In three years of encounters with the press, Charles Augustus Lindbergh has had ample opportunity to learn the ways of newshawks. Also in that time he has formed two categories of newspapers: "good" papers on the one hand, Hearst-papers and tabloids on the other. Last week Col. Lindbergh essayed to turn his experience to his own purposes, to reward the papers whose tactics he approved; to punish those which he felt had most energetically badgered himself & family. The prize, to be bestowed or withheld: first photographs of Charles Augustus ("Eaglet") Lindbergh Jr. for which photographers had been keeping incessant vigil at the Morrow home in New Jersey.
Summoned by telephone to the Manhattan office of Col. Henry Breckenridge, counsel for Col. Lindbergh, were representatives of the approved list: the Sun, Post, World, Times, Herald Tribune, Telegram, Associated Press, United Press, Brooklyn Eagle, Acme News Pictures, Inc.— A "tip'' of such proportions cannot escape the grapevine telegraph for many hours. The meeting time found the invited ones augmented by newshawks from the Journal, American (Hearst- papers), Mirror, News, Graphic (tabloids).
Singly the bidden callers were ushered in to blandly smiling Col. Lindbergh, who addressed each in private about as follows:
"Good afternoon. I have here some snapshots of my baby. I am giving them out to certain newspapers with certain stipulations. You may have one if you sign this agreement—to copyright the picture immediately and to give it to no other publication. As each print is of a different pose, I will readily be able to identify it if it is published elsewhere. I would prefer that you do not announce that I made the pictures. And above all, I do not want it said that I distributed them. And as you go out, please do not tell the others what took place in here. Give me your word of honor."
Eagerly each reporter subscribed to the terms, seized the envelope allotted him. dashed to the elevator. But their injunctions were mild as compared to the drastic ones imposed on the Associated Press and Acme Pictures services: "You must not release this picture to any New York paper or to any Hearst paper."
Presently the outraged outcasts were called in, one by one. The Colonel's smile was broader than ever as he faced the first one, empty handed. "Good afternoon," said he, politely, innocently. "What can I do for you this afternoon?" Vainly each man pleaded, reasoned, expostulated, protested ; begged to know why his paper was being excluded from this, the picture of pictures! Most vehement was the reporter from the Mirror, which had heralded the advance of Baby Lindbergh for some six months and had printed a large "artist's conception" of the mother & child on the birthday. To all questions Col. Lindbergh returned a smile of increasing breadth and the reply: "Sorry, I can't answer that today."