The Evening Missourian. [volume] (Columbia, Mo.) 1917-1920, 1918-11-29
WHEN PEACE REPORT CAME OUT
Details Gave Announcement Every
Appearance of Reliability.

| been signed November Z, was DaseS
on a statement thought by Admira
H. B. Wilson of the United States
Navy to be official.
The public has not yet been told
however, of the details which blend
ed in with the statement in such man
ner as apparently to confirm II
Neither has the public learned the
details of the censorship blunders
which let through the premature dis
patch and held up the correction.
These details are told in the fol
lowing statement of Roy w. Howard
president of the United Press,who
filed the dispatches. 1t is reprinted
from the Editor & Publisher, news
paper trade journal.
In Brest by Chance.
Il arrived in Brest on the morning
of November 7, expecting to start
for home on transport" said Mr..
Howard. 81 called upon General Har-
ries, in command of the military base,
shortly after 10 a. m, and it was at
Army headquarters that l first heard
that an armistice had been signed.
This was only a rumOr, however,
which could not be confirmed, though
l found that the French military and
the local newspaper, La Depeche, also
had heard the report.
1T was later in the day-about 4
o'clock-when Major Fred c. Cook,
formerly news editor of the Wash
ington ID. c. Star, and l called up
on Admiral H. B. Wilson. Just as
| was introduced to the admiral one
of his aids, Ensign Sellards, came in.
Ibid you give it to him?' the ad-
miral asked Ensign Sellards.
"'No,' replied the ensign, Mr.. Cou-
durie was not in
Mr. Coudurie, by the way, is the
publisher of LIE Depeche.
WELL responded the admiral, did
you leave it?'
Ensign Sellards said he did not,
and the admiral then told him to take
it back, leave it with anybody who
was in charge, and tell him to an
nounce it.
"All this time I was wondering
what it, was.
The Admiral'S Announcement.
"As the ensign was about to leave
the room the admiral turned to Ma
jor Cook and said:
Its all over. The armistice was
signed today at II o'clock, and hostil-
tiles ceased at 2 o'clock. The Ameri-
can troops have taken Sedan, too
"'Is that official?' asked the major.
YES replied the admiral. The
war is over. 1t is finished
Il then asked the admiral if he
was making the news public, and he
said that he was, and that he was
sending his dispatch to La Depeche. l
twice repeated Major Cooks inquiry
as to whether the news was official,
and being fully reassured, knowing
the extreme conservatism of Army and
Navy officials in such matters, asked
the admiral if | might use the dis
patch.
Certainly, go ahead replied the
Il suggested to the admiral that
would probably encounter some lin
guistic difficulties, and asked if En-
sign Sellards might accompany me
to get my cable Off To this he readily
assented, and after l had typed a YER
batim copy of the admirals dispatch
the message was filed at the cable
office by messenger from lie Depeche.
BreSt First to Celebrate.
I'm the meantime the U. S. Marine
Band was giving its regular after
noon concert on the plaza in front
IF the admirars Office. Admiral Will
son called an orderly, gave him a
copy of his dispatch, and told him
o give it to the bandmaster and |
ell him to put some life into his
music. The bandmaster glanced at |
he message and had it read to the
,rowd by musician who spoke
French. From your knowledge of |
what occurred here, you can imagine
What occurred there among the ex-
,itable French people. AS l went
o the office of La Depeche the streets
we're thronged with excited French
nen and women, hugging and kissing
very American soldier and sailor
hey could catch.
when l filed my bulletin l had
title idea that it would reach New
FORK ahead of the filings from Paris.
knew the story would break in
Paris first, and l knew our men were
et for it. My only thought was to
back up the play.
Later l filed a very brief story on
he street scenes in Brest.
First Doubt Raised.
while 1 was at dinner that even
ng with some Army officers another
fficer came to our table and said
hat the French army people were
aging the armistice announcement
Tas not officially confirmed. l went
to Admiral Wilson's office,
ut it was closed, so l went to Army
j |