Evening star., 1950-04-27
Common Sense Seen
In New Truman Plan
OF Press Conferences
Compared to FormoIity
OF British and Conodion
Parliamentary Queries
By David Laurence

by DdCfd Laurence
Something of the formality of
the British and Canadian systems
of Parliamentary interrogation
directed to the head of the gov
ernment has been instituted here
In a new-style presidential press
conference.
Instead of a crowd of reporters
standing with pencils and pads
in their hands, trying to crane
their necks above one another to
hear the words of President, the
conference now is carried on in
an auditorium with Accommodations
for several hundred persons.
Each press representative must
have credentials authorized by
the White House itself. Seats
are provided and, as each CORES
pondent rises to ask a question,
he gives his name to the steno-
graphers and thus the official
transcript now will be a complete
record Of everything that is said.
Under the White House rules
prevailing in this and preced-
ing administrations, the steno-
graphic record may be used for
reference as soon as the notes
are Transcribed but not for quo
tation unless specific excerpts are
authorized, as is occasionally the
case.
Credit to Common Sense.
The new press conference
method does credit to the COM
mon sense of President Truman,
who has observed again and again
the uncomfortable way in which
the newsmen have been COM
PEELED to operate but there was
no way that he could accom-
modate them with seats in his
own office. On one occasion he
used the east room of the White
House to receive several hundred
editors, and he provided seats
for them, but the Executive Man
sion today is undergoing repairs.
In the meantime, the auditorium
on the fourth floor of the old
State, War and Navy building is
being used, and when the re-
pairs are finished perhaps the
press conference will be held once
more INSIDE the White House, in
the east room.
The press-conference idea is
an American institution. 1t is
an adaptation of the system of in
terrogation whereby ministers in
a cabinet are questioned in parlia-
ments. While Presidents for a
long time have been friendly with
press correspondents, it was not
until 1911 that press conference
was tried in the cabinet room of
the White House by the late
President William Howard Taft.
His predecessor-Theodore Roose-
velt-met often with the press
on trips and regularly invited
two or three correspondents to
private audiences at the White
House, leaking" information to
a few favor1teS. But not until the
administration of Woodrow Will
son in 1913 did the conference of
all correspondents come into
being. 1t was interrupted in the
years of World War I due to the
presence in Washington of many
correspondents from nations not
at war but favorably inclined to-
ward enemy countries.
Resumed Under Harding.
The custom was resumed dur
ing the Harding administration
in 1921 and has continued ever
since but always without working
facilities. Mr.. Truman's inno-
vation will be welcomed as a step
that further emphasizes the
readiness of the head of the Gov
ernment in our Republic to meet
with the newsmen representing
the people and discuss any ques-
tions they care to ask.
Transcripts of these conferences
have sometimes been published
years afterward in book form.
The late President Franklin Roos-
evelt authorized the publication of
the stenographic record in books
privately published by CONNER
cial publishing houses and the
proceeds were devoted to private
instead Of public purposes.
The theory behind this was that
the press conferences were not
really part of the official business
OF the Government but were priv
ate and personal. 1t is to be
hoped that no such view will pre-
vail in the future. Now that the
presidential press conference has
attained new dignity, it is ma
tural to assume that any expense
connected with its conduct will
be borne by the Government and
any records will in due time be
similarly available to the public,
as are letters and correspondence
OF the White House related to
public business.
(Reproducti0p RIGHTS rosewood