A videotape of Alaska Congressman Nick Begich and House Majority Leader Hale Boggs taken on the evening before they disappeared has emerged from the collection of Begich's family.
The tape consists mainly of Boggs speaking at a fundraising dinner at the Anchorage Westward Hotel on Oct. 15, 1972. The powerful majority leader from Louisiana was in the state to help Begich's re-election campaign. The day after the tape was made, the two lawmakers left Anchorage in a small plane piloted by Don Jonz, headed for another fundraiser in Juneau. Also on the plane was Begich aide Russ Brown. The plane vanished and no sign of the aircraft or its occupants has ever been found.
The grainy black-and-white tape appears to have been shot by a camera positioned in front of a monitor. The images are rough, but the sound of Boggs' deep, dulcet voice is clear and compelling.
Two additional tapes were also found showing a memorial service held for Begich on Jan. 7, 1973, in the East High School Auditorium. Ceremony participants include Alaska House Speaker Gene Guess, Begich's secretary Margaret Pohjola, state legislator Joe Josephson, U.S. House Majority leader Wayne Aspinall, the longtime Colorado congressman who succeeded Boggs in the post, Minnesota Congressman John A. Blatnik and Alaska Democratic Party chairman Emil Notti. The event includes a choir singing "America the Beautiful" and "Alaska's Flag." The opening and closing prayers are presented by the Rev. Francis Murphy and the Rev. Charles Eddy, respectively.
The tapes, now property of the Nick Begich Scholarship Fund, have been digitized through SummitDay Media and are stored in a private archive in Anchorage. Boggs' speech can be seen at nickbegichfund.org/videos/featured.html.