O.K., England

For nearly a month the U. S. press has enjoyed a field day reporting the personalities, the plans, the doings and the dress of Britain's King and Queen for the benefit of kingless, queenless Americans. Last week it was the turn of the British press to report on the U. S. for the benefit of King George's and Queen Elizabeth's subjects. English newspapers made a thoroughgoing job of it.

The morning after the King and Queen arrived on U. S. soil (see p. 75), the London Times published a 32-page "United States Number" as a supplement to its regular edition. The 10,000 copies sent to the U. S. were snatched up in three hours, as amusing souvenirs, and the Times had to run off another edition of 10,700. At home, Britons studied their copies carefully, learned much about life in the U. S. The Times covered 150 years of U. S. history in four columns, which was 3 9/10 more columns than its issue of June 1, 1789, gave to the election of George Washington as President.

The London Star contented itself with publishing a long article by an anonymous writer who once lived in the U. S., beginning:

"In our more delirious moments, after coming home from the pictures, we are apt to think of the United States as one vast Coney Island, peopled with gunmen's molls, Dead End kids, corn-fed blondes, tap-dancing Negroes, G-Men, bubble dancers, tough babies, flagpole sitters, Kentucky moonshiners, Irish cops and co-eds with voices like nails on a sheet of glass. This is rather like confining one's study of English life to the side shows at the circus.

"On the contrary, three streams of civilized behavior feed American life. There is the chivalry of which the South is proud, the finely tempered, grave courtesy of old New England and the incomparable warmheartedness of the West."

Having done its bit to educate its readers, the English press proceeded to rib them with reports of the U. S. reception to its rulers in what it must have considered U. S. terms. The Daily Mirror's, lead article began: "The land of amazing parades saw its most astounding ever when the King and Queen drove through 600,000 whooping, cheering Americans to the White House." The crowds sang God Save the King in swing time, the Mirror reported, adding that Americans greeted the visitors with shouts of: "Hiya, King, what about a little hustle?"

Said the Daily Sketch: "The whole scene was terrific in every way. That goes for the enthusiasm, too." Sample headlines:

1,250,000 WAIT IN HEAT WAVE TO SEE QUEEN

'ISN'T SHE CUTE?' SAYS U. S. A.

WHOOPEE THE GREAT KING U. S. O. K.'S KING

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