Minneapolis spokesman. [volume] (Minneapolis, Minn.) 1934-2000, 1946-10-04

week with the MI N
President. n n IN
Over news
ticker comes the LAUTlER
notice that the President will hold
press conference. These confer
ences are scheduled for 1880
o'clock In the morning one week
and 4 o'clock in the afternoon the
next week. That In done TO give
the morning and afternoon papers
alternately u break.
The reporters gather In the lobby
Of the White House. They talk,
they read. they smoke, and they
kid. They line up against the door
Of the room through which they
must pass to get into the Presi-
dents study. Suddenly the door Is
opened. They show their White
House press cards, bearing their
photographs, their finger prints
and their signature. A voice calls
out, "All in" The President arises.
OF the 200 or 800 men and women
In the room, only two or three are
colored--one an American, the
VhfNA WV VI b"b tulllNhts
The President makes any an.
nouncements he might have. Then
the questioning begins. "Mr. Pres
ldent, Secretary Wallace in n speech
TO be delivered tonight" The
President interrupts. asks the re-
porter whether he said speech TO
be delivered. The reported says,
Yes" The President replies that
he cant comment on speech TO
be delivered. But the reporter per-
sistA with his question and tells
the President the speech refers TO
him. Mr.. Truman tells him to 20
on with his question.
The reporter reads u paragraph
from the Wallace speech and asks
the President whether he approved
the whole speech or Just the para
graph where Wallace said his words
had Presidential approval. Quick
ly. the President replied he had
approved the whole speech.
A few questions later another re-
porter asked the President whether
he thought the Wallace speech rep.
resented n departure from Ameri.
can foreign policy.
Again, quickly, Mr.. Truman re.
piled, no, that the Wallace speech
and the Byrnes speech delivered at
Stuttgart, Germany, we're In line.
| The questioning ends. A voice
blooms out, Thank you, Mr.. Presi-
dent" The reporters die out, That
night Mr., Wallace delivered the
| speech.
Two days later at n specially
convened press conference Mr.. Tru.
man said he had meant TO say at
his regular press conference that
he approved Wallace's right 20
make the speech but that he did
not approve the speech as constitut.
ing American foreign policy.
On the following Tuesday Wal
lace released the text Of 1000
word letter on foreign policy which
he had sent the President on July
~. The next day the President and
Mr.. Wallace conferred for two
hours and twelve minutes, and when
MIR. Wallace came out Of the Presi.
dents office he told reporters he
had agreed TO make no more public
speeches on foreign policy until
after the Paris peace conference.
AZ n press conference on the fol.
lowing Friday morning, Mr.. Tru-
man told reporters he had u state
mcnt which he wished to read them.
The statement announced he had
asked Mr.. Wallace to resign. In a
radio address that night Mr.. Wal.
lace said II intend to carry on the
fight for peace"
Another aspect Of white House
eoyeTage may be CLEANED from the
delegation from the American Cru.
sade TO End Lynching. This group
saw President Truman at lisa
a. M. Sept. %. When they came
out Of the Presidents office, a
group OF reporters were waiting
and Eanged up on Paul RobesOn
who headed the delegation and
acted rs spokesman.
In these quiz sessions between
White House visitors and the press
no holds are barred. That was par.
ticularly true with Robeson. Fol-
example! Robeson was asked point.
blank whether he was n Commu.
mist. After he replied that he was
violent anti-fascist," he was
asked whether he followed the Com.
munist party line.
1T depends on what you NEAR
by the Communist party line" NJ
} countered. Right now the Com
} munist party IL against lynehinE
I I'm against lyRchinE."
Washington Notes
The new Haitian ambassador
DIR. Joseph Charles, called ut thu
State Department the other day I,
see Acting Secretary Of State vii
liam Clayton, who was born IL
= Tupelo (MissiSsippi), the home Of
John Rankin. Action on the
FIJI report ON the probe into the
Recorder Of Deeds office will b,
deferred until after the Novembel
elections, -. Incidentally, the Rev
Marshall Shepard. the Recorder o.
: Deeds, is denying reports that h,
Is being considered for n minister
: ship in the Caribbean area.
4 The three Negro Republican can
4 didates for Congress--GrRnt Rey
holds who is opposing Representa-
. tive Adam Clayton Powell in New
A York, Bill King who Is opposing
. Representative Bill Dawson in Chi
8 cage, and Fred Roberts who is op
Q posing Representative Helen Gaia
Q gaR DouglaS--wcre here recently
I for two-day strategy eonferenc,
( with Chairman Carroll Reees o
= the Republican national committee
I Chairman Charley Halleek Of th,
: Republican Congressional commit
: tee, and other big shot Republican
e leaders,