The Thallus of Marchantia

by Richard A. Siggelkow

On December 15, 1964, The Buffalo Evening News was tricked into running a modest, two-column inch story announcing the arrival of Aveillugd Urubod, the Thallus of Marchantia. Marchantia was "a small municipality in the southwestern section of the Arabian peninsula"; the Thallus was to be in the city for a two-day visit sponsored by the State Department.

The hoax - "Thallus" from "stalk" and "Marchantia" after liverwort plants resembling mosses, a fictitious name comprised of obscure scientific terms - was hatched by some students who had not appreciated a difficult biology exam.

But as a sign of the times, student interest in a "demonstration" mushroomed once the story appeared in print. By the time the plane was due, approximately 1,000 "protesters" appeared at the airport. Placards generally reflected good taste with statements like, "Thallus, Return to Your Palace," "No Malice Toward Thallus," and "Arab, Go Home."

The Thallus, a 17-year-old freshman in sunglasses, wearing a dark business suit under a white trench coat, and carrying an empty briefcase, was winging his way back to Buffalo after a 40-minute round-trip to Newark. He also wore an authentic keffiyeh that later prompted a police lieutenant to describe it as "some strange sort of flowing headdress."

Before he stepped from the plane, a bugler conveniently arrived and sounded a few notes. Announcements followed, such as "The Thallus asks that you walk backwards," or "The Thallus requests you to sit down," The crowd, closely supervised by a perplexed police department, cheerfully complied.

When the bugler sounded "Charge!" reporters noted that 2,000(!) demonstrators "ran wildly through and out of the terminal, causing over $2,000 in damages." A "white-faced" airport manager, intimating that knives were used, claimed that "chairs and couches were ruined and table legs were broken." The News, in no mood to be objective, reported that the students broke windows, slashed seats, and frightened travelers. National media labeled the incident as a riot, inaccurately reporting that the students thought they were demonstrating against a real person.

In a feature story 17 years later, an "embarrassed" former city editor of The News corrected the erroneous reportage. "None of the travelers or passengers were bowled over, no injuries were reported, and not one student arrest - other than The Thallus - was made," he conceded. "The "broken windows turned out to be one window with a crack in it, and 'the overturned ashtrays' totaled four, valued at $15 each. Damage figures started at $2,000 and shrank to $500." (The police estimate was $200.)