St. Paul recorder. [volume] (St. Paul, Minn.) 1934-2000, 1944-02-11

twenty-one point statement o.
war aspirations.
The occasion was truly historic,
1t was the first time in this coun-
try's history that a President had
formally received representatives
of the Negro Press as an organ
lied group.
FROM 9 STATES AND D. C.
In the delegation acting on be-
half of the association and as
Spokesman for Negro Americans
and advocates of their fuller citizen
ship, were 10 editors and publishers
from nine states and the District
of Columbia.
The President talked with and
listened to the delegation for thir-
ty-fve minutes in his executive
office at the White House.
The remarks of the Chief Elk
ecutive were off the record, but
the statement of war aims was
we'll received by the President, and
he spoke frankly and at length
about the matters presented to
him.
PERSONNEL OF DELEGATION
The delegation of publishers con-
sisted of:
Carter Wesley, editor, Houston
(Texas) InfOrmer.
William o. Walker, editor, Cleve-
land (Ohio) Call-POst.
Alexander Barnes, manager,
Washington ID. c. Tribune.
Howard H. Murphy, NNPA Sec
rotary and business manager, Afro
American, Baltimore, Md.
C. A. Scott, editor, Atlanta CGa.)
Daily World.
P. Bernard Young, Jr., editor, and
Thomas w. Young, business man.
ager, Journal and Guide, Norfolk,
Va.
DIR. C. B. Powell, publisher, Am
sterdam Star-News, New York,
n. Y.
Ira Lewis, president, and P. L.
Prattis, executive editor, Pitts
burgh (Pa.) Courier.
Louis E. Martin, editor, Michigan
Chronicle, Detroit.
John H. Sengstacke, general
manager, and Charles P. Browning,
national representative, Chicago
0lL) Defender.
Also present was Ted Poston OF
the Office of War Information.
Mr.. Sengstacke, president of the
publishers association, introduced
the delegation and the President
shook hands with each of the con-
ferees, acknowledging the individu-
al introductions with typical Roose-
veltian charm and cordiality.
PRESIDENT COMMENTS
Then the Chief Executive
spoke for about ten minutes be-
fore listening to the spokesman
of the group. Afterwards he
commented at length upon the
summation of aims and aspira-
tionS.
The NNPA includes in its mem
bership newspapers from twenty
five states and the District of Co.
lumbia. The member papers rep
resent 95 per cent of the circula-
ton of all Negro secular publica-
tions.
OTHER OFFICIALS SEEN
The interview with Mr.. Roose-
welt climaxes a series of confer
ences held by the publishers asso-
citation with high government Off
Gals in the past several months,
during which they have advocated
greater justice for and utilization
of colored Americans in the war
production program and in the
armed forces.
Previous conferences were held
with Vice President Henry A. Wal
lace, Navy Secretary Frank Knox,
Attorney General Francis Biddle,
Manpower Commissioner Paul V.
McNutt, Major General Lewis Her
shey of Selective Service, Assistant
Secretary of War John ]. McCloy,
owl Director Elmer Davis, Cap
tain Leland P. Lovette, chief of
Navy Public Relations; General A.
D. Surles, director of War Depart
ment public relations; Admiral
Randall E. Jacobs, chief of the bu-
reau of personnel, Navy Depart
ment; Stephen Early, Presidential
press secretary, and Donald M. Mel
son, War Production Board admin
istrator.
SUMMARY OF STATEMENT
The NNPA president, in in
Producing the members of the
delegation, thanked Mr.. ROose-
welt "for your courtesy in see
ing this committee from our as
ISOLATION, which is working
daily to do everything that it
can to help win the war and
the peace that follows"
The statement of war aims and
post war aspiration, read on behalf
of the association by Mr.. traits,