Crossed lines In this age of digital communications, it's hard to conceive of your long-distance phone call winding up in the

Oval Office. Back in 1 !", that's #ust what happened to a $enver couple, who inadvertently ended up talking with the %!th &resident of the 'nited (tates. It happened during a highly confidential conversation )etween &resident *ohnson and +)e ,ortas on the night of -ay 1., 1 !", a)out what )ecame known as the $ominican Intervention. ,ortas, a trusted legal advisor acting as a special negotiator, was calling from &uerto /ico to update the &resident on the situation in the $ominican /epu)lic. $uring the conversation, a call from $enver to 0ashington was suddenly patched onto the same line. (ince the release of the conversation on *anuary 11, 1221, 3i)rary archivists learned that the couple was Cecil and 0alter -essner of $enver calling their friend, *im, in 0ashington, $.C. Cecil had apparently #ust retired and returned to $enver after nearly 1" years as a switch)oard operator at the 0hite 4ouse. 5he -essners' niece, +udrey -c6ay of ,ort 3auderdale, ,lorida, identified the couple after reading a)out the newly released conversation in the $enver &ost. +t the time, it was customary for mem)ers of the 0hite 4ouse staff to patch calls through the 0hite 4ouse switch)oard to save on long-distance charges. 5he -essners got more than they had )argained for when they patched their call through to their friend in the nation's capital.