Every evening, Wilmington daily commercial. (Wilmington, Del.) 1878-1928, 1922-04-01

between representative OF news
papers. We had with us not only
the correspondents of the-uSost
powerful newspapers Of New York.
but OF small radical and socialist
newspapers. and seyeral represen-
tatiyes from foreign language
newspapers.
Soon after settling down In
Paris the American press represen-
tatiyes OF whom were vet-
Gran Washington correspondents
with experience OF the value or or
ganizotion I'm the press galleries of
Congrsss--met in tho Office OF the
Press Bureau and formed an ssso-
citation. electipg Richsrd v. Oula-
han OF The New York Times 40
President. and from that time on
ward they no. only decided many
of the difficult problems OF repre-
sentatIOn in thu public meetings -
the Peace Conference. the distribu-
ton OF the wireless allotments pro-
yided by the Government. but they
exercised @n influence and pres
sure upon tho conference itself far
more important than the public
realizes. II II had not been for
tho energetic campaign or This
American organization. az mo
secret records OF the Peace Confer
encs clearly reveal. there would
have undoubtedly been FAR less sc-
cess TO the conference than there
was. and possibly no plensry ses-
sions A. all.
one OF the greatest difficulties
NJ first confronting most American
Journalists was a fundamental
want Of knowledge or background
OF international affairs.
] suggested. therefore, thet a.
the various problems arose We
should prepare under the direction
I OF the Prsgs Bureau a statement ~
the historical. geographical and
political elements involved In ~ by
conference with the experts OF tho
commission. this 20 be put out Tor
use by the newsDa per correspon~
dents. Our first statement was IN
/ Poland and was written by DR.. X.
/ Fl. Lord Of Hsrvsrd, who was tho
/ American expert on that subject.
/ u was welcomed by the newspaper
correspondents and even sent over
/ by certain OF them in full. rms
was the FIRST OF long series OK
such statements Not ono OF them
put out BY our bureau, was IN
any way propagandist. They were
prepared solely for the informa~
ton OF correspondents.
so much for the formal machin-
cry outlined in the Presidents orr
. ginal plan. The other source OF IN
formation for correspondents aug
gested by tho President--daily ac-
cess 10 the Commissioners--provsd
IN the beginning quito useful.
Another source OF information
and discussion was tho smaller
gatherings OF newspaper men who,
during the latter part OF the Con-
ference, met Colonel House every
day. Colonel House was not only
moro closely in touch with the
President than any of the other
/ Commissioners, but he had a
genius for human contact and vas
constantly meeting the representa-
tive men from other delegations
and receiving visitors from Amer
lea who sought through him 10
reach the President. so that his
conferences were always interest
ing, though, during the latter part
OF the Peace Conference, yielding
little real news Of what was going
. on IN the Council OF Four-for
upon these things Colonel House
was almost az little informed az
the other commissioners.
For a time the American CORES
pondents we're also received By
members Of foreign delegations.
like Mr.. Balfour and Lord Robert
Cecil among the British. and n.
Pichon among tbs French. ana
their own widening acquaintance
and familiarity with conditions
opened still further avenues OF IN
form atoms.
After the President return sd
from America IN March and tho
Council OF Four was Instituted, ac-
cess TO the really important infor-
nation as to what the heads OF
Stat 8 were doing became still fur
arose among the press over this
state OF affairs. The writer took
up the subject with the President
and urged that some channel OF
regular Information be opened, and
IL was finally arranged that I go
up 10 his house, where the Council
OF Four was meeting. every day at
o'clock. and this practice, once
begun. continued to the end OF the
conference.
II is easy, OF course. 70 criticlss
the publicity methods at Paris, but
the failure. II II was failure, was
highly complicated. IL must not
be forgotten that the war was still
only halted by a truce, and that
many little conflicts, which might
easily become greater, were going
on all over Europe. War is secre-
tive, and the fear and greed which
lie behind war are secretive. The
old diplomacy. with its tenacious
traditions, was secretive. and the
nations we're entangled in a mesh
OF secret treaties. For over four
years the press had been strangled
with a rigid censorship. Il was
new thing for publics 10 be repre-
sented az such conferences at all:
there were no standards, no tech
niQue. To ask complete frankness
at that time VS. TO ask that the
world stop instantly being fearful,
greedy. revengeful.
The struggle for publicity was
thus part OF the struggle out ot
war into peace. out OF the tradi-
tons OF the old diplomacy into
new methods. out OF the ooncep-
ton OF International dealings a,
the concern OF few autocratic
heads Of States toward a new con-
eeption OF International dealings
= Il hlL 4 49, "A l. :.