The Press: House That Butch Built

"Of all the American newspapers," said Britain's astute Lord Northcliffe, "I would prefer to own the Washington Post, because it reaches the breakfast tables of the members of Congress."

Actually, the great British publisher (London Times, Daily Mail) stated only half the case. The real reason why other journalists praise and envy the Post is that in the past 17 years it has risen from the unenvied position as Washington's No. 1 scandal sheet to become the most independent and vigorous paper in the capital. Harry Truman regards it as an opposition organ; the capital's reactionaries have long called it the "Washington edition of the Daily Worker." Yet its news judgment is so sure, its editorial voice so forthright, that, in a city where all lawmakers and administrators reach for the New York papers, it has become must reading. It is easily among the top ten papers in the U.S.

In keeping with its stature and influence, the Post has just finished moving from its 55-year-old, dingy, vermin-infested grey stone building on busy E Street into a bright, and modern $6,000,000 plant on quiet L Street, nine blocks across town. Close to the Russian embassy and the Statler Hotel, the new seven-story building has airconditioning, soundproofing in its spic & span city room, full-color presses, and enough other trimmings to awe oldtimers on the staff. Said one old Postman: "It'll be all right once we get to spitting on the floor again."

"Every Mistake in the Book." This change of scene is no greater than the change in the Post itself since 1933, when Eugene Meyer, longtime banker, Republican and holder of top Government jobs (RFC, War Finance Corp. and Federal Reserve Board) under every U.S. President from Wilson to Truman, bought the down-at-heel sheet from the late oil-rich playboy Ned McLean.* Meyer paid only $825,000 for a property valued five years earlier at more than $5,000,000.

"In the first two years," says Banker Meyer, "I made every mistake in the book." Then he was persuaded to take on some top professional journalists. As editor he hired able, literate Felix Morley;* as managing editor he got flashy, temperamental Alexander F. ("Casey") Jones from the Minneapolis Journal. Morley, who came to the Post from the Brookings Institution, took editorial writers out of their ivory tower, sent them out to dig up their own facts, soon made the Post's editorial page the best-written and best-read in Washington. The Post supported Roosevelt in most of his foreign policies, but at home, fought vigorously against such New Deal aberrations as Roosevelt's attempt to pack the Supreme Court. In 1936 and 1940 it supported Landon and Willkie.

"All in One Pail." Managing Editor Jones snapped up the news coverage. He hired good reporters and rewrite men to turn out crisp, accurate copy, set up the Post's national bureau to cover official Washington. Now staffed by such old-timers as Eddie Folliard, Al Friendly and Ferdinand Kuhn (at State), it is still one of the capital's best bureaus.