Jews had already announced plans for a protest in front of the Russian Pavilion.

Some of the protesters planned to engage in a one-day fast. The fasters “would include Christians and Jews who want to show concern for the plight of Soviet Jews.”

The group had already been a regular presence outside the Expo gates, handing out leaflets and selling T-shirts with the words “Free the Soviet Jews.” They had also protested at the U.S.-Soviet Union basketball game, nearly causing the game to end at halftime.

A number of Soviet officials and two cosmonauts were planning to take part in ceremonies on Soviet National Day. The Moiseyev Dance Company and the Georgian State Dancers and Singers were scheduled to perform.

From 100 years ago: The Hillyard annexation question reached a new level of acrimony.

A committee of eight Hillyard pro-annexation citizens announced that it had uncovered three cases of false voter registration and was investigating 11 others.

They mostly involved people did not live in Hillyard, but registered to vote there anyway.

The committee said it “intended to go right down the line with this thing and investigate every suspicious case.”

The names of the committee members were not disclosed, “because of the fear that violence may result if the names became known to some of the anti-consolidationists.”

The vote was scheduled for Sept. 16.