Mullins and Choate

To the Editors of the CRIMSON:

As a one-time employee of the Boston Herald-Traveler Corporation, I was interested in William Mullins' statement at the Law School Forum that in his 30 years with the Boston Herald he had never received instructions from either the publisher or his advertisers. My own observations while with the paper lead me to believe that Mullins' chief function is the receipt of "instructions" from his employer and publisher, Robert Choate.

An incident last summer contradicts Mullins' claim: While I was in the office of the Herald's political columnist, his phone rang, and Mullins identified the caller as Choate. The topic of conversation appeared to be Mullins' treatment of the Robert Bradford-Sinclair Weeks split at the Republican Convention. Weeks, a perusal of old Heralds may convince you, did not come off too well in Mullins' columns in the immediate end-of-convention period. As soon as Mullins hung up he went into Choate's office, and did not return for half an hour.

The very next day Mullins' analysis inaugurated a new policy, decidedly more kind to Sinclair Weeks. On this particular occasion he achieved a thorough reversal of policy. It could have been instructions, or possibly a deeper social insight; but it happened in 30 minutes in the boss' office. Richard S. Stewart '51