Retro Raunch Revisit

This month marks the 70th anniversary of the publication debut of CLIMAX magazine (1953). CLIMAX first began as a men's adventure magazine starting with a brief run from Mar-Aug 1953 before disappearing for 4yrs until it re-emerged in Apr 1957. From Dec 1963 to Jan/Feb 1965 it merged with IMPACT. 1966 saw the release of only a single issue while all of 1967 was another hiatus. The final print issue seems to be Oct 1980 but in 1991-95 a same-named "CLIMAX" appeared with an emphasis on couples, and from 1997-2000 or 2001, another new-titled edition showed up, this one presented by HIGH SOCIETY.


MARCH 1953 ON THE WORLD STAGE Marshal Josef Tito of Yugoslavia has arrived in Britain, the first Communist head of state to visit the country. The Duke of Edinburgh Prince Phillip, Prime Minister Winston Churchill and Foreign Secretary Anthony Eden greeted him at Westminster at the start of his 5-day visit. He arrived by sea from Yugoslavia in the naval vessel Galeb (Seagull) where was then brought up the Thames River and past the Tower of London under Royal Navy escort. Marshal Tito was invited to Britain last September by Mr. Eden who was visiting Yugoslavia to strengthen ties between the two nations. Talks this week are expected to centre on the aftermath of the recent death of Josef Stalin in Russia, who expelled Yugoslavia from the Cominform group of communist nations in 1948 for failing to adhere to Soviet policies. The Cominform is a co-operative body of Eastern bloc countries whose governments adhere to Stalinist principles. Since that time, Yugoslavia has come to rely on Western aid for certain foods & armaments, and more than any other communist country saw a rare ability to follow its own interests separate & independent of dictation from Moscow. Tito's breakaway in favor of reforms, power in the hands of workers' councils, federalism to unify the nationalist ethnic ambitions of the 6 republics (Croatia, Serbia, Bosnia-Herzegovina, Slvenia, Montenegro, and Macedonia), and friendlier ties in foreign relations resulted in a split between himself and the late Stalin which saw tensions between both men increase. Also among Tito's discussions will be ways of achieving a solution to the problem of the disputed region of Trieste whose administration was divided last year between the United Nations and Yugoslavia. Trieste is a seaport city in the northeastern region of Italy, 146 miles from Zagreb (the majority of its citizens Croatian) and 389 miles from the Yugoslavian capital of Belgrade (the majority of its citizens Serbian). Security was tight as the official occasion has been marked by a great deal of controversy, especially among those Yugoslav exiles who regard Marshal Tito as a dictator. He has imposed harsh measures towards those deemed enemies of the state, and there has been large-scale repression against tens of thousands of political opponents who have been sent to forced labor camps. To avoid any problematic demonstrations, spectators were kept well away from the River Thames embankment where the marshal disembarked. He shook hands with the Duke and made a short speech in faltering English greeting the people of Britain and expressing hope of mutual co-operation, understanding & peace saying, "I wish to assure the peoples of Great Britain that they should consider the people of my country as their staunch allies because the people of the new Yugoslavia are striving towards the same ends as the people of Great Britain." Tito then inspected the Guard of Honour and was taken in a bullet-proof car escorted by police motorcyclists to Downing Street. He later laid a wreath at the Cenotaph memorial on Whitehall and saluted Britain's war dead. Yugoslavia was allied to Britain during WWII and particulary known for its contribution from the partisans, an estimated 1 million people combined of civilian & miltary casualties are said to have been killed in total.