Memorandum for the President
Title
Memorandum for the President
Creator
The American Press Agencies
Identifier
WWP15576
Date
1918 December 3
Source
Cary T. Grayson Papers, Woodrow Wilson Presidential Library, Staunton, Virginia
Language
English
Text
The correspondents of the Associated Press, the International News Service, and the United Press, representing substantially all the daily newspapers of the United States, beg to submit some suggestions to the end that the American people, as well as others, may be promptly and accurately informed of the President’s public utterances while in Europe.
It is obvious that the fabric of public opinion at home is formed by the character of information available to readers of daily newspapers. At the present posture of world affairs, when it is essential that public opinion at home may be united, so far as possible, in continued support of the ideals for which the Preisident stands and fights, it is more necessary than ever that the public mind be guided aright, for by that means alone may it be directed away from the dangers of misconception, misconstruction, and the poison of insidious propaganda. For the latter there is, as the President has said. no better antidote than the truth, which cannot be uttered too often.
Were the President’s addresses to be delivered in America there would be no difficulty, for there his words would be communicated over a country-wide network of telegraph wires as he uttered them. But, in this case, before the President’s words can be communicated throughout America they first must be transmitted from Europe by cables which have limited capacity and are taxed with official business.
Physical conditions now delay ordinary cable dispatches at full rates from two to twelve hours. And the hazards of transmission over so great a distance increase the likelihood of error. It is the custom to reduce cable dispatches by condensation which eliminates the obvious. That is absolutely not to be thought of in handling the President’s utterances. His words must appear before the American people precisely as uttered, to the last comma and period. Nothing less will satisfy.
Should the three press associations attempt to transmit the addresses in the usual way, it would mean that the same words would be cabled three times, wasting two-thirds of cable space. Delays for verifications might cause publication in fragmentary or incomplete form or obscure emeaning.
All these dangers can be obviated if, when the President’s addresses are prepared in advance of delivery, they should be cabled as official government business to the White House, where they could be released to the Press when delivery was begun. In the case of utterances delivered extemporaneously, the official transcript could be cabled in the same manner. Any matter cabled in advance of delivery could be transmitted just as confidentially and secretly as any other government business.
The plan has these principal advantages:It assures prompt and official transmission of the President’s utterances to the press and people of the United States; it assures their publication of absolute accuracy; it fulfills the President’s declaration that Congress and the people will always be fully informed.
This memorandum sets forth the guiding principles of the plan. Its application is merely a matter of detail, upon which we are prepared to present supplemental data, if the President should so desire, to clarify any aspects which are not here made plain.
Associate Press
United Press
International News Service
It is obvious that the fabric of public opinion at home is formed by the character of information available to readers of daily newspapers. At the present posture of world affairs, when it is essential that public opinion at home may be united, so far as possible, in continued support of the ideals for which the Preisident stands and fights, it is more necessary than ever that the public mind be guided aright, for by that means alone may it be directed away from the dangers of misconception, misconstruction, and the poison of insidious propaganda. For the latter there is, as the President has said. no better antidote than the truth, which cannot be uttered too often.
Were the President’s addresses to be delivered in America there would be no difficulty, for there his words would be communicated over a country-wide network of telegraph wires as he uttered them. But, in this case, before the President’s words can be communicated throughout America they first must be transmitted from Europe by cables which have limited capacity and are taxed with official business.
Physical conditions now delay ordinary cable dispatches at full rates from two to twelve hours. And the hazards of transmission over so great a distance increase the likelihood of error. It is the custom to reduce cable dispatches by condensation which eliminates the obvious. That is absolutely not to be thought of in handling the President’s utterances. His words must appear before the American people precisely as uttered, to the last comma and period. Nothing less will satisfy.
Should the three press associations attempt to transmit the addresses in the usual way, it would mean that the same words would be cabled three times, wasting two-thirds of cable space. Delays for verifications might cause publication in fragmentary or incomplete form or obscure emeaning.
All these dangers can be obviated if, when the President’s addresses are prepared in advance of delivery, they should be cabled as official government business to the White House, where they could be released to the Press when delivery was begun. In the case of utterances delivered extemporaneously, the official transcript could be cabled in the same manner. Any matter cabled in advance of delivery could be transmitted just as confidentially and secretly as any other government business.
The plan has these principal advantages:It assures prompt and official transmission of the President’s utterances to the press and people of the United States; it assures their publication of absolute accuracy; it fulfills the President’s declaration that Congress and the people will always be fully informed.
This memorandum sets forth the guiding principles of the plan. Its application is merely a matter of detail, upon which we are prepared to present supplemental data, if the President should so desire, to clarify any aspects which are not here made plain.
Associate Press
United Press
International News Service
To
Wilson, Woodrow, 1856-1924
Files
Collection
Citation
The American Press Agencies, “Memorandum for the President,” 1918 December 3, WWP15576, Cary T. Grayson Papers, Woodrow Wilson Presidential Library & Museum, Staunton, Virginia.