Evening star., 1944-03-10
the Italian ships

skillful in parrying questions ant
his press conferences are unique II
that they have always been on al
tmpromptu basis both on the par
Of the questioners and Mr.. Roose'
welt. But it has already beer
demonstrated after II years that th'
President is good at repartee ant
that the Aewspapermen can asl
searching questions. What is i'm.
portant now is that the President
as we'll as the press be safeguardee
by a change in the system
There once was a rule in effec
before the present administration
whereby questions were submitted
in writing an hour or so in advance
of the press conferences. The Pres.
ident had an opportunity to consult
other officials and departments o1
the Government and get the infor-
nation desired. If he choose to
disregard q written question, he
could do so without being, compelled
to make an evasive answer on some
thing which In his judgment should
not be answered.
Off-Hand Comment.
But the rule was that If the Pres
ident did answer written question,
he could be asked on the spot any
question the newspapermen hap
pened to think of and thereupon the
press conference was no different
from those now being held by Mr..
Roosevelt. In fairness to a Presi-
dent who cannot possibly know up
to the minute what the newspaper
men know has been said or given
out in various parts Of the Govern
ment, the hour or more for advance
scrutiny would enable the President
to inform himself.
For one thing, the change in the
system would assure the press Of
answers that they knew represented
careful study and not of -hand COM
ment. Unquestionably many of the
inconsistencies and apparent contra
dictions in statement which have
been the basis of criticism from
time to time stemmed from this
very clumSineSs in the handling of
important news by the President in
his conferences.
Time and again things Mr.. Roose-
velt has said in press conferences
have caused controversy, especially
when relayed Informally by the re-
porters to members of Congress on
Capitol Hill. The White House al
ways has maintained for reference a
stenographic record of what has
been said SO that some OF the mis-.
understandings have been removed
by reading the exact context.
An effort has just been made in
the House Of Commons to use Mr..
Roosevelt's error in announcing off,
hand the future disposition of one
third Of the Italian feet to Russia
as q means Of embarrassing Mr..
Churchill. The Prime Minister was
asked to make sure that in the fu-
ture important announcements of
this kind were made in concert by
simultaneous announcement in the
capitals Of the countries concerned
Chuckle in Britain.
Mr.. Churchill side-stepped the
issue but undoubtedly some OF our
British friends chuckled over the
affair because 1t was not long ago
that the American press was criti-
cizing the Prime Minister for letting
some news out of the bag which
ought properly have been made the
subject of official announcement at
the same time In London and Wash
ington.
The problem Of allocating the
Italian feet also has a bearing on
Italian enthusiasm for the war
against the Nazis. The italian naval
fleet was pro-Ally and took big
chances in effecting a surrender.
To be suddenly told that the ships
would be givensto Russia is to in
troduce an unnecessary complication
IN an already complicated situation
with respect to the Badoglio govern
ment. Assurance has doubtless been
given the Italians since the press
conference.-the fact Prime Minister
Churchill repeated it publicly to the
House of Commons-that nothing
Will be done during the war to dis
turb the Italian fleet b,,t tbat tho