Change of Command

On the New York Times, there is a vast difference between a Washington correspondent and "The Washington Correspondent." For the last 21 years, The Washington Correspondent has been Pundit Arthur Krock, 66, whose title also makes him chief of the 24-man Times Washington bureau. Last week Chief Krock called the first full staff meeting since he took over the job. Solemnly, he explained that "to avoid misunderstanding," he wanted to read an important announcement: "On my own motion, Mr. James Reston will become The Washington Correspondent of the New York Times, with complete charge of the staff .. . Mr. Reston has received several very attractive offers to work elsewhere, one of them particularly tempting. I did not want the Times to lose his immensely valuable services, and I knew that I was in a position to offer him a strong inducement to stay with the Times for life . . ." Counter-Offer. Krock's announcement that he was stepping aside was all his own doing. Correspondent "Scotty" Reston had come to The Washington Correspondent to let him in on some news. The Washington Post had asked Reston to become its editor, i.e., in charge of the editorial page, to replace ailing Editor Herbert Elliston, who has been advised to quit by his doctors. Krock countered the Post offer with one of his own. Would Reston like Krock's job as bureau chief? When Reston said yes, Krock told Publisher Arthur Hays Sulzberger, who approved the change. In stepping down as bureau chief, Krock moved up a decision he had "planned . . . for a much later time." He will continue to write his thrice-weekly column, Sunday articles, and remain a member of the Times's editorial board.

Washington newsmen were surprised by nothing but the frankness and timing of Krock's announcement, since Diplomatic Correspondent Reston, 43, has long been the star of the Times bureau and heir apparent to the throne. A Pulitzer Prizewinner (for his reporting of the Dumbarton Oaks conference), Reston has worked top sources and a sharp, journalistic mind to give him a long series of exclusive stories. His basic formula for covering Washington: "Read the newspapers and then raise in your own mind the unanswered questions. You can anticipate what a government will do, and, on the basis of that, go after it."

Candid Talk. On the Times, where 41 staffers have at least 30 years service,

Reston is a "newcomer" who caught the boss's eye early. Born in Clydebank, Scotland, Reston came to the U.S. to live at the age of ten. He graduated from the University of Illinois, did a short stint as a pressagent for the Cincinnati Reds, then worked as a sportswriter and later as a London correspondent for A.P.

In 1939, the Times's London bureau hired him, and three years later Publisher Sulzberger brought Reston to Manhattan as his assistant. In 1944, Reston was transferred to the Washington bureau, where he has been ever since. Reston, a popular choice among Timesmen to head the Washington bureau, got off to a good start. He told the staff: "Any talk from me is unnecessary. It's probably a good thing, because if I had to express my feelings about this announcement to my old colleagues, many of whom have taught me the news business, I'm afraid I'd make a damn fool of myself."

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