History lives in the pages of the Obituary, and now, we’re bringing it back to life with Today in History. Each day, we will revisit notable news items from our archives, offering a glimpse into the events, people, and moments that shaped our community, the region, and the state of North Dakota and Minnesota.
From major milestones to forgotten curiosities, this feature will highlight the stories that once made headlines — just as they appeared in the Herald on this day in years past.
Join us on this journey through time, and discover how yesterday’s news connects to today’s world.
State Department Brands Accusation As Irresponsible
HAVANA (AP story as published by the Obituary on March 6, 1960) — Prime Minister Fidel Castro angrily blamed the United States Saturday night for what he said was an act of sabotage that caused the explosion of a munitions shipment in Havana harbor.
In his strongest attack on the United States, the bearded revolutionary leader declared those interested in blocking arms shipments to Cuba had caused the explosion aboard the French freighter La Coubre Friday. And he said “United States Officials” had blocked such shipments in the past.
(The State Department in Washington quickly replied: “These implications are categorically and emphatically denied.” It said the United States will enter a “vigorous protest to this unfounded and irresponsible accusation.”)
From 54 to 73 persons were killed and from 206 to 345 were injured when grenades and small arms ammunition blew up as the French ship was being unloaded alongside a dock here.
In a two-hour speech before a crowd at a mass funeral service for blast victims, Castro appeared to have shut the door on any hopes for negotiations of U.S.-Cuban differences as proposed recently by his own government.
READ MORE HERE
EXPERIENCE AND OBSERVATIONS PAY
By RICHARD YOUNGBLOOD
Herald Writer-Photographer
HALLOCK, Minn. – For years, 69-year-old Gustav Lofgren has been a part-time Customs officer, part-time printer, and full-time student of the world around him.
During those years, he has been known, in the words of Pembina Collector of Customs Phil Hoghaug, as “absolutely dependable,” but there has been little else to set him apart from the general run of hard-working, right-thinking citizens of northwestern Minnesota.
That is, until 1957, when the Federal Service Entrance Examination was instituted.
Lofgren was holding a civil service rating equivalent to that generally given to the holder of a master’s degree. He obtained it by taking and passing other qualification tests issued by the government.
But this one was held to be the toughest yet. A college professor, the head of a department for many years, failed the test twice.
So did a number of well-educated school teachers, superintendents, college instructors, and college graduates who were seeking part-time work with the Customs service.
But Lofgren, with only an eighth-grade education, breezed through the test on the first try.
Then came 1959, and an Immigration Correspondence Course, which was required by Hoghaug for all Customs officers in the Dakota district.
Men with as much as 20 years of experience on the borders of the country failed the course miserably; others barely passed.
Lofgren has worked for Customs for 15 years, but only on an off-and-on basis. Nevertheless, he “walked through” the course as though he had written it himself.
Stunned Customs officials, aware of Lofgren’s educational background, could only shake their heads in amazement.
Lofgren explains it airily with, “they must have hit me with something I knew.”
An inquiring mind and a love for reading, combined with a penchant for unswerving dependability that Hoghaug mentioned, might come closer to the answer.
Said Hoghaug: “I can assign him to any port and rest assured that he’ll get in there and study and work away at it with seldom a mistake of any kind.”
Lofgren began working for Customs during the summers back in 1944. For the past 12 years, he has worked during the winters as a printer at the Kittson County Enterprise in Hallock.
At home, he reads a collection of news magazines that would stagger the ordinary reader. Added to this is a library of several hundred hardcover fiction and history books.
MARCH 6, 1960 WEATHER FORECAST
Read more headlines from March 6, 1960 here.
Our newsroom occasionally reports stories under a byline of “staff.” Often, the “staff” byline is used when rewriting basic news briefs that originate from official sources, such as a city press release about a road closure, and which require little or no reporting. At times, this byline is used when a news story includes numerous authors or when the story is formed by aggregating previously reported news from various sources. If outside sources are used, it is noted within the story.