New-York tribune., 1918-11-08
Associated Press Declined
to Spread "News" of
Armistice
Passed Unquestioned
By u. S. Censor Here
Head of News-Gathering
Association Personally
Signed Cablegram

tions resulted in the dilemma which
faces the nation this morning.
The United Press. which serves az
ternoon papers. announced at noon
Yesterday that an armistice had been
signed between the Allies and Ger
many at II a. NJ, Paris time. and that
nostilities had actually ceased three
hours later.
The Associated Press. whose men,
bership includes more than 1000 pa
pers was just as insistent that moth
ing of the kind had occurred. 1t
obtained denial on the subject from
Washington, London and Paris.
Newspapers in Quandary
One little piece OF paper-a telegraph
blank on which was written twenty
rords-was the cause of it all.
And this is the way it happened.
The office OF The United Press. on
The third floor of the World Building.
vas engaged in routine business YES
;erday morning. One minute before
noon telegraph instrument began to
click It was the instrument on which
2re received cablegrams from the
Western Union Office at 16 Broad
Street
Here comes q cable. shouted F. A.
Gribbon, in charge of the wire.
y. ". Hawkins, general manager Of
The United Press, wheeled around in
his chair.
As soon as he could get to the wire
Nr. Hawkins grabbed the message and
began repeating what it contained over
The United Press wires, which run not
only to the afternoon newspapers in
New York, but to hundreds of others
throughout the country. One minute
after the "story" had arrived on the
third floor of the World Building it
lad been relayed to points as far dis
tant as the Pacific Coast.
How 1t Spread
Just how rapidly the report spread
may be summarized thus:
1855 a. m.-Message received at the
Western Union cable Office, Is Broad
street.
11:59-Passed by the censor in the
cable office.
Noon-Received in the United Press
9fice.
p. m.-Publishhed in afternoon
newspapers and sold by newsboys on
ne streets
The exact cable, as received by the
Cnited Press, contained twenty words,
including the address and signatures.
it read
'Dnipress, Newyork, Paris.
URGENT ARMISTICE ALLIES
SIGNED ELEVEN SMORNING. HOS
rILITIES CEASED TWO SAFTER-
NOON. SEDAN TAKEN SMORNING
BY AMERICANS.
HOWARD -SIMMS."
This message was stamped in red:
Passed SEX 2.''
u. p. Head o. KS Ii
Roy ". Howard, president of the
onited Press, is in Paris superntend-
ng the news service. William Philip
Simms is the manager of the organiza-
hons French service.
a few minutes after the report got
% the street in the newspapers The
Associated Press started it's investiga-
tion. Melville z. Stone, the general
manager, and jackson S. Elliott, chief
Of the news department. were on hand
IN the Office at 81 Chambers Street.
But Mr.. Stone and Mr.. Elliott were
rome the less active. They sent cable
inquiries to London and Paris, giving.
1or the confidential information of their
correspondents abroad, full report of
Inc United Press's published telegram
ana the effect it had had in this coun-
Try. In Washington Mr.. Lansing and
other officials were sought.
The Associated Press cautioned its
members against the publication of
premature news. Various messages
vent over its wires. Some Of them arc:
1884 p. m.-"rhe New York News
Bureau, which issafiiliated with the Cen
raj News, sent out dispatch on it's
news tickers this afternoon under
London date, reading as follows: AT
":5o O'Clock this afternoon the Foreign
oftce announced that it had no con-
''rmstion of the report that Germany
mad accepted the ar1nistice condi-
tions'"
1889 p. m..-"At this hour the gov
ernment at Washington has received
nothing TO support the report that the
armistice has been signed, and we have
received nothing from our correspond
ents abroad to support it, Street
demonstrations are taking place in
New York, as is probably the case in
other cities, but we are not reporting
mem up to this moment, because we
nave been unable to confirm the report
Oh which they are based"
2:o5 p. m.--"We have received from
our London bureau dispatches filed
there as late as 3:42 p. m, and from
our Paris bureau dispatches filed as
'ate as 1850 p. M, making no mention
OF the signing of an armistice The
opposition report that the armistice
mas been signed was dispatched from
London at II a. M
S:lA p. m.-"The Associated Press
did not carry the report. On the con-