The Wilmington morning star., 1945-08-13

Editors note.-The Star AID the News
accept no responsibility for the personal
views of Mr. Pegler and often disagree
with them as much as many of his read
ers. His articles serve the good purpose
of making people Think
BY WESTBROOK PEGLER
copyright, 1945, by King Features Syndicate)
NEW YORK, Aug. 12-Returning to the de-
hate on the proposition that members of the
family of the late President Roosevelt com
mercialized the presidency, this is to recall
a radio program promoted by group OF
candy manufacturers who, in 1912, were ap-
prehensve lest candy be declared nom
essential. Like many other business interests
they were On the borderline and might be
ruled out on the ground that the ingredients
which they used were better used as food in
the ordinary sense of the word and their people
and plants better employed otherwise
Joseph w. Hicks, public relations genius,
was engaged to find way, and presently
came up with device called the council on
candy as food in the war effort. The firm Of
Baton, Barton, Durstine and Osborne was en-
gagged to handle the advertising.
Between them, they appear to have done
good job for whether we agree that candy
has been food essential to the war effort
the candy industry has lived on.
Ernest K. Lindley, a Washington journalist
and sympathetic interpreter of the New Deal,
was engaged as the news commentator for
radio program of So weeks. His wife, Mrs.
Betty Lindley, an intimate friend of Mrs.
Roosevelt, was hired to help arrange the
programs. In an earlier venture. Mrs. Lindley
had represented Mrs. Roosevelt in negotiations
for a season commentator for the Pan
American Coffee Bureau in program financed
through the public taxes of number of Latin
American republics.
The council on candy as food wanted big
in Of %L4v 10
ed by the Buchanan agency, another advertis-
ing firm in offering Mrs. Roosevelt radio
attraction in the coffee program. The Buchan-
an agency called this the Follow the Leader
principle and it has been vindicated by adycr-
tisers not only in the United States but earlier.
in Great Britain where the title of "Purveyor''
of chutney. kippers or bear grease for the
hair to their majesties a valuable ,onn-
merical boast long before American advertis-
ers took to buying testimonials for cigarettes
from athletes who did not smoke.
The candy manufacturers also wanted
names" and they got Henry Wallace and
Paul McNutt, generals and admirals for their
radio program and were well pleased with
the results. These individuals made no charge
for their services.
In the course of this season. Mrs Roosevelt
made two appearances of eight minutes zach
at fee of 500 per broadcast or just about
S2OO minute and my authority who had a
part in the arrangements, understands hat
there was third broadcast at $780, What
Mrs. Roosevelt did with the money is some
thing that she has always deemed to be her
own business, although there have been sug-
gestions that it was devoted to purposes which
were called charities
press handout, dated Dec. g. 1912 from
the offices of the council said Mrs. Franklin
D. Roosevelt will give report to the mothers
of the nation on her recent trip to England
in coast to coast broadcast Wednesday eve
ming. Dec. 9. The program will be presented
by the Council on Candy Food in the War
Effort
No mention was made OF a fee to Mrs.
Roosevelt for such report to the mothers
of the nation" although that would SEEN to
have been appropriate information for lack of
which it may have been assumed that she
was making this report free generous
service to those mothers Moreover, there was
no suggestion that Mrs. Roosevelt paid any
part of her expenses on this trip which thus
are assumed to have been borne by either
the Red Cross or the taxpayers.
No question is raised here as to the legality
OF the conduct of Mr.. and Mrs. Lindley but
II l had ever accepted similar assignment
and compensation from. say. Tom Cirdler. of
Republic Steel. who fought and beat President
Roosevelt's CLIO. the journalists of the New
Deal would have called my fee brass check.
| anu, il MIS-. ION dewey naQ Undertaken a
radio program for paw and the wife of some
aggressive anti-New Deal journalist had been
engaged profitably as agent that would have
been denounced as subtle manner of paying
for the favorable opinion of the writer.
But did Mrs Roosevelt here connercialize
the presidency? The answer to that is another
question: Why did the Council on Candy as
Food select her?
Referring back now to the coffee broadcast.
am bound to report that John Hav Whitney.
who was depicted as an enthusiastic he1per in
this commercial exploit in survey prepared
for the coffee bureau by the Buchanan agency.
has written an amiable denial. The Buchanan
agency told the coffee bureau that Mr.. Whit
new. in charge of the moving picture division
of the Rockefeller Bureau for Coordination Ct
Cultural and Comm erical Relations between
the American Republics. has agreed to see
that interesting, delightful coffee drinking
scenes are placed in a great number of the
most important motion pictures to be produced
in HOLLYWOOD"
II was approached by the Buchanan people
with exactly the gigantic idea you quote,
Mr.. Whitney writes. land I can remember
wondering whether it is really true that there
is no harm in trying thanked them, real
polite, for their interest in our Latin American
program and gently closed the exit. 1t was
very funny at the time. It's pretty funny ever
now Yours for the record, Jock Whitney"
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