Evening star., 1943-11-15

President and the many writers who
have not been invited.
The paipable effort is being made
to discredit the dozen who did at
tend. The claim is being publicly
made that they will be unduly in
fluenced in what they write or edit
In fact, it is charged openly that
the attending writer's are made con-
fidantes on information they can
not print so that other things can
be planted on them that they may
print.
This correspondents his
name was published by an isolation
list critic in the list of those allegedly
present at the informal White House
gatherings recently-does not hap
pen to have been invited to any Of
the sessions The President has
every right to invite whomever he
pleases to the White House for the
discussion of public business.
FOLLOWS fTcCcOent.
What's more, Mr.. Roosevelt is
merely following the precedent set
by other Chief Executives who, since
the era of President Theodore
Roosevelt, have asked writer's and
editors singly or in groups to come
to the White House occasionally for
. discussion of contemporaneou
affairs Nor has such a custom ever
disturbed the regular newsmen
whose duty it is from day to day
to report the spot" news that comes
out of the executive Offices.
It's good thing for the President
to hold as many press conferences
as possible. The regular twice-a-
week sessions with all the corre-
spondents are much too crowded
and uncomfortable for note taking
or hearing. A larger room should
be used, possibly the east room, with
chairs provided. Also impromptu
questions and answers have some
times produced unintended embar-
rassments that never would arise if
the subjects or topics were submitted
to the President In writing in ad-
vance of the meetings, as is done in
the British Parliament. These White
House press and radio conferences
have developed into an institution
OF which America may we'll be proud
an example and a challenge to
all the governments of the free
world to be.
At the same time it is fortunate
development that the President can
flne time also to see smaller groups
and give them his ideas ABOUT the
war and its progress. These sessions
could become as useful to the Presi-
dent as to his visitors for a Chief
Executive lives in virtual seciusion.
He learns only what he reads or
what callers tell him. And if those
callers happen to be sycophantic
5ob-holders or thick -and-thin SUD-
porters there is not likely to be
any reciprocal advantages to such
visits.
AS for writer's and editors, all of
them with rare exception have too
high sense of duty TO their readers
to allow themselves to be over
whelmed by the awe of a presi-
dental presence and thus permit
themselves to be swayed by any,
thing told them if it is something
with which they cannot conscienti-
ously agree in their writings. They
are much too vigilant to be used for
political purposes and the President
is much too experienced to believe
they could ne.
Constructive Step.
In wartime and in the formula
ton of international policies for
peacemaking, it is important that
the press of America be clearly in
formed by governmental spokesmen.
Ihus constructive step has been
taken. Heretofore the Presidents
relations with the reporters of
Washington have been good but
with managing editors and publish
ers the relations have been strained