On September 15th, 1983, Mario Cuomo and Tom Keene gave some unusual instructions to the Port Authority.

That's the agency that's responsible for most of the bridges, tunnels, and ports in the region.

It's supervised by both the governors of New York and New Jersey,

and in 1983, they were Cuomo and Keene.

Port Authority officials were told to refuse to allow Andre Gromico to land at any of the airports in the region,

as he'd done many times in the past.

Gromico was the Soviet Foreign Minister and he was planning to go to the

38th session of the United Nations in New York on September 27th.

Kian told reporters that he and Cuomo accomplished what we wanted to accomplish with the airport

ban.

We demonstrated the total indignation of the people of this country over the Soviet action, and Mr. Gromico obviously received our message.

The governors of New York and New Jersey were protesting the destruction of a Korean Airlines

flight by a Soviet fighter plane over the sea of Japan on September 1st, 1983.

The missile destruction of the plane killed 269 people, including 61 Americans,

and it had departed from Kennedy Airport.

This crime against humanity must never be forgotten.

Here or throughout the world.

Our prayers tonight are with the victims and their

families in their time of terrible grief. Our hearts go out to them.

The whole incident caused an international uproar. But could the governors actually do that? The

incident caused an international uproar. But could the governors actually do that? The background here is complicated.

A spokesperson for the UN said the governor's ban

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