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things governmental from then right until I was invited into the Army in the draft in the early part of 1941.

Do you recall any times at the Post when the editorial policy of the newspaper affected in any way a news story that you were required to write?

No, I can honestly say that I don't think any story that I ever had about political activities in Congress or any other story was turned or trimmed in any way because of the editorial policy. I really don't recall any such incident and I'm sure I would if anything of that sort had happened. Actually the Post's general policy after Felix Morley had left as editor was pretty much to my way of thinking anyway, but I don't draw any connection there because I really tried very hard on stories to give a completely objective account in accordance with my mania for objectivity which I mentioned earlier. In fact, I think it may be of some interest to say that I was very, very determined and very sold on the idea that one really had to give as totally an objective account as one possibly could even if one felt very strongly about a story, particularly when one felt that way. And this affected me most directly in my covering the Dies Committee [House Committee on Un- American Activities, chairman Martin Dies, of Texas], the hearings in the Dies Committee, given my personal distaste for Dies and for what he generally represented, which of course came out in much more virulent form with McCarthy later. I really conscientiously attempted to control it, and think I did, completely, in the stories that I wrote about the Committee. And I wrote totally deadpan stories, for which I was harshly criticized by some of the young New Deal lawyers with whom I was then sharing bachelor accommodations, notably Edward Prichard.