Evening star., 1939-11-19

Since the outbreak of the European
war, Stephen T. Early, White House
secretary, has had three stenographers
take down his remarks at his daily
conferences with newspapermen. This
is visual evidence Of the increased re-
sponsibilities now carried by the former
reporter and news reel executive who
originally was assigned to handle Presi-
dent Roosevelts press radio and mo-
tion picture relations.
"Steve"-every one calls him that ex-
cept his Office force-has become the
White House spokesman whenever Mr..
Roosevelt wants to give semi official
hint on domestic or international af-
fairs without dignifying the situation
with a presidential utterance This is
a difficult and delicate assignment and
the tone of the voice as well as the
words themselves becomes a matter Of
news which may cause an international
incident or a domestic political quarrel.
Hence Mr.. Earlys extreme caution in
phrase and demeanor and hence the
three stenographers.
AC Vv4AGC A4O0oO oEOnScA1Ad41 10 11Oo
a novel idea. The phrase originated in
Calvin Coolidge's administration when
the President refused to allow press
conference remarks to be attributed di-
rectly to himself. This necessitated
much circuitous and nebulous report
ing, and Charles Nicholson, then writ
ing for the New York World, gave this
vague parsonage the death blow by con-
stantly referring to the mysterious figure
as THE White House Spokesman" The
creation became joke, and Mr.. Cool
idge curtly ordered reporters to stop
writing about the White House spokes-
man.
Mr.. Early is not a spokesman in the
Coolidgean sense. What he says can
be attributed to him and quoted directly.
The situation is closely parallel to that
OF other war days when suave Joseph
P. Tumulty skillfully handled President
Wilson's relations with the press.
Mr.. Roosevelt has amply demonstrated
that he is his own best press agent and
that if he had the time, he could give
just the proper touch to every White
House statement. But when he came
to Washington in March, 1888, he had
the advantage of intimate counsel on
press relations from the three members
of his secretariat, Louis McH. Howe,
Marvin Mcintyre and Mr.. Early, all for
mer newspapermen. Secretary Howe
died after a prolonged illness; Secretary
Mcintyre is now in hospital in North
Carolina, and Secretary Early remains
on the job with many of the duties of
his old associates. His colleague on the
secretariat now is Brig. Gen. Edwin M.
Watson, who sits next to the presidential
office and is in charge of appointments
Mr. McIntyre's old post.
Knows Reporters BY Name.
Since the critical days of 1888, Mr..
Early has met the press daily and he
knows virtually every White House re-
| porter by name, reputation and the pol
icy of the paper represented. He has
played no favorites. The correspondent
of the bitterest anti-New Deal journal
| gets the same treatment as the warmest
| New Deal advocate, provided the re-
porter abides by the White House rules.
! His pet aversions, like the Presidents,
| are editoriahzing columnists and ire
sponsible gossip writer's.
From his newspaper training, Steve"
Early has the ability to visualize a story
from the spoken word, to forecast what
will be emphasized. the probable head
line, and the immediate and long range
| popular reaction. At the presidential