The Indianapolis times. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1922-1965, 1932-12-08
HOOVER PLANS
TO WORK, But
NOT TO WRITE
President Has No Ambition
for Literary Career
After Retirement.
LONG VACATION FIRST
Chief Executive Has Fishing
Trip in Mind; Fortune
Hard Hit.
BY HENRY F. MISSELWITZ,
United Press STAFF Correspondent

tcopvright. 1892, BY United Press
WASHINGTON, Dec. 8. - When
he retires to private life, March 4,
President Hoover intends to refrain
scrupulouSly from attempting to in
fluence public opinion on national
affairs, he has intimated to friends.
He is represented as desiring to
avoid utterances which might en-
barrass his successor, Franklin D.
Roosevelt, in taking over the diff
cult task of dealing with troubled
affairs at home and abroad.
For this reason, and the addition
al one that writing is hard work for
him, Mr.. Hoover is expected to re-
frain from extensive literary and
journalistic work, despite the long
line of precedents by ex-Presidents.
First of all, he intendens to take
a vacation. 1t may be a year. 1t
may be six weeks. That all de-
ponds on how Mr.. Hoover feels after
he has fshed for a while.
He Intends to Work
After that-work. His intimates
say his fortune has shrunk to less
than $1,O00,O0G. Rumors have
placed his annual income-aside
from his government ~Salary--at
about $4,000. His close friends say
it is far less.
But he will not seek to rebuild
bic f0rt.ooc with hic non HE
predecessor, Calvin Coolidge, has
earned large sums writing. He APP
peared in the magazines almost Is
soon as he had left the White
House. For a year he wrote daily
newspaper comment.
He sought, however, to avoid con-
~troversial subjects. Taft and Theo-
dore Roosevelt also received regular
incomes from writing for magazines
or newspapers.
Mr.. Hoover does not feel that it
would be fair to the incoming adj
ministration for him to begin com
menting on national affairs as soon
as he leaves the presidential chair.
And he thinks the only subject
right now that would interest peo-
pie in his writings would be the ma
tons business. He feels that good
craftsmanship calls for him to keep
silent.
Not FaciIe Writer
From another point Of view, MI.
Hoover rather would earn his money
some other way. He realizes that
he is not a facile writer, his friends
say, and for that reason alone
would prefer to work at something
which comes more easily.
Few Presidents have found the
job of actual literary composition
so arduous as has MI. Hoover.
He has insisted on drafting his
messages and other state papers
largely himself, utilizing memoranda
and other research material from
assistants, but making the language
his own.
Endless revisions, down to pune
tuation, often have held up his
manuscripts almost until the time
of delivery.
May Make Canal Trip
The Presidents first idea is to
take a fishing trip after March 4
but where he will fish he has not
decided. He prefers to make last
minute decision and to leave a door
open then, permitting him to do
something else.
His fishing trip won't be- mapped
out much in advance, it may be
safely assumed. He went to Puerto
Rico in 1881 on a few hours notice.
He and Mrs. Hoover may go home
via the Panama canal. He lever has
seen it, for n thing, and it would
be a leisurely, pleasant sea voyage
to California, permitting fishing on
the way. He has that among other
things under consideration.