Party to Bird to Krock?

Arthur Krock, chief of the New York Times Washington bureau, last week thought he had a scoop. Saving it for an edition of the Times too late for other papers to copy, he broke the news that Franklin Roosevelt was "seriously considering," if and when reelected, calling another world conference. Those to be invited: Britain's Edward VIII, Russia's Stalin, Italy's Mussolini, Germany's Hitler, France's Lebrun, tiptop representatives Japan and China, "a few others." Their object: to discuss Disarmament and Peace without any diplomatic folderol.

Next morning, newshawks of a hundred papers were clamoring at official doors for confirmation. Diplomats goggled, raised incredulous eyebrows, politely refused to let their caustic remarks be quoted. Secretary of State Hull, cornered in press conference, denied that he had ever even heard of such a thing. Aboard the President's special train Secretary Wallace spoke for his chief: "The President authorized me to say there were no conversations of any nature whatsoever looking toward any meeting of this sort."

Said Columnist Hugh S. Johnson: "Such a move would be in accord with the President's high idealism but ... we could not possibly enter another of these colossal games of international strip poker without losing something." Said Columnist Dorothy Thompson: "Some of [the President's] weaknesses are again revealed: lack of realism and often faulty judgment ... a tendency to wishful thinking and a belief that saying something persuasively enough might make it so."

Best guess of most observers was that Arthur Krock had not turned yellow journalist, that the President had indeed considered the idea, probably about once, perhaps in an expansive mood at a dinner party whence some little bird may have gone to whisper it in credulous Mr. Krock's ear.

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