Detroit evening times. (Detroit, Mich) 1921-1958, 1941-11-12
Press Vexed
As Hopkins
Turns Writer
His Interview With Stain,
g Stirs journalistic Ire Z
By WESTBROOK PEGLER


BY wEsTBROOK PEGLER
MUCH indignation is being ex-
AVA pressed by members OF the
fourth estate in Washington
over the growing trade In more
or less beautiful letters which
has been worked up by officials
of the government, including
Mrs. Roosevelt, who is what you
might call an unofficial official.
Particularly painful is Harry
Hopkins venture into CONNER
cial journalism with his story OF
his visit with Josef Stain which
is published in the December is
sue of a magazine.
The news of Mr.. Hopkins in
terview with the dictator OF the
Soviet Union should have been
public property, inasmuch as his
mission was one that concerned
the fate and fortunes OF all
Americans and perhaps eventu-
ally the fate of the republic it
self but Mr.. Hopkins. am
advised by one who is currently
ablaze with Indignation, gave
the professional journalists the
rtln-around.
MOREOVER, when Harry
N1 saws Russia has observed -
her treaties and commitments
10 the letter you are at liberty,
Yourself. to recall that Russia
violated the first condition OF
this countrys treaty Of recogni-
ton, which was a promise TO
quit messing in our internal az
fairs, and continued to violate
that solemn commitment even
to the extent of sabotaging thel
war efforts of the United States a
I'D to the moment of Hitlers
attack on Russia.
You are at liberty TO place &
| that check mark against Harrys
assertion, but reporter. ham
ding straight news would be
out of order in such an observa-
ton, unless the fact were de-
veloped by question in the
mass interview. ~
OF course, Harry could have
released the same story as a
public document.
60 THIS is rather special
~ case in which it seems well
that a government official did
violate the old established pro-
prieties by issuing the BY
product of his mission IN
competition with private in
dustry.
In fact. the old established
proprieties have been pretty ef-
fectively disestablished under
this government.
The competition with private
industry began as soon as the
election returns were in in 1882.
when the late Louis Howe went
10 market like a pack-peddler
with a satchel of manuscripts
and even adopted his own YER
sion OF full-line-forcing. a device
which Thurman Arnold holds 70
be violative of the Sherman Act,
to sell his goods.
Under Mr. Howe's plan, IL you
wanted 10 buy a story by one
of the stars of his suddenly liter
AIRY group. you had TO buy also
one or more turkeys or filters
by lesser writer's.
OF COURSE, the practice Of
" selling the literary by-prod-
uct of public office is not new
and has been more familiar IN
England than here for MANY
years.
But ordinarily and underline
old propriety. the author was
supposed TO wait until he was
out of office and usually sus-
pended his journalistic work
when he returned TO some pub
lie job, as many of them often
did.
Lloyd George wrote endlessly
of his war experiences ia the
cabinet and in the field after he
lost out, and his books presum-
ably have not stopped coming.
In our country, Theodore
Roosevelt and Calvin Coolidge
| xlVDGtS.k1,r IF fLA,.-
experience after they were
through
Winston Churchill was a pro-
digious pot-boiler during his
political off-season whose old
writings. if carefully picked over
today, might plague him pain
fully.
Under our New Deal or new
~ order, however. Mrs. Roose-
welt, Harold Ickes and now Hop
kins. and / dare say many
others. have competed vigor-
ously with that phase of private
industry which is represented
by journalism, and apparently il
4 has never occurred TO them that
this might not be ethical pool.
The fact that such writings
derive their value mostly from
the office Of the writer, revives
an old discussion which used 10
embitter relations between the
1 fourth estate and some of our
eminent football coaches and
hoatIt ifIll- dumb utiaape ~ a.