The Washington times., 1925-02-19
]. TLUNL TY
SAYS BOOK
WRONG
William Allen White Gives In
correct Impression, Sec
retary Asserts

Joseph P. Tunulty, secretary 70
the late President wilson, III d
statement to The Times, today
points oat that i,,correct impress
sionS of himself might be gained
from certain statements IN William
Allen Whites book, "Woodroac
Wilson" +" i,sstullments of a0Eich are
published every Monday in this
paper. He says:
"Many of my friends have called
my attention to an article which
appeared in your paper. on Monday,
last, February Is, this article be-
ing the first of series of stories
written by William Allen White
about Woodrow Wilson.
Letter To White.
Following the appearance of the
first edition Of Mr.. Whites book
about Woodrow Wilson. I wrote
him the following letter:
MY dear Mr.. White:
80 soon as you are getting Uu:
a second edition Of your bIok on
Woodrow Wilson. may l ask If YOU
will let me go over thai interview
you had with me. included in the
book. so as to get it more nearly
in my own vocabulary than you
were able to do in writing it out
from your recollection; and so as
to avoid some things which yo,.
innocently enough. and naturally
enough, have written into it but
which give pain to some Of my
friends? My friends and scme of
the public are under the impression
it was a literal and verbatim inter
view taken down in shorthand. /
find that that impression is Uni.
versal, and some persons, having
that impression, are surprised and
even a little panied.
I'm writing it down afterward, you
have, without intending to, of course.
given me a vocabulary, and to some
extent a point of view, which my
friends recognize as not naturally
my own; and about which they speak
to me a great deal. Also, and equally
without intending it, of course, I
think that in carrying out the
dramatiZatiOn of Woodrow Wilson
as scholastic and Presbyterian
Irishman, which runs through the
book, you have, in a way which
can understand, but which some OF
my friends do not. made this inter
view contribute to that general
scheme of your book by dramatizinG
me as the opposite. Some of the de
vices. for making this dramatic con.
trast come naturally enough to so
good writer as yourself. But they
are just as far enough away from
the literal facts as to cause me a
certain amount of trouble. For eX-
ample, at several points in the inter
view, you make me speak of myself
as zone Roman Catholic" who
could play the game" And zone
Roman Catholic who played a square
hand with a Presbyterian" Now
you, naturally, with your mind in
tent on the dramatiZation which is
fundamental in the book, would new.
err realize how your attributing this
phrase and this point of view to ME,
would differ from my true point OF
view. 1t makes me look as If l
were setting myself up as one Cath
Ollie who is better than others; and
makes me seem to imply that Cath
olics as class do not play a square
hand with a Presbyterian" You will
be quick to realize, l am sure, that
this Is not my point of view.
should not raise the point with you
If 1t were only myself of whom 1
thought, or If l were interested mere
ly in having myself reported with
meticulOus literalness. Unhappily,
the ascribing of this point of view
to me gives pain to many others and
Continued on Page 2. Column 81