Detroit evening times., 1945-01-31

aura nad rlght 10 hoWl ana
did. But he never did come
near my quarters either in my
absence or after my return
about ] in the morning
4 FEW days after Pearson
"a broadcast. l began 10 detect
the technique OF the New Deal
Communist smear which puts
an opponent in an unfavorable
light without libeling him
An item had appeared in one
Of the New Deal gents room
columns reporting that Slnatra
had refused 10 work in The Wal
DORIS Wedgewood Room unless
/ checked ont There was no
libel IN that, either. but. like the
p ears @ broadcast. il was a
smear.
So inquire OF Lucius
Boomer the managing director,
who said that nt-cnurSnZ there
was no truth IN II and that any
time any one hire d to sing.
dance or do card tricks in the
loon attempted 10 edit the
guest list he would get rid OF
the performer.
II occurred 20 me that the
Blue Network had some reSpon-
Slbllity because. in the news
paper business, a reporter who
brings IN fakes T. fred, The paper
runs a beg pardon" and that Is
that.
INSTEAD of Offering any re.
Il dress. however. Mark Woods,
one OF the Blues vice presidents,
suggested that l write a piece
about il. He said they could
Use the publicity but he made
no offer 10 right a wrong.
That made me curious as 10
how r a d 10 treats people who
have been Smeared with political
or person motivation so I
c Called on Chester La Roche.
another vice president, whom l
have known for years, and Ed
Noble. A New Dealer, who had
serve d in the department of
commerce and then acquired the
Blue and became its president.
Both La Roche and Noble sal,
Pearson was a headache 10 them
because they thought he was
malicious and unreliable but
couldn't get rid of him because,
by the use of such methods and
m terial, he had acquired a
large popular following.
Noble said an apology might
be arranged but that If he gave
one. Pearson would Contrive II
IN such manner as 10 make il
worse than the original fake.
nURING this time I was in
~ vestigating the pro-Commu-
mist thief and impoSter calling
himself William Gaiimor, who
had been employed by the Blue
as a news commentator on their
key New York local station. and
had several talks with officials
of the Blue, incidentally, on the
Slnatra-PearSon thing.
AT no time did they offer an
independent retraction or COR
rection but in the end they said
that if | brought in affidavits
from the Waldorf house detec-
tlveS and the management, they
would make one
My point has been that the
victim should not have 10 go 10
such extremes TO diSprove a
fake. He might not know how
10 GO about IL. He might not
have time. He might be away,
even overseas.
Still, La Roche and Noble
now insist that they are anxious
10 give fair and complete re-
fractions when their commenta-
tors are proved unfair and that
they review all their scripts for
appropriate news authority"
But quite as dangerous as
motivated lies broadcast for
Smearing purposes over national
chains, are half-truthS and ever
wholly true -tatements and oh
servations uttered with the dra-s
matte voice.
Noble, La Roche and all radio
men, and many other persons
Of intelligence, know that a
harmless text may he an incita-
ton to riot, delivered with cer-
tain infections.
II is up 10 radio 10 manage
these problems The newspapers,
generally, weed out liars and
takers when they have revealed
themselves and. fortunately,
nttr txrvNa koeHfE ,.a4