Evening star., 1943-04-19
By the Associated Press.

lo1oing is the tert of the address
by Kent Cooper, general mana
ger OF the Associated Press, at
the annual Associated Press
luncheon today:
It would be unthinkable that
there could be gathering repre-
sentative of the American press
such as is this one without solemn
thought of that to which now al
lude. In this terrible war there
have gone out from the United
States since Pearl Harbor many
brave soldiers whom we all honor,
but on this occasion should like
to single out the soldiers of the
press. These reporters have all
had ability. They have all had
courage. Some of them have given
their lives. In honoring our own
Associated Press dead or missing
since Pearl Harbor we should, as
they would have us do, equally
honor all.
Jack Singer of the International
News Service.
Eugene Petrov of the North
American Newspaper Alliance.
William McDougall and Harry
Percy of the United Press.
Ben Miller of the Baltimore Eve
ming Sun.
Ben Robertson, jr., of the New
York Herald Tribune.
Byron Darnton and Robert P.
Post of the New York Times.
Mrs. Lea Burdett of PM.
Melville Jacoby of Time and Life.
Harry Crockett and D. Witt Han
cock of the Associated Press, and
to that list I want to add the
names of two newsmen in the
radio field:
Frank Cuhel of the Mutual
Broadcasting System and Don Bell
of the National Broadcasting Co.
Moment Of Silence.
ask this assembly to rise for
a moment of silence in reverent
memory and appreciation of all
those who have been named.
Thank you.
And I might tell you that for that
moment of silence thousands of
miles of Associated Press wire op-
Grated throughout the length and
breadth of our country were stimuli
taneously still.
BY self-imposed rule, my ex-
pressions have been confined solely
to matters concerning the direction
and management of the services of
the Associated Press. I may get
lost in this departure that I am
about to make. But if I do get lost,
have this conviction about it: I
will be among friends.
A discussion Of peace terms which
could be imposed by the United
Nations is quite premature. It is
dangerous to prophesy; yet the
peace, to me, seems a very long
way of. Nevertheless, it is the very
nature of the heart of a nation
that did not want war to yearn for
peace. Thus the people Of such a
nation, even from the day it declares
war. began to contemplate the terms
OF peace. The longer the war, the
more agitated become the discus
sions of what the peace shall pro-
vide.
- Not Present at Peace Table.
Now I suppose if have an ex-
aggerated idea Of what the Amer
lean press can do to eradicate a
cause of war I can be forgiven.
While in all wars the newspapers
have editorialized on the causes of
wars and the proposals of peace,
newsmen have not been treaty
makers. Nor have they made de-
mands. 1t has seemed to me that
at peace conferences all business in
terests have their representatives
making demands except the press,
whose representatives. are there only
as reporters. 1t is fact that never
at the end of any war in history
has a united effort of the newspaper
men of any nation demanded that
a peace treaty contain a clause
affecting any element of the news
business. An experiment in that
direction in connection with the
next peace treaty would, therefore,
be as interesting as 1t would be
novel.
Now it is too much to expect that
newsmen will sit at the peace
tables. Around those tables will be,
as always, politicians and soldiers
in the roles of statesmen. This in
spite OF the fact that it is doubtful
whether any politician or soldier
can have any better understanding
of most of the causes of war than
accomplished newspapermen of in
ternational experience. Certainly
neWsmen alone have competent
knowledge of the one cause of war
concerning which I mean to be
specific, namely, perverted news,
which is most easily found in lands
where there is not free press.
Crusade for Free Press.
| Indeed if any other business were
confronted with so important a sit
uation affecting itself, it would do
something about it; and the press
would give advice on what that bus
mess should do. Affected itself and
wishing for security at home, sug-
gest that the press could well af-
ford to crystalline favorable atten-
ton upon itself through crusade
for world acceptance of its present
status at home upon which it has
been solidly built. Worldwide ad-
vocacy of the principle of a free
press and what it takes to make a
free press successful would strength
en- the standing of free press in
the United States. The people do
not understand that free press is
their heritage. Thus in perilous
times for all, the American news
paper institution might bring un-
derstanding to the people and at
the same time lift itself into an
important world effort by endeav-
oring to attain the extension of the
democratic principle of the freedom
to print.
maintain there can well enough