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3/15/1960 - Foreign Corresponding by David Binder

NOT FOR PUBLICATION DB S Bryant Foreign Corresponding Minneapolis Minn March Mr Walter S Rogers Institute CUrrent World Affairs Madison Avenue New York N Dear Mr Rogers A I started working earnest foreign correspondent Beforethat I fequently wrote features topical story which pointed reflected facts event But features about close foreign correspondence society Now daily routine I think about foreign And instance I shall these thoughts The first thing I needed accreditation This meant applying membership local press association Berlin there foreign press assoca I joined The benefits outside conviviality although groups press conferences nearly every evertheless membership served press opened doors otherwise Most corrspondents I registered American British milltry conands West Germany For those working Berlin enabled considerable logisticl support I never bthered I think I suffered Generally speaking however accreditation inexpendable especially sensi areas The scond requirement papers That sounds tooobvious course there ersatz In Oerlin I skimmed dozen They included independent West erman daily Welt c0nsrvative usually fav0rable Adenauer rankfurter Allgemeine Zeitng breezy aggressive tabloids Berlner Zeitung Bidzeitung independent Zerlin Tagesspiegel Communist Party organ Neues DeUtschland Counist labor paper called TribGne These I front It particularly important Counist papers For often there important tucked pages One oddest things about Communist since Stalin death least despite censorship agitation propaganda which deform their press simply print everything importance Ideologlcal economlc governmental It sooner later there agricultural crisis trade deficit crltlclsm purges Often matters decrlbed strange dialectical cipher which ermans Party Chinese inevitably close attention catch Reading daily papers There magazines pamphlets major novels technical literature Some stories I erlin resulted regular reaing professional Journals tronics aviation shipbuilding precision instruments Wherethe Comaunlsts concerned vital follow 14eologlcal Journals These straight Party publications philosophical quarterlies erary gazettes The latter reading amounts homework It something helps immeasurably subject Wh still topic reading I found important speeches government leaders Above those Communists They blather might think first glance matter excruci ating their rhetoric Also applies western eastern leaders never contradicted himself unless earlier speeches Propaganda I found difficult element One first racion disgust This Just propaganda It response which might apply effulgen advertisement One however Counist friend aropos erlin crisis Wch Naionale Front When issue claration always H somethiog The National Front literally front orgniztlon Soclalist Unity Party which East Germany In theory democratic psrtlespermltted establish themselves oviet Military AdmIstratio after Other representatives organizations labor movement women youth The National Front legislative instead sitask propaganda After friend I began taking greater interest propaganda statements articles Always asking question What The query applies tlmig where propaganda concerned Though acute I believe these rules Just valid western propaganda Newspapermen usually congenial helpful making easier fellow start unfamiliar place They willingly share information iovolve exclusive hu_sh story gladly where vious kinds informstion Beyond I found several forign correspondents above collegial relations helpful One representative great Swiss newspaper Zuercher Zeitung Another PAP Polish gency Both worked Both sCurces informed Invariably willing shsre their stoies I turin passed quotes information which I gathered The results precious least This pooling sense sharing I pooling thoss occasion thought would better There conflict interest I suspected newsgatherlng The services their material papers another So bartering between necessarily reduce quality originality given story As I found better I The Associated Press invaluable Berlin O course I subscribed service But addition AP around clock often alled unforeseen story In return I information I couldn useful perhaps AP I carbons exclusive stories features which still fresh after papers From point trade Equally helpful local reporters German papers Time again would share their exclusive stories When I could I tried Just compensation their services Many stories erlin difficult check Not Just biographical historical facts first names areofen extremely backgrouzd iterpretve stories tough shore Fortunstely I several persons erlin specialized German affairs eastern affairs When thereas poble interpretation progosls I would these The eastern affairsspecial United States Missio especislly valuable respect would discuss issue Communis labor union sraegy Osuall Mission recen speeches articles concerning subject Some I missed ihhem opinions expressed there discussion I usuallyable hitherto cloudy matter It these tried influence write story aturslly special plead However I think critical Judgement usually prevent becoming victim planted information tendentious material Officlal other tended stuffy sometimes utterly useless explaining background situation Perhaps relatively short I spent Berlin Perhaps Berlin expos position I seldom private audience public official either western Comzunist feeling wiser Almost always indulged obfuscation sometimes vanity unless course angry about something Certainly important obtain policy statements official Often significant But experience public capacity clearing involved stories Furthermore unless gained exclusive interview grant Communist officials preen themselves western visitor least those close center power The farther center accessible reasonable became But those East erlin interested planting propaganda They neither subtly imaginatively Time spent listening wasted meant repetition alrea familiar themes One things I strongly aboUt treatment sources especially those touchy positions Several times I colleagues would confidential information splash damage person There service bureau chief private session United States ander inBerlin The general Soviet counter delicate matter instructed could compose story without cpromising Heedlessly agency wrote needled piece which depicted commander telling Rsskies This unfair It Berlin unpatriotic In quite different there correspondent East European country thrown recently His revenge write series brilliant spatches about current political situation country Some overstated However thing shocked method partially identifying sources This reporter describe informant Party official recently returned Peiping publisher intellectual Journal recently withdrawn circulation The identity unmistakeable The effect finger source obviously confidential In tighter situation could crucifixion source This unconscionable reporting There times I suppose simply sacrifice source But ought irdeed Generally spaking sources valuable things reporter besides integrity The number interesting people people erstand situation enough When If other CoEmunists handled special It doesn argue preach assault their viewpoint Needling small doses Checking facts ideological points essential engage dialectical discussions Sometimes usable tidbi drops But I believe I minor expert profsss ional wasting Certainly there plenty opportunities Berlin One principa means talking Russian journalists With single exception hewas vodka nothing sylng Then Isvestia version light conversation One stdpped hello followed astonishing statement Your soldiers cowards Corregdor I about If Russians would fought bullet About press conferen waste there weremany I learned after ahile Thisywell confe ences eveyhePe Being eeondnt blige soCial social receptions diplomatic political professional prowled nearly every I unsophisticated I professionally useless despite their occasional amusements After bought drinks taste better On other private dinners snacks cocktails background sources always proved worthwhile For correspondent usually disposal agency waste insignificant stories Certainly there small stories whichmust written andtransmltted matte insignificant Often potatoes daily I referring rather frequent situation there stories single Frequeotlv eough covered adequately But there other times Whenthis Then choose important subject concentrate exclusively Otherwise doing Job three pieces rather Job The wrong choice means wasting Some other things I learned surely apply local reportiog international correspondence Among The telephone magical instrument There always friend official another newspaperman hundreds milesaway The fellow grudge usually Who comfortable This people places particularly When hundred miles office write story pobably pinted Distant editors compunctions about slashing throwing wastebasket Brevity instance printability Reference books invaluable local history books political tracts dictionaries After three years Germany I found thesaurus indispensable telling English I German couldn English Finally I think greatest pleasure gradual discovery mrits British Journalism I approached English eneral London Daily Mail particular wariness Iwas suspicious despite British birth affections But I learned British colleagues virtues They wrote better They sense American newsmen abroad hothouse petunias They after stories determination faster wrote quicker easier afterwards Americans They alsohad unbuyable instinct being Sniff story before broke The explanation partly education I The mritish their languige better More however I bBTeve competitive situation British newsapering Those story first nearly George Ian Louls before With exception services eventhey often American reporters Just competi today What little there phoney closer analysis The monopoly press argument fallacious I claim competition degrades while monopoly rates thinking I recell several major We burning wires London while monopoly sleeping partying Even worst British newsmn I think merits He alone among Western newsmen crashed Budapest Seventh Party Congres He visas train plane schedules That counts ledger Re ading seems dusty account Pe rhaps I should T foreign correspondent wishes Binder Received New York April