Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1959-06-07
Big News
Was Made
Yesterday
BY CECIL HOLLAND
star stan Writer

49, @H@AN@@N
star stan Writer
As q reporter and press
association executive Hugh
Baillie has had q fabulous
career. It spanned the World
War ! period, the frenzied
Twenties, the decade Of the
Thirties which saw the Great
Depression and the rise Of
the dictators, and 1t reached
its crescendo in World War
II and the events that fol-
lowed. Now retired, Mr.. Ball.
lie has written his autobiog-
raphy, HIGH TENSIONS
THE RECOLLECTIONS OF
HUGH BAILLIE Harper 81
Bros, $4.50), and the reading
public, and the newspaper
world In particular. Is the
richer for his effort. I'd
Mr.. Baillie's recollections
are more than q footnote on
history Of the last 40 or more
years. What he has written
and what he observed in the
course Of his world travels
are an authentic record, II
somewhat limited. of an i'm
portant and transitional Pc
Rod that may battle under
standing for a long time to
come.
United Press Chief q
AS one Of the top executives
Of the United Press, Mr.. Baillie
Travelled widely. and through
the influence of his position,
as he acknowledges. he was
able to obtain exclusive inter-
views with the greats and
near greats Of this era Of war
and Illustration. He special
lied in this sort Of thing and
these interviews. in q way,
form the basis and the essen /,
tial worth Of this very per.
sonal chronicle. These inter.
views began with Franz Won
Papen In Germany before the
rise Of Hitler and continued
on through the years. The
record is long: Hitler, Musso-
lini. Stain (by written ques-
tions). Pope Plus XII, Harry
Truman, Gen. Macarthur,
Emperor Hirohito and many
others.
AS a boy. Mr.. Baillie met
Presidents Cleveland and Nc
Kinley. As a newspaperman
following the footsteps Of q
father and grandfather, he
came to know every President
since that time and he talked
with them both on and on
the record. As one writing his
own recollections, Mr.. Baillie
has been relieved of the hmi-
tations imposed on a press as
ISOLATION reporter as far as
factual and objective report
ing is concerned. Here he has
been able to interpose his own
thoughts and observations
and his personal evaluation
Of many Of the world leaders
with whom it was his privi-.
lege to talk.
Woodrow Wilson
There is, for example, o
very moving chapter on
Woodrow Wilson and his
gallant. If futile, cross
country trip to arouse public
support for the League OF
Nations. At the time. Mr..
Baillie was head of the
Washington Bureau of the
United Press and he makes
no effort to conceal his own
admiration for what Wilson
did-far more so, one would
suppose. than what his own
records at the time indicated.
There is also a rather
scathing appraisal of Hitler
and Mussolini which was JUS
titled even before Mr.. Baillie
retired to pursuits of less
tension, There is one still,
ITO be fully INDICATED Of
Neville Chamberlain, whose
role as an appeaser at the
time was hard to UNDER
stand. Of fighting for time for
Britain to rearm.
In this chronicle, Mr.. .
Baillie Is never afflicted with
unbecoming modesty. He
testifies freely to his own
competitive spirit which car
ried him to the top Of the
United Press organization.
He refers mystically to a
"mystique" spirit which must
motivate every press assocla-
ton man who wants to get
ahead. Many press associa-'
ton reporters might supply
a different word for it, but
in Mr.. Baillie's thinking, or
their own, it would add up
to a driving, ruthless urge
to get ahead, in the Office or
with a beat" on a major
story. :
Mr.. Baltic, as one would
expect, writes with great
clarity. What is lacking in
literary style Is more than
made LIN for in diracfrnaSs