Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1959-05-19

new location of the Assoc
ciated Press in the Machin-
lists Building at Connecticut
and N.
The Rambler entered and
was given a hearty greeting
all around.
It was apparently one of
the first times they had seen
a Star man since they moved
from the third floor of the
old Star Building.
1--WE WORK in a goldfish
bowl here" said one, "but
we are getting used to 1t. So
far the decorator has been
able to obtain only enough
material to drape about half
the plate glass.
People come in off the
street to ask what we are
doing. One morning two
weeks ago the early shift had
a surprise. Harry Truman
walked in. He was no in
truder; couldn't be. Ed
Creagh, one of our reporters,
had joined him on his morn
ing walk and invited him in.
"Mr. Truman said some
thing to the effect that we
had watched him work in a
goldfish bowl for years and
now he was getting back at
u.s."
Press association reporting
and editing are among the
most interesting experiences
in journalism. The writer,
who has worked for the old
international News Service
and for the Associated Press
in New York, remembers how
excited he was when he first
obtained employment in this
field.
But all important news is
not exciting and some of the
service is economic informa-
tion-not news at all-the
market price of naval stores
(turpentine) in Savannah,
sugar in New Orleans and
cotton in Memphis.
Exciting things can hap
pen even during the drudg-
cry of moving such copy,
The writer has I'D mind the
time he flashed the death Of
John D. Rockefeller prema-
turely.
1t was known that Mr..
Rockefeller, who was in his
98th year and confined to his
room in Orlando, Fla, was
growing weaker. No other
private citizen and none to-
day occupied his position in
public interest. His death
would be front page news in
newspapers printed in scores
of languages all over the
world.
Barry Farris, editor of ms,
didn't want to be behind on
that one. The spokesman for
the Rockefeller family was
Ivy Lee, the first man to
make a big thing of public
relations. So I was sent down.
town to talk to him.
Mr.. Lee gave assurances
that he would telephone us
the minute he got the word
A COUPLE OF WEEKS
later l wanted to talk to
Mrs. John D. Rockefeller III
on an unrelated matter.
wrote her a note requesting
an interview.
A few days later the tele-
phone on my desk in the
newsroom with its long line
of Gathering teletypewriterS
rang. 1t was Ivy Lee. He
said:
Mrs. Rockefeller said you
wrote her a letter"
1t was a very bad con-
nection. I heard only the
first three words and they
sounded like, mfr. Rookie
feller's dead"
Irelayed it to the desk with
a shout. Barry Farris came
running out of his cubiclt
shouting, Flash it, Jack
flash it."
Jack Osterreicher, the news
editor, jumped up on hi!
desk and stood there.
"Clear all wires!" he sale
in a loud but calm voice. The
Gathering of the machines
died down. Flash, New York
February 15-Ivy Lee Office
Announces Rockefeller
Death" Each wire filler (copy
editor wrote it out in long
hand and gave it to his ma.
chine operator.
Ivy Lee could hear all thi'
excitement over the tele.
phone and was doing his beSr
to end it. He finally lin les
than a minute) succeeded.
Break It'll" shouted Jack
Not even the word Flash
got on the main trunk lint
to the West. The wire filler
one of those invaluable PEG
pie in such circumstances
icewater in the veins-hat
turned back to ask;