The Chronicle-star combined with the Moss Point advertiser., 1945-10-05
Ace Newsmen Fly Here To See Yards
AT Start OF Big Reconversion Tour
Veteran Reporters
Hove Seen Biggest
Happenings OF War

Pascagoula had a flying visit
this week from a score of the
leading newspapermen of the
United States, some of whom are
fresh from the battlefields of the
world where they witnessed and
reported history in the making,
and were in daily communication
with the generals whose names
will be part of American history
for all time.
Among the others whose Ca
reers have not included expert
ence as foreign correspondents
were a number of veterans of eco
nomic and political writing
whose by-lines have been known
in the national press for decades
such as Russell Porter of the
New York Times, Max Forester
of the New York Herald Tribune
and Charles 7. Lucey of the
Scripps-Howard newspapers.
Purlitxer Prize
One of the writer's, Stanton
Delaplane, of the San Francisco
Chronicle, won the coveted Pu-
liter Prize in journalism several
years ago for reports concerning
the movement of several Califor-
MIA and Oregon counties to seeede
and form a 49th state.
Perhaps the best known of all
the group, and an old warhorse in
American journalism, was James
Z. Kilgallen, of the international
News Service whose name has
appeared at the head of the big
gest news stories of the past for
ty years. His daughter, Dorothy
Kilgallen. writes 5. a New York col
umn.
Kilgallen, spry and youthful
his long years in the
game, covered some of the great
events of the war in the Europ-
can theater and was present at
the surrender of the German
army.
During the evening gathering
here on the day before the men
inspected the ingalls, Shipyard,
and the others remin-
isced about some of their ex.
perienees in the recent past Wheb
the names Eisenhower, Bradley,
Patton, Hodges-with whom they
were daily associated-were ap-
pearing in the biggest headlines.
Greek Guerillas
Typical. of the younger news
papermen who went off for color
full and dangerous experiences as
war correspondents and who
have now returned to the more
peaceful channels of news writ
ing was Donald Grant, of the st.
Louis POST Dispatch.
Grant, who was then working
for Look magazine and the Des
Moines Register and Tribune,
covered the invasion of Africa
where he participated in action
the tank armies in their
first cruel battles when, lack
ing the experience of Rommel's
veteran African army, they went
up against the most crafty and
ruthless tank division in the
world.
Later Grant went into Greece
seeking a story about the Greek
guerillas who were ~harrasing the
German occupation army and
helping prepare the way for the
landings. During this
time he had the experience of
being captain for about six
weeks of a Greek fishing boat
which was part of the guerilla
forces.
Many of the reporters who
came here on the flying trip had
known each other and worked
with-and against-one another
on many big stories in the Unit
ed States and around the world
the past few decades.
Inspect Yards
They arrived Monday evening
at the new county airport, the
first regular scheduled air liner
to land at the new port, and spent
the evening at the Longfellow
House.
On Tuesday they inspected the
Shipyards and held a
press conference with yard off
cials, including r. I. ingalls,, Jr.,
Monroe B. Lanier, w. r. Guest,
and A. M. Swigert.
The men came in a IVA
plane which is one of the first
released by the army for a pri-
vate flving tour. The pilots.
Captain John George and First
Officer F. A. Smith, rel army
4 = 4