The Wilmington morning star., 1947-05-15
AS Pegler Sees 1t
BY WEsTBRooK PEGLER

BY WESTBROOK PEGLER
Copyright, by King Features Syndicate, Inc)
AS a brief review and preparation for a
further report, let us recall that Cnarles
Nicholson, the press-agent Of the democrauc
party under Roosevelt, mentioned "a big
|ity. supposed to be from Henry Wallace"
which agitated Harry Hopkins during the 1910
campaign. Wallace was Roosevelt's hand
picked candidate for vice president that year.
s'Their general purport was silly rather
than evil Mr.. Nicholson wrote. Doubtless
some of them, perhaps all, were 1aoflca-
TONS"
Hopkins wanted to suppress them. He knew
the voters would be afraid lest a man who
had written such letters would become presl-
dent if Roosevelt should die during his third
term. Ii was not necessary to suppress them
because the republicans never made an issue
Of them.
MI. Nicholson is an expert journalist, one
of the best of his time, who certainly knows
that it is not for a iayrnan to decide offhand
whether documents are authentic, doubtful Or
obvious fabrications. He probably would fire
a reporter for that. In his discussion of these
letters ir his book of memoirs, he does not
say that he ever submitted the question to
any expert. The judgment that the authentic
L u LII VI luGUl d OuOIl LIN lAdt
doubtless some of them were 'fabrications"
thus appears to be the verdict of a layman.
1t would also be a self-serving decision be-
cause Wallace was Michelson's client in pub
lie relations in that campaign. His job was
to elect the democratic ticket, including Wal
lace. It. follows that it was also his job to
Iforefend publicity which might impair Wal
lace'S chances.
Mr.. Michelson's conclusion that the letters
were silly rather than evil'' opens another
question In the obvious sense to the western
mind, they might have been silly letters, yet.
if they were the veritable work of a man
who Was being advanced to the vice presi.
step up to the presidency of the United States,
their meaning might have seemed to the
voters to be very dangerous.
There are a numper of analysts of hand.
writing characteristics and questioned docu-
ments i'll the United States who could have
given Nicholson respectable, although not
necessarily infallible, opinions, but to put
them to the test would have been to invite
bad news.
True. Wallace was unpopular almost to the
point of hatred with most of the politicians
at TIE convention in Chicago when Roosevelt,
by telephone message to Nine. Frances Per-
kins, decided to nominate him. But the deed
had been done, Henry was the nominee and
the party was stuck with him.
Whether the voters could have split tickets
AND elected Roosevelt president, rejecting
Wallace in favor of Sen. Charles McNary. Of
Oregon Wendell Wilkes running-mate. for
vice-president, l do not know and invite in
formation.
The mysterious letters that Mr.. Nicholson
saw never have been published, to my knowl-
edge. A sheaf of letters, which 1 believe to be
the same batch, have been circulated in pho
tog1aphic form and it is probable that many
comics have hee0 Sfrllck off These arc moi
scandalcus private letters of the kind which
sometimes are circulated to discredit candi-
dates and blackmail other persons. There is
no suggestion of that sort anywhere. On the
contrary, they reflect a devotion to mankind
but in a WOODY, strange, mystical and come
times fierce language.
submitted reproductions of a batch of cor
Responsiveness, which believe to be the same
that Nicholson mentioned, to an expert who
is recognized as an authority by OUR courts
and is famous and respected in his profess
sion, For comparison, I submitted two anthem
tic letters written by Henry Wallace. This
expert has given his professional opinion, in
sisti1g however, that his name be not used
lest his motives be impugned, except in case
of a challenge.
He writes in a formal, professional report
his conclusion that the person who wrote the
letters. submitted as the genuine handwriting
of Henry Wallace, also wrote all the hand
writing in nine of the questioned letters.
-Four letters of the batch were signed
III. A. w." Or with a monogram in which
the three letters were telescoped in the man.
ner of some cattlebrands used in the west.
In this monogram the letter ''W'' has a hori-
zontal line running between the first and third
legs, thus forming an oh" The IA" is formed
by this same horizontal line as it connects
the second and third legs of the "tW.'
I nave made a careful study of the initials
written as signatures - and have compared
each initial with all the others and with the
other handwriting in the questioned photo
graphs and with the examplar handwriting
ports.
"As a result of that study and comparison
it is my opinion that the questioned initials
signed with the monogram, which cannot be
reproduced in type) contain similarities to
one another. The initials (again referring to
the monogram) and C. (Which is the, sigma
ture on five of the documents) contain SIM.
larltles 10 other handwriting on the questioned
documents and to the handwriting submitted
10 me as being the genuine handwriting of
Henry A. Wallace. These similarities are Of
suca a nature as to indicate strongly to me
mat they were probably all written by the
same person."
1t is the "unqualified'' opinion of this au-
thorlty that the examplar letters and the
handWtltten, questioned letters were written
by the same person.
OTIOTATIONC