First News Coverage

Shortly after March 26, 1975, when the ad in the Richmond Mercury ran, local Richmond news media began doing stories on the Committee for Reunion with England. First, came an article in the Richmond Times-Dispatch by reporter Ray McAllister on March 29, published on the front page (below the fold), including a photograph of John Ambrose and David Gambill, shot in the newspaper’s offices.

In general, the article was fair, and McAllister conveyed the ironic tone of the advertisement and played along with the joke. There was at least one factual error: he reported that John was a keypunch operator at Thalhimers. In fact, John had moved from that job (which had been his summer employment during high school and college) and had been working since September 1974 in the Thalhimer’s advertising department as a copywriter.

After the article in the Richmond Times-Dispatch, local TV stations began calling and ran brief stories about the advertisement and the Committee. One interview took place outside St. John’s Episcopal Church, the site of Patrick Henry’s famous “Give Me Liberty or Give Me Death” speech. This wouldn’t be the last time we took the Tory message to the heart of the rebellion. Soon it would go to the rebel capital, Philadelphia.

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