[Leica] The Green Line. :-)

[don.dory at gmail.com (Don Dory)]

Ted,
Anybody who has been behind the scenes at Olympic events or
Presidential(Prime Minister) events has no idea of the level of security
that goes on at these events.  Possibly if you fly on El-Al do you get a
taste of how multiple check points/specific authorisation levels/anal
retentive guards/ combined with metal detectors, bomb sniffers, and random
checks combined with visits from VIP's.

For example, I had an infinity badge during the 96 Olympics in Atlanta which
allowed me access to almost everything(infinity is not really infinity).  To
get to the athletes village you had to go through multiple security checks
including background checks.  You had to enter through multiple security
checkpoints including metal detectors, body id matched to your badge, and
bomb sniffers.  Now, when President Clinton visited, do you think that we
could use the bathroom located on a route that went no closer than 75 meters
from where the president was? Even though there were at least 10 armed SS in
plain view watching anybodies every move.  Good luck and hold it for two
hours while the prez had a nice chat out in the gardens.

Don
don.dory@gmail.com


On 7/20/06, Ted Grant <tedgrant@shaw.ca> wrote:
>
> The Green Line
>
> Munich, Germany.1972 Summer Olympics:
>
>
>
> The security guard had Graham Bezant's accreditation card in one hand and
> a
> colour ID code book in the
>
> other.  He was yelling in German and Graham was yelling back in his
> Australian-accented English, neither understanding the other.
>
>
>
> It scared the hell out of me as I knew what was going on. Although several
>
> positions back in the security line I figured they'd have me next. Graham,
> a
> staff
>
> photographer for the Toronto Star, had just been caught with a forged
> "Green
> Line"
>
> on his Media accreditation card .
>
>
>
> I had initiated the forging, in fact the card hanging around my
>
> neck was also a faked photographer's pass.  It wasn't that we didn't have
>
> accreditation, we did, but it was for the sport reporter seats, but didn't
>
> allow access to the photo positions.  The difference was a thin
>
> "Green Line" diagonally across the face of the card indicating you were a
>
> photographer.
>
>
>
> After a few days frustration attempting to shoot the Games with Reporter
> Accreditation
>
> I wondered if I could fake a photo accreditation? After all it was only a
> thin Green line.
>
>
>
> I examined a couple of photographer passes very carefully then hit on the
> idea of using a felt tip
>
> marker to draw a "Green Line" on my pass.  Searching all over Munich for a
> pen of the right colour,
>
> just any green wouldn't work, the security staff had colour ID code books
>
> with official colour keys. They rarely used them in any event. Until?
>
>
>
> After a few days searching I found one right under my nose in the Main
> Press
> Center boutique,
>
> exactly the perfect colour match.
>
>
>
> Do you remember the war movie "The Great Escape" when documents were
>
> forged to get out?  We now started our plan "The Great Entry" to get in.
>
>
>
> Very carefully a single strip of scotch tape was placed diagonally across
>
> the card.  The "Green Line" drawn on it rather than on the actual
>
> card surface, in the event of possible discovery it could be peeled
>
> off leaving a legitimate reporter's card.  Two more strips placed on the
>
> first to give the correct width to the line, these were peeled off after
>
> the marker was used leaving clean edges to appear actually printed.
>
>
>
> Now for the colour, with one quick stroke of the marker it was done.
>
> Peeling off the two extra strips of tape I found myself holding a
>
> "Photographers Accreditation".   I checked it against several legal cards,
> it matched beautifully.
>
> But it had yet to pass the big test, getting past the guards 20/20 vision.
>
>
>
> Here we were entering the Main Stadium with a couple of photographers as
> some
>
> cover and Graham ahead of us in a shouting match with a security guy!
> Damn!
>
> My first re-action was to peel off the plastic strip with the green line.
>
> However, what the hell give it a try, live dangerously!
>
>
>
> I passed the guards, my accreditation boldly hanging on a chain around
>
> my neck, I was in.  It was so easy I couldn't believe it.
>
>
>
> Graham on the other hand was caught! As in "The Great Escape" if you were
> caught
>
> you were on your own.  I just walked on by without a glance.
>
>
>
> Some time you just gotta do what you gotta do to get your pictures.
>
>
>
>
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