Evening star., 1950-10-21
Angry President

President has as much right as anybody
else to blow his top. But most people, when
overpowered by the urge to sound off, generally
call a spade spade. Mr.. Truman, however,
has an annoying way of lambasting something
or somebody without ever saying what it is or
who it is that he is talking about.
This is not so bad when he lights into the
selfish interests" He never says just what in.
terests he is talking about, but they must be
pretty rugged specimens, well able to look out
for themselves. They seem to thrive on the
verbal spankings from the President, for every
time the President rakes these interests over
the Goals they seem to be bigger and more in
sidiouS and more selfish than ever before. And
even If this were not so it wouldn't make much
difference, since no one will admit to being
selfish interest.
1t is little different however, when Mr.
Truman goes after q certain press association,
its columnsts and reporters. At his press con-
ference Thursday, the President, with a great
show of indignation practically accused this
certain unnamed press association, its reporters
and columnists, of being disloyal to his for
eign policies. One might put up quite an argu-
ment to the effect that the primary function
OF any press association, its reporters and COL
umnistS Is not to support Mr.. Truman's foreign
policies, but to report the news. However, that
Is an argument that can be left for another day.
What many people would like to know is
which OF the three press associations the Presi-
dent was talking about and what story or column
1t was that got under his skin Press Assoca-
tion A has said 1t was not the one the President
was talking about. Press Association B has
said nothing and seems to care less. That handy
device, White House spokesman has stated
that Mr. Truman was referring to Press Asso-
ciation c, but C says that If this is So it has
xuIi of ife
columns offended the President.
This sort of thing is annoying and confusing.
1t is annoying, to newspapermen at least, be-
cause they would like to look up and read the
Item In question, ind wherein lay the evil of it's
publication. But they cannot do so unless the
President will identify it, 1t is confusing be-
cause of the ugly suspicion that all of this to-do
may be kind of sham battle
On the day before Mr.. Truman's outburst an
n-the-record- background only" press confer
ence was held by two "high officials" at the
Fentagon They spoke of agreement be-
tween the President and General Macarthur dur
ing their Wake Island meeting on the oues-
ton OF Formosa, and since Mr. Truman had
not even mentioned Formosa in his report to
the people, there naturally was speculation as
10 What kind OF agreement had been reached
Ine President, and this is more than a sus-
plcion, does not relish questions on anv real or
imagined difference between himself and General
Macarthur on the Formosa matter. So there
are those who suspect that Mr. Truman's press
conference anger was more simulated than real.
that he was primed for the Formosa question,
and that his display of indignation was de-
signed to put period to that topic of discus
sion. Perhaps there is no basis for this sus-
picion. If not, the President can dispel II bv
naming the certain press association and iden-
tfying the article that was disloyal to his for
eign policies