Evening star., 1945-04-15
President and Press
At the White House
A Reporters Observations on a
Long Relationship
Bv J. A. For
(Mr; Fox, the, president Of the White House
Correspondents Association, is White
House reporter for The Star.D

BY J. A. FOr
w Fox the 9 the Wh House
House reporter for The Starr
For more than IL crowded years,
Franklin Delano Roosevelt was one of
the most important news sources in the
world, and for good part of the time,
unquestfonably the most important. He
was not, however, always the best.
When the President was in an ex-
pansive mood, his press conferences
which finally became press and radio"
conferences-were more than apt to
furnish headline news" as Mr.. Roose-
welt was won't to characterize some item
in which he had particular interest.
If he didn't feel like talking, there was
nothing else for reporters to do but toss
in the sponge and bring the conference
to an end with the customary THANK
you, Mr.. President"-a phrase that on
such occasions was likely to bring a
muttered Thanks for what?" from some
| disgruntled quarter.
Throughout his time in the White House
always a premier sounding board
the President enjoyed pleasant associa-
tion with the press as whole, although
in recent years the gay camarderie
and first-name greetings Of the 1930s
were less in evidence. At times, Mr..
Roosevelt testify rebuffed questioners,
although their queries were asked in
the best of faith. Every SO often, too,
the press could count on presidential
lecture in which pub lis ers-and
icfc y>1ocal in tho role Of
villain. The virulence of the opposition
press no doubt was responsible for some
of this. There we're times, however,
when the men and women most friendly
to Mr.. Roosevelt felt that his criticism
was unjust.
Mr.. Roosevelt probably started off
with the most cordial press relations
any President ever had. A master show
man, he quickly captured the fancy OF
the men and women covering the White
House, and even in those cases where
particular newspapers were not friendly
to the New Deal, their representatives
were more than likely to be.
The first press conference the Presi-
dent had after entering the White
House had a good deal to do with Gre
ating this sentiment. Instead OF re-
quiring written questions-whlch could
be answered or ignored-as President
Hoover had done, Mr.. Roosevelt threw
his sessions with the press wide OPEN
Free for-all questioning was in order,
and the only restriction imposed was
~ tD No. tcl
directly without express permission. If
he felt like putting some question and
answer off the record, that form of cOn-
fidence, of course, received the ira
ditional courtesy to which is was en-
titled Again, the President would fur
nish background on some subject. with
the understanding that the intorma-
ton was not for attribution.
When the President outlined the
course that was to be followed on his
first meeting with the press, he re-
ceived a spontaneous ovatlon-and the
honeymoon" lasted a long time. In
those days, before the war imposed
secrecy, the press travelled with the
President en- bloc, and often, when Mr.
tlOoStStlG Ndo KY OC L al Va w e]A AAa
Springs. the press conferences were
roadside affairs, with the President
seated in a car and reporters draped
on running boards and tenders.
X
AS the Presidents second term was
rounding to a close, reporters started
asking about his intentions for third
and then the Rooseveltian dander
began to be in evidence.
Questions along this line brought the
invariable invitation to put on a Ounce
cap and stand in the corner-and the
question was never answered until the
President finally accepted the third
term draft" of the Chicago convention.
Mr.. Roosevelt was never communica-
tive about his political intentions in
later years. When the fourth term ques-
ton first was put to him, he dismissed
it as "picayune," and White House re-
porters got the first definite indica-
ton that he would run from Gov.
Ellis Arnall of Georgia. who in
sisted he was expressing his own views
but accurately predicted the presi-
Dental intention.
AS was the case in the third term, the
President said that he was not cam
paigning in the accepted sense OF the
word-until he finally took to the stump
as November neared-but his day-by-
day activities at the White House, duly
recounted by callers, or perhaps disclosed
by news releases, demonstrated forclbly
just how much advantage White House
incumbent possesses in seeking re-
election. That is when the sounding
board is really effective.
X X
And President Roosevelt was generally
able to gauge news values. Further, he
always had an extremely able lieutenant
in this field in Stephen T. Early,
friend of long standing who graduated
from newspaper work to become the
Presidents press secretary.
Despite his sometimes caustic criticism
of newspapers and those who run them,
the President showed on at least one
memorable occasion that he was willing
to 60 to bat for the American press,
and see that it's interests received at least
equal protection with those of the
foreign press when important interna-
tional developments brought them into
competition.
After the American press had come
off second best on news breaks on the
Cairo and Teheran conferences of Allied
leaders due to leaks" the President is