Evening star., 1944-09-01

Mr.. Roosevelt Frank r. Kent.
possesses advantages in a press con-
ference so great as to leave no real
room for comparison with any one
else.
All Of these advantages, of course,
are based on the immense prestige
OF the high Office he occupies. This
affords him a protection which no
other public man possibly can enjoy.
1t prevents him from being cross
examined, contradicted or pinned
down. 1t enables him, with impu-
nifty, to patronize, dominate, direct
and, sometimes, insult.
All of these things-and more
he has done in his press confer
ences-and all of them the repre-
sentatives of the press have to take
because he is the President.
There isn't thing they can do
about it. For example, at his first
press conference after his return
from the "trip of inspection" which
took him across the country to Hon.
olulu and back and which, in the
view of vast number of people,
had distinct political flavor, Mr..
Roosevelt, when asked what he had
to say on the subject, branded the
question as a fool" question, said
1t had been asked by reporter who
accompanied him on the trip; that
the reporter knew it was a fool
question and that it had been
planted" by the news agency he
represented.
All the Answer.
That was all the answer he gave.
The correspondents could obtain no
other. They couldn't even try to
obtain more.
1t could not be pointed out to him
that on this trip he had diverted
his special train to stop at Chicago
for a conference with Chairman
Hannegan, who was his manager at
the convention; that he had had
telephone conversations with other
politicians on the trip: that the
timing of the trip fitted perfectly
into the Commander in Chief STRAIT
egy on which his fourtn-term effort
is being based.
None OF theSe-and other things
could be brought to Mr.. Roose-
velt's attention after he mad de-
clared it fool" question and ex-
hibited irritation at being asked it..
The dignity of the presidential Of
flee is such that the President can
not be argued with by his question:
ers. The accuracy of his state
ments cannot be questioned and
resentment at his manners may
not be shown.
The reporters knew that it was
not a fool" question. They knew
it was very timely, pertinent and
proper one. But not one man
present dared say that-or repeat
the question. That sort of thing
cannot be done at a Presidents press
conference. The topic just had to
be dropped.
1t was the same way The same
day on another matter. Reporters
asked the President whether he had
anything to say about the invita-
ton to Mr.. Willkie to discuss for
elgn policy with him. Mr.. Roosc-
welt replied that he had never heard
OF any such invitation. That ended
that so far as the conference was
concerned. The New York Herald
Tribune next day did repeat em-
that an invitation to MIR.
Willkie had been sent from the
White House on White House sta.
tlonery and been received by Mr..
Willkie.
But no one had the hardihood to
recite this fact to Mr.. Roosevelt
after his statement. 1t would have
been equivalent to doubling the
Presidents word and that Just isn't
done openly in a press conference.
Yet there wasn't a reporter present
who did not believe there was a
basis for the published story. It
had been printed widely all over
the country days before, with no
White House denial by the astute
and alert presidential secretary, Mr..
Early.
A week later Mr., Roosevelt was
compelled to admit that he had
sought a conference with Mr.. Will
kie exactly as had been stated, Re-
porters would not submit to this
sort of equivocation from any one
else. They have to submit when it
comes from the President-but they
90 not like it.
Dewey Bars No Holds.
Contrast all this with a Dewey
press conference. The prestige of
his present Office affords him no
comparable protection. Either pa
tronage, evasion or inaccuracy would
be instantly and openly resented by
the attending newspapermen. At
the Dewey press conferences no
holds are barred and there is MOTH
ing to check the questioners, except
good manners and a sense of fair
ness.
Among the men who attend the
Dewey conferences are some who
are extremely hostile to him, eager
to trip him up. These ask the most
embarrassing questions of which
they can think. There are no rea-
sons why, If Mr.. Dewey's answer to
a question is considered inadequate
or evasive, the question should not
be repeated and the subject fol-
lowed up-and it is.
Gov. Dewey is in no position to
dispose of an awkward inquiry by
saying it is a fool" question, or by
showing temper That sort of thing
for him would be pretty near fatal
from the press standpoint. He has
to take it" but the President does
not have to take it'-and he
shouldn't. The presidential office is
entitled to a respect due no other.
But the fact that he commands
and gets that respect ought to make