The Winton M. Blount Postal History Symposia - Smithsonian ...

4 2 • s m i t h s o n i a n c o n t r i b u t i o n s t o h i s t o ry a n d t e c h n o l o g yFigure 2. Following a bomb threat, Commander Hugo Eckener ordered an earlier arrival than reported in the press.The clock inside the control car indicates it was shortly after seven am. That clock, however, was set for Eastern StandardTime, thus it was actually just after six am in Chicago. From the collection of Cheryl R. Ganz.expenses of the Zeppelin Company for operating the GrafZeppelin at a cost of about $300 an hour. 12 The ZeppelinCompany expected to realize $10,000 from the UnitedStates stamp sales, but it actually realized several timesthat amount. Over 100,000 American stamps on souvenirenvelopes were flown in addition to mail carried fromGermany, Brazil, and over sixty other countries. 13Meister informed fair president Rufus Dawes that theGraf Zeppelin, operating under the auspices of the Germangovernment, would fly the flags of the German government,including the swastika. He then posed the issueof possible protests by Jewish citizens in response to Naziharassment of German Jews and laws that stripped themof German citizenship. Dawes wanted to be prepared for apossible demonstration against either the swastika emblemor the arrival of the pro-Nazi German ambassador andformer chancellor, Hans Luther. The Post Office Departmentmade special arrangements to examine all mail andparcels intended for delivery to the zeppelin. PostmasterGeneral Farley also requested that local authorities cooperateto assure proper protection for passengers and thecrew. 14Because of a bomb threat, Eckener altered his flightplans slightly. He decided to fly to Chicago and make ashort landing in a closed field. The day before the GrafZeppelin’s arrival in Chicago, the press announced thatthe great airship would arrive at about nine o’clock thenext morning. In fact, the Graf Zeppelin arrived threeand a half hours earlier. Because of the misinformationprovided to the press and the sheriff’s order to close theairport to those without passes, only a few hundred spectatorswere on hand at the landing field besides the landingcrew, press, and welcoming officials (Figure 2). 15Following a busy day of touring the fairgrounds andluncheon and dinner events, Eckener attended the ZeppelinDay evening event at Chicago’s Medinah Temple (Figures3 and 4). Thousands of enthusiastic German Americansfilled the hall, many wearing the Zeppelin Tag lapel pin