Evening star., 1939-11-19
By Raym mond P. Brandt.

press conferences. he has often asked
the President to clarity remark which
he saw was misunderstood. and at his
own conferences he speaks slowly. Rarely
can he be cajoled into simplifying his
remarks, fact which has given rise to
the belief among newspapermen that
his statements, seemingly offhand, have
been carefully gone over by the Presi-
dent during the half hour or more he
spends with Mr.. Roosevelt each morn
ing discussing the news of the day and
the probable questions reporters will ask
Thus his recent cauStic observations
about Premier Molotoff. the gentle re-
buke he gave to Secretary of Agriculture
Wallace for speaking out of turn on the
third-term question and his remarks
about war zones and shipping, all had
earmarks of statements coming directly
from the presidential bedside.
Other White House secretaries have
failed to meet the requirements of re-
porters by lack of candor, high-hat atti-
tudes, inaccessibility and slowness or
negligence in obtaining answers to i'm
portant questions. Mr.. Early must be
absolved of these sins. There have been
no complaints that he ever tried to mis-
lead reporters, although there was one
unfortunate instance when he was not
notified of Rex Tugwell's resignation as
Undersecretary of Agriculture. He is
familiar with reporters but does not
presume on his friendship with them,
or let their friendship obtain undue
favors from him. When he Is not with
the President he is available in his Office
or at home. It's & 24-hour-a day job.
And being a good reporter, he knows
ing quick answers. The arrangement,
from the reporters point of view, would
be hard to surpass.
From the presidential standpoint, Mr..
Early has everything on his side. His
| unimpeachable loyalty to Mr.. Roosevelt
permits a privilege of forthrightness
with the President-and the Roosevelt
family-similar to that enjoyed by the
outspoken Louis Howe. He has never
been rated as one of the New Deal
clique, nor as one of the palace poll
ticians," but his influence in his own
sphere is far beyond that of the more
spectacular names who weave through
the gossip columns.
Friendship Began in 1913.
The friendship between the President
and his spokesman began in 1918, when
| Mr.. Early was assigned to cover the
Navy Department for the Associated
Press and young Franklin D. Roosevelt
came down from Hyde Park to be the
Assistant Secretary of the Navy. For
several years before this, Mr.. Early had
worked for the United Press after grad
uation from a Washington high school.
When the United States entered the
war in 1917, Steve" did not, however
choose the Navy, where he could have
had an easy commission. Instead he
chose the Army, as bef1tted the grand
son of crotchety Jubal Early, the Con-
federate general, who almost invaded
Washington. He fought with the 317th
Infantry Machine Gun outfit and was
later transferred to Military Intelligence
as a captain. Still later he worked on
the Stars and Stripes, the A. E. F. news
paper.
After the war, he became director OF
| publicity for the Chamber of Commerce
of the United States but when his friend
Mr.. Roosevelt was nominated for the vice
presidency on the ticket headed by Cox
Of Ohio, he, with Mr.. Mcintyre and Mr.
Howe, joined the forces with the 38-