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Show 'Realistic' Attitude Marks ' Change in Allied Diplomacy , New Journey Into International Cooperation ? 'V Combines Idealism and Realism; Step r ; 'f Away From Old Style Power Alliances. ' '.J f .I- .... JLj.a By BAUKIIAGE News Anulytt and Commentator. WNU Service, Union Trust Building, Washington, O. C. What kind of a man is Stalin? That question was put to President Roosevelt at the White House press and radio conference on the day of his return to Washington from Europe. Eu-rope. He was tanned, alert, cheerful, cheer-ful, still pulsing with the consciousness conscious-ness of achievement. His answer, which came without a second's hesitation, hesi-tation, I thought, was significant. Stalin, he said, was a realist, just like himself. I am not particularly interested in the accuracy of that p-iswer, either as an analysis n? Stalin or self-analysis self-analysis of the President. But to me the fact that the President chose realism as the outstanding and common com-mon characteristic of himself and the man on whose word and deed so much of the future depends, was, I think, significant. ' On the whole, In the light of later pronouncements, use of that term seemi a good omen rather than a bad one. Mr. Roosevelt is committed to a plan for the postwar world which leans toward the ideal, rather than toward the old style diplomatic "realism" which is nothing but tooth-and-claw tactics behind a laundered facade of protocol. I think the American people have shown plainly that they are more interested in stopping or at least postponing wars than they are in the slogans of the isolationists or the imperialists. Granted that, the fact that Roosevelt Roose-velt emphasizes the "realist" side when he speaks, gives one a feeling that he and Stalin and Churchill have been able to reach some rough agreements that fere practical enough to work, and yet are a little less earthy than the old power alliances, alli-ances, which always end in wars and always will. The Conference I recall very well that crowded news conference for which friend and foe alike turned out to see what the President looked like after his trip. One hundred and seventy-nine working press and radio correspondents correspond-ents were there, not counting officials. offi-cials. The innocent expected some hot, inside stuff; the cynical hoped the President would reveal errors by concealing them; the average reporter re-porter knew it was going to be a good story one way or the other. Everyone was satisfied. Those who yearned for the dramatic got the story of the German plot which didn't come off. Those who were looking for trouble were gratified that he revealed no new concrete developments. de-velopments. The objective reporter got his quota of news, for everything a President says is that. But the two remarks of the President Presi-dent stood out in my mind the one I mentioned (realism) and another, made almost as soon as the last of us had squeezed into the crowded oval office, and they were, I believe, be-lieve, most revealing as far as our future foreign policy goes. Those in the first row had time to take in the President's cheerful and informal appearance the colored shirt and the pull-over sweater which he had worn on his trip and which, because of one meeting following fol-lowing another from the moment he arrived at the White House, he still wore. He had been on the job since 9:30 a. m. it was then after four. As soon as the signal that the last reporter was in the room was " given, the President began to speak of the success of the trip, and he said that those who shared with him In the hopes of a durable peace (he referred to Russia, Britain, China) were motivated by the determination determina-tion that there would not be another war while this generation lives. I must admit that the words at first struck me a little coldly "while this generation lives." Not much long-range optimism there, I thought. But afterward and since his later pronouncements, general though they have been, I feel a little lit-tle better about it. It seems to me that perhaps we are at last embarked em-barked upon an adventure in international inter-national cooperation with enough idealism to keep our eyes on the heavens and enough realism to keep our feet on .the ground. That is my New Year's hope and wish. Analysis of a Reporter's Job As I sit down to my typewriter. I sometimes try to visualize the people who will read what I write just as I try to visualize the little groups gathered about the loudspeaker loud-speaker when I talk to them. Sometimes I shudder lest they exaggerate ex-aggerate the importance of the things we reporters report. I am not a bit different from the anxious anonymous reporter who, after the last war, still clad in his khaki shirt, wearing the OD (it's "GI" now) tie and trench coat, who came down to work and stumbled around the various offices and meetings meet-ings getting his stories and writing them under the eagle eye of the copy desk. The reason I am worried now is because I hear so many people talk about the things "the Washington correspondent" writes or says on the radio as gospel. Well, most of us try to report what we see and hear. We don't always know whether wheth-er it is true or false. We just try to tell you about it. Most of us label what we know and, what we think. Some do not. Sometimes when we talk with people peo-ple we think really ought to know, we report what they say with a little lit-tle more confidence. If we can't quote the "Brass Hat" or the cabinet cabi-net officer or the senator who told us this or that we say l"authoritative quoters." We are supposed to know from experience whether what we hear is sound fact or just wishful thinking. The longer we live, the better we are able to judge between the real people and the phonies. Most old-timers old-timers in the government don't try to fool reporters because they know they can only do that once. Maybe twice. You know the old Scotch proverb: "If he cheats you once, shame on him; if he cheats you twice, shame on you." Many people think that unless we attack the party in power, we must be in favor of it. That isn't true. We know, as the old bull said, "One cow is much as another." We know that despite the different party regalia re-galia politicians display, they are really pretty much alike once they get into office not as good as they might be for the most part, seldom as bad as the opposition paints them. The Active Element But the party in power is the active ac-tive element, it makes news because it does things. The minority merely objects. We report what is done. Not because we approve or disapprove disap-prove of what is done but because that is a concrete act. The opposition opposi-tion can do little more than oppose. That is negative. We know that if the opposition were in power, it might do the same thing, and the party in power, which would then be the minority, would object. That is hard for the partisan layman lay-man to understand. We know that. We have ideas, too, and the party in power usually has some pretty good ones which the minority has to object ob-ject to, merely on party grounds. Not being of either party we. the reporters, may also become partisans parti-sans not really of the party but of some of the party's ideas. It is hard to make some people believe that we are not partisan when we are objective, easy to make others believe we are not when we are. I have covered Republican and Democratic regimes. I have covered cov-ered one Democratic regime a long time. I certainly hope, for the good of the state, that I shall be able to cover a regime of the Republican party, not because I think it is per se better or worse than the Democratic Demo-cratic regime but because I think a change is good for the republic. When the next administration comes in, I shall report what it does. I shall lean, in spite of myseif, toward to-ward the constructive issues it promulgates. pro-mulgates. But that won't, I hope, make me a Republican any more titan my leanings toward the constructive con-structive side in this regime make me a Democrat. I am neither. I am. and hope to remain, a reporter. But, as beauty lies in the eye of the beholder, so truth often lies in the ear of the listener. B R I E F S . . . by Baukhage Best seller in Britain today is a j booklet on how to stretch a clothes coupon. Called "Make Do and Mend," the booklet ofTers the British Brit-ish housewife a wealth of information informa-tion on ho'.v to utilize her old clothes and household linen to the last thread by methods which would have made her shudder in peacetime. peace-time. The booklet is one of the most popular publications. I I Two hundred Australian girls re- cently attended the first meeting ir. ; Melbourne of a club whose mem- j bcrship is limited to Australian girli j either married to or engaged tc j I American servicemen. The object is : j to enable girls who may later be- come neighbors in America to be j I come acquainted in Australia. The ' feel they can be of mutual assist- j I ance in solving new problems. j |