References in The Utopia Affair by David McDaniel

4

Dedication: For Ron Ellik—a squirrel with a cross of gold

The Man from U.N.C.L.E. book #14 was The Cross of Gold Affair by Fredric Davies (Ron Ellik and Fredric Langley). Langley's fan name was Steve Tolliver, a tribute to Simon Templar aka The Saint.)

John Trimble remembers: "When Ron Ellik first got into fandom, he was pretty 'goshwowboyoboy' (as were a lot of us when we first found active fandom). He was always enthusiastic, even after that first goshwow simmered down. I think Terry Carr was the first to tag him with the Squirrel nickname...

"Bjo did some cartoons depicting Ron as a giant squirrel, which helped the nickname...."

Don Fitch remembers that Ron Ellik used to hold his hands up in front of his chest like a squirrel when he was faunching(1) for something.

1. Yearning, desiring. See Faunch in Fancyclopedia 3.

Bjo Trimble remembers, "When Ron wanted something, or when he had said or did something stupid, he'd hold his hands up in front of him like a pup begging. Terry said that because Ron was so bushy-tail enthusiastic, he should be a squirrel instead of a puppy. The nickname stuck. So I started doing cartoons of a giant squirrel, and the rest is history

"Squirrel" became Ron Ellik's nickname. Ellik's column in the LASFS fanzine Shangri L'Affaires was "The Squirrel's Cage," and his TAFF report was titled, "The Squirrel's Tale." Ron Ellik died in 1968.

5

Cannon socket

See the Wikipedia article on "XLR Connector"—invented by James H. Cannon, founder of Cannon Electric in Los Angeles, California (now part of ITT Corporation).

9

[Napoleon's] boat.... the Pusang

???

9

[Waverly's] old lung injury

???

10

Miss Williamson (page 17: a leggy redhead) (page 154 Karen)

???

13

"There Is a Happy Land...."

reference to the hymn by Andrew Young (see the Wikipedia article)
McDaniel faithfully watched The Prisoner when it was shown on American TV, starting June 1, 1968, and this book echoes several of the themes of The Village. He also read about the series when it was being shown in England, starting September 29, 1967. This book seems to have been written in late 1967 (see note on November 1st, page 21), before McDaniel had gotten a chance to see The Prisoner for himself.

13

Leon Dodgson

A compound reference to actor Leo G. Carroll, who played Alexander Waverly, and to Lewis Carroll aka Charles Dodgson, who wrote the Alice books.

14

about the northernmost point in the coastline of the Bight

Head of the Bight (also called Head of Bight) is a bay located in South Australia at the most northern extent of the Great Australian Bight (see the Wikipedia article)

16

Mr. Simpson

LASFSian Don Simpson

16

the Akhoond of Swat

Akhoond is a Persian honorific for "a religious Mullah, leader, teacher, or scholar", Swat was a princely state (now a civil district) in Pakistan. See the Wikipedia article on "Akhund Abdul Ghaffur." Maybe also see Edward Lear's "The Akond of Swat."

17

Probably April Dancer and Mark Slate of "The Girl From U.N.C.L.E., which ran 1966-1967. (Identified by Paul Watson)

This might also refer to Mr. Steed and Mrs. Peel of The Avengers TV show.

17

Board of Directors

I don't remember hearing of U.N.C.L.E.'s Board of Directors before this.

21

the first of November, next Wednesday

The first of November in 1967 was a Wednesday, so that's when this book is set even though it's copyright 1968. This gives us the date as late October.

22

PanAm heliport

Back in the 1960s and 1970s, helicopters bound for Kennedy International Airport used to take off from a deck atop the old 59-story Pan-Am Building (now the MetLife Building). The operation proved unprofitable, however, since the helicopters carried an average of only eight passengers, and the heliport, which had cost $1 million to build, closed in February 18, 1968.

24

Terri Harris, in Philadelphia

???

24-5

a field agent in Haiti....Mr. Rothschild

???

24

the business with the belly dance from that little Greek place over Eighth Street in the Twenties

???

26

"Marsha, time's up...."
"Miss Grunewald had it."

A betting pool on how long Napoleon Solo would take before he made his first pass at her.

26

submarine sightings on Clipperton Island

an uninhabited island in the eastern Pacific (see the Wikipedia article)

27

the vast desolate Nullarbor Plain

see the Wikipedia article

29

abstract color patterns

Illya's TV (page 35) is only black-and-white—like most televisions of 1967 and 1968, including McDaniel's

30

the humidor on the desk [page 29: Waverly's own blend]...a prescription blank...saying...Not renewable...They would let him taper off as he wished, but there would be no more for the duration.

inconsistent with page 135 "the last of his daily ration" unless his daily ration is very small indeed

32

Klaus Rademeyer

???

33

Jimmy

???

34

the latest issue of Spirou

a weekly Franco-Belgian comics magazine, composed a mixture of short stories and gags, serial comics, and a handful of American comics. For some years it included The Smurfs. See "Spirou (magazine)" in Wikipedia.

34

mimeographed

Xerox machines weren't in wide use yet

34

Employee Number

rather than his name: a hint of the Village?

35

a Murphy bed

a bed hinged at one end to store vertically against the wall, or inside a closet or cabinet

35

light bulbs Illya himself had used many years before joining U.N.C.L.E.

a hint that Illya used to work in the Russian police or some more secret organization

37

Miles Davis' Sketches of Spain

One of the tracks is a song called "Will o' the Wisp", from the ballet El amor brujo (Love, the Magician), an inspiring melody for thinking about sneaking.

38

fluorescents, bugged versions of which it had proven impossible to carry concealed

They didn't have compact fluorescent bulbs back then. Fluorescents were cylinders, 1-2" in diameter and 1 ft. to 4 ft. long.

39

(text in all caps at the start of chapter 4)

In 1968, computers used "line printers", which printed text in a monospace font (like a mechanical typewriter) and all uppercase. These printed one line of type at a time, and a very fast printer might print as many as 1500 lines per minute, or one page in slightly over 2.5 seconds. These printers were also very loud.

39

Satraps

Paul Watson notes that "Satrap" was used on the show, including "The Love Affair" (March 29, 1965).
The Ultimate Computer was also part of the show's official "bible" as created by Sam Rolfe.

39

Roger Ladoga, Dr. Theodore Pike

???

40

Helena...Wilshire Boulevard...Fairfax shop

two Los Angeles locations: This is probably the Thrush agent glimpsed in The Dagger Affair

41

"This is Greaves, speaking for Central...."

an echo of "This is Helmuth, speaking for Boskone." from E. E. Smith's Lensman Saga

41

the Ultimate Computer

See The Ultimate Computer Affair, season 2, episode 3, and also The structure of Thrush.

43

Upper Twelve

???

43

The satellite computer was brought in two suitcases, connected, set up, and tested in about twenty minutes.

This is a computer with access to a network that lets it connect to Thrush's Ultimate Computer.

44

Tegucigalpa?

the capital of Honduras

45

Jock Tuber [page 82, Colorado Springs]

a reference to LASFSian Jock Root

45

Miss Ewert of Communications [page 82, Colorado Springs]

???

45

Tierra Caliente

see the Wikipedia article.

46

Mr. Harbeson

???

47

Channel D...lower priority lines

This sounds like Channel D is Direct (to HQ) rather than Distant.

47

Buck DeWeese

Man from U.N.C.L.E. book #17 The Invisibility Affair and #18 The Mind Twisters Affair were written by Thomas Stratton (Buck Coulson and Gene DeWeese).

47

Flin Flon, Manitoba

see the Wikipedia article.

47

seen the Williwaw...the local imaginary creature

This just means a sudden gust of wind.

48

Cranberry Portage [, Manitoba]

see the Wikipedia article

49

where, as the poet has said, the Northern Lights have seen strange sights

"The Cremation of Sam McGree" by Robert W. Service ("The Northern Lights have seen queer sights,")

50

the night girl, Cindy

???

51

"A Principality In Utopia"

"An acre of Middlesex is better than a principality in Utopia." Lord Bacon, quoted in a biography, by Thomas Babington Macaulay

52-3

Mr. Silverthorne, Executive, #12

???

55

Baron Ludwig von Schtroumpf

The Smurfs was first created and introduced as a series of comic characters by the Belgian comics artist Peyo (pen name of Pierre Culliford) in 1958, where they were known as Les Schtroumpfs.

57

Curley Burke

???

58

about the size of a quart bottle

In the 1960s, soft drinks in the US were sold in glass bottles, with the size measured in fluid ounces, pints, or quarts.

63

Sakuda Matsujiro (Japanese) and Kiazi Refet (Turk)

???

64

the secret practices of Shin-Jitsu

???

64

the Thrush eastern office in Kiru

There's a Kiru in Iran, in Kenya, and in Nigeria.

67

Noumea

the capital city of the French special collectivity of New Caledonia.: see the Wikipedia article

69

Port Moresby

Capital and largest city of Papua New Guinea: see the Wikipedia article

72

his raveled sleeve of care badly needed knitting

Macbeth, Act II, Scene 2: Macbeth says, "Sleep that knits up the raveled sleave of care,"

78-9

Tomorrow was Thursday—in America, it was Thanksgiving

It was Wednesday, 8 November.

Illya should remember that the US Thanksgiving is the fourth Thursday of November. In 1967, it was November 24th.
Wednesday, 8 November, is a 1967 date.

80

Sherrdon, Manitoba

A community in Manitoba, Canada. See the Wikipedia articlea

82

General Anson

???

83

Pat Gavin, Anchorage

???

84

Channel M

I don't remember hearing this mentioned before.

84

Fred Tibbon, Berlin...

???

84

Suetterlin (a lieutenant colonel in the KGB had defected)
Runge

???

???

84

Bronstein, Site Delta

???

85

Schumacher

Jim Schumacher???

89

Tarnhelm

magic helmet of invisibility in Wagner's Das Rheingold

90

that thing of Morthley's...Up in Wisconsin.... [Footnote: See The Man from U.N.C.L.E. #11: The Invisibility Affair]

Dr. Willard Morthley.

92

Alderson himself was probably unique, combining the knowledge of all aspects of warfare with the programming talents which had made the whole operation feasible.

reference to Dan Alderson, a JPL programmer, who at this time was active in Diplomacy and Super Diplomacy

93

Howie Montforte
Rahman Sikhiri

???
???

94

pair of dykes

diagonal-cutting pliers, a hand tool used by electricians and others

96

"The madreleine looks rather good this afternoon."

typoed: Consommé Madrilene (not in Wikipedia but on the Web)

106

Guard Horvath...Senior Gattler...Captain Van Stoller...Guard Tshombulo...Guard Walters...Second Watanabe

???

107

Shomambe. Head of U.N.C.L.E. Africa.

???

110

"Mr. Whicker is here with the budget summary...."

???

111

Askandi

???

111

factory ship named Deseado

Spanish for "wished" or "wished for"

111

Carlo Amalfi...the head of U.N.C.L.E. Europe

???

111

Rodney Turner Incorporated

???

112

Gene Coulson—the kid you sent up

another reference to the pair of Buck Coulson and Gene DeWeese who as Thomas Stratton wrote two Man from U.N.C.L.E. books

116

Johnny Rainbow

reference to McDaniel's The Rainbow Affair.

120

Like the dog in the nighttime, the silence told him much.

reference to A. Conan Doyle's "Silver Blaze":

Gregory: "The dog did nothing in the night-time."

Holmes: "That was the curious incident."

120

"Why, I've got friends I haven't even used yet," he quoted mentally

source unknown

124

Jorg da Silva...South America

???

127

"The Pride of Utopia"

"They're the pride of Utopia" (from a song that starts "O make way for the Wise Men," in Utopia (Limited) by Gilbert & Sullivan

127

"You Knew the Job Was Dangerous When You Took It."

a reference to the Super Chicken theme song.

129

Andreas

???

136

Paynim

Paynim: a heathen; a person who is not a Christian (especially a Muslim): presumably the Turk rather than the Japanese

142

Navarre in Tierra Caliente...Maria...

???

143

a single C-141 could do the job

The Lockheed C-141 Starlifter was a military strategic airlifter used by the Military Air Transport Service: see the Wikipedia article

146

"Pommery '74"

Champagne Pommery is a French Champagne house located in Reims. The first lot of brut champagne bottled was in 1874. But the wine poured is scarlet, a highly odd color for champagne.

148-9

a little old man dressed in faded gray...
perhaps two inches under five feet tall and couldn't have weighed a hundred pounds with heavy sandals

???

151

miniskirt

The popularity of miniskirts peaked in the "Swinging London" of the 1960s, according to Wikipedia.

153

"Old wine is a true panacea for every conceivable ill," Waverly quoted....

The Grand Duke, by Gilbert & Sullivan, Act II

154

"Send down to Ferraro's for a bottle of his best champagne."

???

155

Silverthorne...the top man Thrush has for the entire South Pacific area

???

156

dinner at Rusterman's

referenced in several Nero Wolfe books

156

Mike and Ernie are at the Purple Unicorn down in the East Village

???