Five Top Gotham Writers Spurn Crime Mercy Offer

Five of New York's top writers, apparently enjoying their unexpected idleness after a strike of AF of L photo-engravers, yesterday turned down a mercy offer of the CRIMSON to provide an outlet for their columns in the Harvard daily.

In response to telegrams from Managing Editor George S. Abrams asking them to join the undergraduate staff until the strike ends, political experts James "Scotty" Reston, W. H. Lawrence, and Arthur Krock, critic Brooks Atkinson, and sports columnist Arthur Daley all said they preferred to remain unpublished.

Late last night, it appeared that they may remain unpublished for some time as the newspaper strike went into its third day with no sign of a settlement.

Atkinson and Daley, both of the N.Y. Times, indicated they were taking completely different attitudes toward their enforced idleness. "Thanks for your hospitable offer," Atkinson wired. "But eventually I hope the Times will publish what I am writing during the strike period. I'm not going stale from lack of work. Whatever happens, don't let Walter, Frank and the other CRIMSON printing boys strike on you."

Daley Content

Daley, on the other hand, seemed only too happy about the strike. "Thanks for your kind offer of a column outlet. The football season has ended. The basketball season has hardly started. The baseball season has yet to begin. IT jes' looks as though there ain't nuthin' doing nowhere, nohow. From a column-writing standpoint, this strike is perfect. I've just finished hanging on my door a sign, 'Do not disturb'. I aim to catch up on my sleep. No runs, no hits, no errors."

Reston, New York Times Washington Bureau Chief, indicated the bidding was very high on his services. "Greatly appreciate offer but previous commitment to Yale News precludes acceptance."

"FDR once told me he used to write for you and look what happened to him," answered W. H. Lawrence of the Times.

Krock sent Crimson linguists scrounging through foreign dictionaries to translate his wire, but when it was finally deciphered it was found that he too spurned the Crime's offer. "As we used to remind one another in Nassau Hall," Knock wrote. "Ledigheid is honkers moodier en van dieted voile brooder." (Idleness is hunger's mother, and of thieves it is full brother.)

Late last night, however, CRIMSON moguls got new hope when it was announced that New York's last publishing daily, the Herald Tribune, has also suspended publication in order no to be "a lever" used to force a strike settlement. With this vast new source of material, the wire services again began to hum from Cambridge to New York