Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1931-05-03
THE SUNDAY STAR WASHINGTON. D. C, 1931-PART
Reporter Tactics
Get Untiedt Story
After Experts Fail
Sam Bledsoe, Associated
Press Writer, Scoops
Great Interviewers.

Before Washington correspondents
attained the dignity Of that high stand
ing they were mere newspaper report
ers and all of them were brought up on
the theory that LIES chief aim is to
get the story"
| All but one of them must have for
gotten 1t yesterday in the pursuit OF
an interview with Bryan Untiedt. the
hero Of the Colorado blizzard. Since
| Bryan has been in washington he mas
been surrounded with so many kings
queens, presidents, secret service men
and all that sort of thing that the
newspaper reporters haven't had shot
at interviewing him. But taking into
consideration the power OF the press,
! Secretary to the President Joslln, VINO
| used to be newspaper man hlmSeI,
promised the correspondents at the
! White House that Bryan would be duly
presented for an interview.
White House Men Expert.
Now, White House correspondents are
{; not ordinary correspondents. They do
| things in big way. AS there are so
many of them, 1t was deemed appro-
pirate that committee-or was 1t a
commission ?-should be appointed from
among them and the members would
interview Bryan and pool the results
for the delectation Of the rest OF the cor
respondents and of the American public
in general. Six of the sharpest inter-
viewers in America were selected, men
| who never miss a word, who can see
significance in a remark about the
weather and who, with a yes, mo"
and Il can't discuss that" can sit down
and produce three columns on who
will be the next Speaker of the House,
the next President Of the United States,
and can give in advance the contents Of
any report, the results of any survey, or
the opinions of any man, woman or
child, regardless of whether the reports
have been written or made, and regard
less of whether the man, woman or child
Is dead or alive.
Interview Is Refused.
With shsrpened pencils and great
| masses of white paper, the Committee
| OF Six Members Of the White House
| Correspondents Association Chosen to
Interview Bryan Untiedt. walked sedately
into the Office Of Mr.. Joslin and
| solemnly awaited the interview.
Mr.. Joslin then threw what the Com
mittee of Six would call a "bombShell."
Bryan had decided not to be inter-
viewed. Before he came to Washing
| ton he had signed up for a series Of
articles or one article with q Denver
paper. He decided he could not break
| his promise. Mr. Joslin, who used to
be a newspaper man himself, refused to
! ask him to break his promise, as a
| promise Is a sacred thing.
The committee of six, however,
thought different. Bryan was public
| property. What about the taxpayers?
What about the White House lending
itself to commercialism? What about
this? What about that?
Committee TaIkS-RepOrter Works
Mr.. Joslin, a former newspaper man,
was not to be cowed. He refused the
interview. When the exchange of
views and opinions grew hot, Mr.. jos
lin refused to discuss the matter fur
ther and did what the committee of
six would ordinarily term abruptly
terminating the interview"
The Committee OF Six Members of
the White House Correspondents As
ISOLATION Chosen to Interview Bryan
Untiedt turned on its heels and left
the room and went into a huddle,
from which came the pronouncement
that something should be done" A
meeting, it is understood, will be called.
A resolution, even, may be passed.
In the meantime an Associated Press
reporter, Sam BledSoe, did what an
ordinary reporter would do. He fol-
lowed Bryan to the station and got
an interview.