Evening star., 1941-11-16
Press Club Pipes
Nit 10 President, Kept
Al Home by Cold
400 Attend Dinner,
Poke Fun at Their Own
'OH-the-Record Record

About 400 members of the Ma
tional Press Club last night held
their annual dinner, but their theme
"A night at the club with our fel-
low member. Franklin D. Roosevelt"
had TO be slightly revised because
Of the Presidents indisposition.
The Chief was confined to the
White House with cold he con-
tracted Armistice Day. But one of
the dinner skits in which the mem
bers kidded themselves on their
off-the-record" luncheons was car
ried to the Executive Mansion by
loudspeakers.
Melbourne Christerson. president
OF the club, presided and intro
duced the various skits which
changed with the dinner plates.
There was music by the United
States Navy Band, under 1t
Charles Belter. and an hour or 50
OF professional entertainment ar
ranged by Gene Buck, president Of
the American Society Of Composers,
&hthlACio c'AN' NiO4LSiICIN.
"Of-the- Record" Luncheon.
Since the members were trying
to explain to the President the club
routine, MI. Christerson led i'm
medlately into the sample "off-the-
record luncheon with the obServa-
ton that no club in America has
a more successful -the-record
fonnri" -,o,, 10 1,,I
Completely off the record. he in
troduced Mr. Brunswick Stew ma
tional president of ScreWball ASso-
ciates. who was to give an off-the-
record account Of the national small
business convention from which he
had just returned
Mr.. Stew, who was really Theo-
dore Koop Of the National Geo.
graphic Society, has no heSitancy in
asserting Cand this was strictly off
the record that it was the con-
sensus of the convention that as
long as free press lived there
would always be priorities for nuts
bolts and screWballS.
In another skit. featuring Henry
Doris of the New York Times Bu-
reau. Nick Gregory of the New York
Herald Tribune Bureau, Charlie
Stewart. Central Press Association
correspondent; Eddie Folliard of
the Post, and Carlisle Bargeron of
Look Magazine, the innocuouS off
the-record' luncheon address was
developed into an exclusive page !
story that the national defense sit
uatlon was terrible according to
sources close to the White House.
This was 10 inform the President
on the source of some news stories,
but he did not hear it
Cleveland Figures in Skit.
A third skIt, with Secretary of
Commerce Jesse Jones making the
introduction in person, pictured a
meeting between President Cleve-
land, Franklin Roosevelt and Frank
Inns father. My boy" Cleveland
said, Il have a strange wish for you
l wish that you may never become
President" Franklin remarked to
his father:
Dad, President Cleveland GER
tainly talks like a Republican"
Singing by Bill Coyle of The Star
and quartet was also tuned into
the President over the loudspeaker
hookup
The President listened attentively
to several parts of the entertainment
that were wired into the White
House. and made repeated telephone
calls to dinner officials in response.
After hearing a Western song,
that was closely allied with an
earlier Roosevelt campaign, he sent
this message to Mr.. Christorson:
Tell Mac Marvin H. McIntyre)
that since 1885 nobody except Mac
could be found to lead il Home on
the Range The copyright has run
out"
Replies to Rayburn Joke.
In later message. after House
Speaker Rayburn had been referred
TO as ''rattling around in the Presi-
dents chair" the President again
telephoned to say:
There is nothing in this rattling
around business; how can there be
any when we are both in the same
seat?'
At the head table. in addition to
Mr.. Christerson, Mr Jones, Mr.. Koop
and Mr. Buck were Speaker Ray
burn, Howard Acton. Harold Bray
man, Senator Capper of Kansas,
Felix T. Gotten, Morris D. Erwin.
Richard L. HarknesS, White House
Secretary William D. Hassett, Sena-
tor Hatch Of New Mexico, Repre-
sentative johnson Of Texas. Walter
karig, Paul R. Leach, White House
Secretary Mcintyre, Claude A. Ma
honey, Eugene Meyer. George H.
OConnor, Sam A. O'Neal Clifford
A. Provost. J, Percy Priest. Lawrence
Stafford, Frank c. Waldrop, James
E. Warner and White House Sec
retary Edwin M. Watson.
Other guests at the dinner in
cluded: