The Washington times. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1902-1939, 1936-01-14
PALEY DENIES
FLETCHER'S
CHARGES

Flat denial was made by Will
lam s. Paley, president Of Column
bia Broadcasting System, last
night of charges Of Henry P.
Fletcher, chairman Of the Repub-
lican National Committee, that his
broadcasting company has been
forced into partisan polite
through Administration pressure.
Reiterating his refusal to sell
broadcasting time to the Repub-
lican party or to allow 1t free time
for a radio presentation Of an his
torical drama, Liberty at the
Crossroads" Mr.. Paley, in a letter
to Mr., Fletcher, declared that
legitimate broadcasting agencies
have nothing to fear from the Ad'
ministration.
Time Was Refused
The controversy started when
Chairman Fletcher, describing the
Presidents last Message to Con-
gress as q political speech, de-
manded radio time to reply. This
request was refused as was q later
request for time on the air for
presentation Of the drama. Then
came charges that broadcasting
companies had been inundated
by the Federal Communications
Commission because of the short
term licenses under which they
operate and have been forced into
partisanship.
Last night, Mr.. Paley took ex-
ception to the Fletcher charges.
In the first place, the radio
head said, there Is nothing In the
law which would allow the FEC
to act from partisan political
motives. # the commission did
act from such motives, its judg-
ments would very promptly be
reversed by the courts, he said.
Draws . Difference
Never in the history Of the com
pany have free facilities been
refused to the Republican party,
Mr.. Paley said, as he accused Mr..
Fletcher Of asking him to assume
in advance that IAN address by
the President Of the United States
to the people Of America and their
Congress was q political speech,
and to set aside in advance Of the
delivery Of that speech compare
BILE time for q Republican to an
swer." The letter continues:
1--WE made 1t plain to you.
and now repeat to you, that we
shall distinguish between the
President as President and
Franklin d. Roosevelt IS candi-
date for office.
"YOur whole letter Is wOrded
as II we were treating one DO
litical party on a different basis
than the other. The fact Is that
we refuse to sell time to any
political party before the cOnven-
tions, and we give time to both.
I again explain to you that this
refusal which costs us hundreds
Of thousands of dollars every
year, is based upon our belief
that we are charged with Q
public duty to allOt time for
free discussion Of controversial
questions including politics, and
we refuse to sell time for this
purpose.
NO PARTISANSHIP
'YOu cannot with justice &C
cuse us Of censorship. From Oc-
tober 2 to January II, the Co
Iumbia Broadcasting System pre-
scented 16 political addresses by
Republican Spokesman and IL
BY Democratic SpOkesmen."
Political issues should be dis
cussed Intellectually by responsible
and identified speakers, said Mr..
Paley in justifying his refusal to
allot time for the radio drama, and
should not be fictionalized..
The dramatic method Of draw
ing political issues, in hands Of
skilled performers, will only serve
to confuse issues, Mr.. Paley wrote,
and generally to distort political
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