Airport Security Pre-1970-s? I just accidentally discovered a few pictures on the web, that seem to imply, that there were some sort of airport security checks on passengers all the way back in the 1960-s. It was always my general understanding that airport security screening was not a thing before the Hague and Montreal conventions in the early seventies and the various national regulations that followed, so I was really quite surprised about the photos, but I have a suspicion that they could be dated incorrectly or the descriptions might be wrong.

For example, here is a press article photo, of what apparently is an early metal detector.

The description on the back of it clearly says that this device is to replace searching of passengers at the airport. Does that mean that all the passengers boarding aircraft were searched in some other way before that?

Here is another picture that left me puzzled.

It seems to be taken at Zurich Kloten airport, with passengers queueing for some booths, where, they will be "inquired on weapons". What does that mean, what is happening inside those things? Was there some kind of security procedure, exclusive to Swissair flights, or to the Swiss airports? If such a thing existed, when did they drop that, in favor of the normal screening? Those "ladies" and "gentlemen" signs look really weird...

And one more picture.

The uploader claims they found it on the Atlanta airport website, which then claimed this was a test of some airport security machine as early as the year 1960! I mean that was before the first hijacking of a commercial flight in the US, if I am not mistaken!
I think this one could probably be fake or a joke, or just something irrelevant to airport security. I do not think I see any electronic equipment here except for the data logger in the front, yet judging by the way the people are dressed this seems to be taken in the sixties, even though I am no fashion expert. The picture circulates in the web with this description, but I could not find any more information on it. And that just makes me even more interested to know what is actually happening there.

If anyone knows what these things are all about, and how it used to work back then, I would absolutely love to hear that. So any explanations strongly appreciated!
Thank You!
Other airport questions have been answered here and the FAA seems to have been involved in early regulations so Id say this is in scope here. 

Airport security is a bit older than the 70's. The first serious criminal  aviation incident occurred in 1955 but hijacking has occurred since the dawn of aviation with cases being recorded as far back as 1930. The first serious increase in security appears to have come in 1961 (bolding my emphasis)  


  Antulio Ramirez Ortiz hijacks a National Airlines flight to Cuba after
  it takes off in Florida. It is the first aerial hijacking of a U.S.
  passenger plane.
  
  The U.S. government begins placing armed guards on commercial planes
  when requested by airlines or the FBI.


If you follow the citation in the metal detector wiki it sounds like the FAA started to make mandates in the early 70's following the DB copper incident but it clear things were happening before then.  


  But sky marshals couldn't ride on every flight, and the hijackings
  didn't end. So in December 1972, the FAA gave the airlines one month
  to begin searching all passengers and their bags. Dennis O'Madigan,
  then Director of Security for Piedmont Airlines, says metal detectors
  known as magnetometers were rigged up from a device originally used by
  loggers.


You should also keep in mind that in the earlier days of aviation ticket prices were extremely high and traveling via air was not as accessible as it is today thus some level of security was closer to what we see on private jets today. As ticket prices came down and the popularity grew greatly security became more of a concern.  

On a similar note airport security has varied over time around the world. El Al the flagship carrier for Israle has generally implements security well above what most others are doing.



As for your pictures, the first one is dated 1970 which is in line with the timeline following the slew of incidents in the late 60's and the FAA's mandate of metal detectors in 72. The second picture is a bit of a mystery, it could be mis-labeled or they could simply be asking about weapons leaving the country as Switzerland historically has fairly liberal firearm laws and many other countries do not. The third photo looks staged or like a special situation, you can even see another photographer in the background. The Woman may in some way be famous (I cant identify her) and appears to be posing. That also looks like an EKG or polygraph machine...