Na 13.943
THE CHINA MAIL, TUESDAY, JUNE 19, 1961.
DAILY EXPRESSA
The former editor of the
Wrother Bright penode; showers
Express tells his story
HEADLINES ALL MY LIFE
I choose the sunny
side of the street.
by ARTHUR CHRISTIANSEN
THE YEAR IS 1926. A General Strike edition
of the Sunday Express has been made ready. The young Arthur Christiansen is a sub-editor.
Did
and he wanted to know who I harshiv. We weni over the was, where I came from, How whole thing a second time. many In the family, what my I, or did I nol, ogree with his father was, were there any other version. of the sequence of Journalists in the family, where events? Finally I had to gree was educated, the names of that I did. the newspapers I had been an.
EDITORSHIP
Cleveland-row to St brooke
AS the presses began to roll and it was too late for the editorial staff
to do more than wait for the first copies to arrive from the machine-mi maid Lord Benver- room-a period of expectation and apprehension that never has lost its affered the sense of foreboding for me-the swing doors that led to the composing Surday, Dispatch at a salary of I had paid the bus fare home, room opened and in walked four men,
James Douglas,
white- The haired, peppermint - sucking
"Very well. Gordon, put Mr Christiansen's salary up as from the first of Jamary-back-date it le January for "measure. Goodbye to you," Finally we came to the point.
Gordon and I walked down
James's been Palace. "Uut you have
editorship of the In my pocket that night, after
£3,000 year. Now that is n there was only the sum of 25. ble job and it is a lot of money, and a few odd coppers, 50 We "But I want you to know that could not go out to celebrate →→→ you are regarded by me as one even at the Wilton-road of the young men on my news-
COPYRIGHT: have many young men growing pers with a bright future. We whose opportunilles will I would naturally like you to stay on the Express.
"Which is it to Are you going to stay on the sunny side of the street, or are you going in cross to the shadow3?"
spughetti shop. House
Editor: To intes, the horn and almost at once came under World War. Stornoway rimmed Managing Editor: Fred his spell. Whatever likes or dis- wn to me a forbidding, gloomy
Hikes Lord Benverbrook may place I do not suppose 1 note Dodge, the Sinooth Talking
that first visit the wide Business Manager from Newgrouse, he is one of the most on
of cur
natural wood Adam staircase Zealand; and a little man with dynamic personalities
time.
oppasite the Imposing double entrance doors.
a large head, who seemed 'n me a bit lost in the crowel.
"Quick! It's the Little Man." someone hissed. Wo dowsed our cigarettes Ind alld off the horseshoe table.
Maxwell, the other sub-editor. who bort
extraordinary resemblance to Mussolini,
DISCARDED
a
Gordon and I were ushered into Lord Beaverbrook's library. Again I was oppressed by sense of gloom. The ceiling was high and was not reacher by the patchy lights from vae or two standard lemes scattered The walls were buff-
นค
came.
I found myself stammering out that I would stay, of course I would stay.
said Beover-
to
In his Express group of news- papers he was then inaugurate ing a ney kind of journalism,
"Very a journalism of zest and drive,
brook, "then that beltled." wap which discarded the stuffy about.
Turning immediately to Gordon, the first to be introduced. Te pomposities of the past and colour. The carpet was drab,
who had been sitting allenlly on reddened and seemed
to strove to bring the news to the
Two easy chairs on either the enormous settee, he asked: have difficulty in forming the people as fresh and uppelsing side of a gleantle Crepince were "What's In Dext Sunday's words, "Thank you, sir," when as a lont of new bread,
colourless, comfortable and old, paper?" be shoole hands with Lord
Beaverbrook used newspapers and an eight-foot settee For 20 minutes I seemed Beaverbrook.
to further his own bellets,
straddled neross the Areplace, at have been forgotten. wanted only to use newspapers the distance of an Intervening It was 8.15 pm. Dinner was to develop and perfect the pro-
rug of no particular colour. at 0.30 always was, to the Jection of news in 3 way that
I cannot recollect pletures on dot. Lord Beaverbrook, rose, No the walls, or ornaments on the everyone could understand.
and Gordon and I got to our to relieve wonder that I came to admire mantelpiece
the feel ton, and
love Lar Beaverbrook, severity, although other des- who trained and developed and criptions of this famous room allowed me 10 express TY insist that Inlents as few other men would Beaverbrook, who died in 1926, portrait of Lady have done.
hung there.
OCCASIONS
seemed
When my turn come everyone to have forgotten my name. 1 got a firm, day hand shake and a meaningful stare but no word passed between us. I remember that stare per fectly well: I have seen it on countless occasions since.
It is an ali-embracing probe by the world's most inquisitive, penetrating curious eyes, It sizes up the characters of now
comers,
DEPRESSED
PROMISED
"Oh. Gordon" (he pronounced But there were no clues to
it Ga-arden). he sald, "put mar falure relationship that
Christianson's salary up to three night. The Little Man whe
thousand a year." gone within
couple of
"You can't do that," I heard It was the first time I had
ΠΑΣ minutes. I drew my pay packet
promised gulneas and went off, visited the home of rich myself saying.
A
of two
11 diagnoses the concerned about nothing in the man I was depressed that that wouldn't use the offer "whul-mood-ls-be-li?" attitude. future save my forthcoming wealth had not created colour for bargaining purposes."
of his cronies and his colleagues marriage.
In business. }: invariably
governs his conduct of the sub-
sequent proceedings.
it can reflect, too, his
moods when he wishes
ulfections, his hatreds,
scorn, his delight, his temper, his bad temper
**
**
Now the year is 1931. Chris tiansen ly 26 and, having worked his his way up to become Assistant
wt)
his Editor of the Sunday Express,
"Well," vald Lord Beaver- A beauty. 1 remember this vividly, especially because with book impatiently, "you haven't
offer advancing years
and Used the
for bargaining beautiful pictures have come to purposes," Lord Beaverbrook.
But stubbornly
colour
I maintained
Maybe he was too busy then that if I took the extra money
to care about his surroundings. it would be an act of bad faith
good has been offered the editorship He was always against any dis- en my part, a betrayal of an
I have experienced the lat, for the relationship between Lord Beaverbrook and myself since that
doy extended from the harsh realities and pressures of daily newspaper life to a friend- ship as close as ever that of a father and com could be.
of a rival paper, the Sunday play of luxury in the offlees of undertaking.
Dispatch, at £3,000 a year.]
INTERVIEW
his newspapers, and in his own home be practised what he preached,
I have read so many accounts of the impact Lord Benverbrook makes on people when they first meet him that I do not know now whether my memory is can- fused with that of others in describing his physical presence,
I returned 10 the Sunday Express office after my inter- view, and went straight 10 I was a silm youth just over Editor John Cordon's offre to offer. 21. My hair was brushed straight give him details of the back but rose about two inches Very soon Gordon and I were But I am in no doubt at all abuve my rather high brow in summoned to Stornoway House. about the nature of our
in Beaverbrook's home Cleveland-row, overlooking the Green Park.
Although much beloved by Lord Beaverbrook Anst much "Headlines All My Life," by turned by him when he was Arthur Christiansen, is published bombed out during the Second by Helnemaun at 25.
embarrassing.
waves.
almost
girlish Lad
Lord Beaverbrook was a mere 47, a Uny figure in a blue serge suit.
In his employment I have had several "lives," same changes of coniour, and considerable de- bui velopment of character. Lord Beaverbrook has for me changed Htle in appeurance and in character not at all.
He wore blue serge nuils then, and he wears blue terge suits now. He wore brown shoes with his blue mulls then, and he wears them now (although nowadays he occasionally goes around t home in brown open-ford sandals).
FRAYED
He
He wore black trilby hats and drab block overcoats then, and he does so now. He wore but- tons on his shirts then, having no patience with cuminks, and he still wears buttons now. wore white shirts then, and stili docs, He did not dire if his collars were frayed then, nor does he now. The knot of his tle was loose and coreless then, and is now. Sartorially, little or nothing has changed.
As
the heart fut the bras
of the man, they re stl as
large, or larger, Ihan life, ia
capacity for political intrigue,
as all the world knowŁ, WAE
unsurpassed then; and although
His capacity for rechargin
con-
versation. It was only the third time we had spoken together.
STARED
ARTHUR CHRISTIANSEN,
1961.
Tomorrow: As the paper takes shape
-(London Express Service).
A button is pressed. The massive whools tum. Tho purring gather to a roar, The roar swolls to a rolling thunder....and more than four million copies of the Daily Express surgo out in an incessant stroom.
BEWARE THE SPACE-AGE CON MAN-
And don't buy a plot on the moon
INTERPOL agents were particularly tickled the other day by a report that a South American had been persuaded by a confidence man, pos- ing as a Russian official, to take an option on certain mineral rights on the
moon.
For the unfortunate victim, it was no laughing matter, But the case did, at least, prove one point-that although confidence trickery is a dying trade, its surviving practitioners are bang up to date.
Still Impatiently, Lord Beaver- "Let us go through brook said. Our conversation from the beginning. I told you that I would like you to stay with the Express, You said that you would. We then abandoned dis- cussion of your situation and about next Sunday's talked Put Christiansen's salary up to Then I said to Gordon, pover.
In Europe and America there
perhaps
dozen con- £3,000 a year. Is that right?" are
I agreed, but
Adence men of this calibret men His gigantic dome was of education and poise who know puckered and his eyes stared how to win wealthy friends and
influence wealthy people. they
something curiosity. They are the last survivors of grest crime tradition.
Олес
Filmland's stars buy hideaway isles
Shirley Mactatne
Marion Brando
Gina Lollobrigida
Elvis Presley
Elvis is ready to pay a million dollars
are
But
at
а
Warning by John Reed
many no incredulous listener.
became particularly friendly with one who was making a world tour of his agents.
They
That was where the Australiah come in. He was persuaded to
obtain £10,000 in Swiss francs from his Swiss agent and hand
the money over to Simmons.
In return, Simmons assured the Australien, the delighted British Secret Bervice would credit the Australian's English banking account to the extent of £20,000,
most
Simmons was one of today's skliful confidence men, to win the trust of a able wealthy man and to sell himta talo which near-preposterous appealed to his sense of greed. He had even offered the mas
spent hours chatting and drinking together and once went off on a lengthy car trip,
Then one day Simmons left the additional bait of the role
one that is,
1
Simmons is one of those few remaining people who can make an implausible proposition sound suffelently convlielog to per- stude normally hard-headed businessman to part with his money,
But the equally improbable the hotel telling no one where of hero. confidence crime ac- blthough rather more topleat he was going-no counted for a large part of the story of the missing missile plans but the Australian, who in-
his friends with world's ill-gotten gains. Gongs plans has taken the fancy of formed of up to a dozen men and
mysterious smile that Simmons women stalked their victims-
had been called away on special often wealthy travellers half
business. way across the world, observing their habits, their weaknesses, their hobbles, before the gang leader would step in and pounce.
Such gangs Invented the vintage confidence tricks which are silli discussed whenever two or three criminals ore gathered together: "Infallible" systems for backing horses; machines for
the So has the story of missing Nasl gold which could
bo ified from an Austrian Police called in
(er il an Italian?)
Inke:
and the story of the fabulbus art treasures once belonging
the Russian royal familly that are just waiting to be smuggled
the Ігол
10
Curtain.
over
splitting Bank of England notes; Expert touch
Jewels hidden abroad that can be secured if sufficient money is forthcoming devices for molding gold out of brass, diamonds out of glass,
A NEW "I-want-to-be-alone" cruze has hit Hollywood. And suddenly Changing fashion
many of the film colony's top stars have discovered that there's nothing like a private island for getting away from it all.
Marlon
Brando in doing,
the dynamos that operate his Gina's private retreat in one but tough body hms of a group of Canadian islands, changed only in one respect:
trail
will be worth it."
Arm
But as the days went by. the Australian seemed to have less and less to smile about. When a week had passed, ho went
the police.
Simmons, it appeared, had told the Australian he was a British Secret Service agent sent lo Switzerland to track down a cache ol German wartime papers about defence against
Typical of the way the modern con man works was the new arrival at the expensive hotel in rockets. the ski-ing centre of St Moritz
authoritative.
Bre
Most of their names, or their aliases, are on the re cords of Interpol, Bai. few wer prosecuted, The vlotims usually report the tacia to the police...and are then too ashamed to expose their rooliness in public.
TALKING
POINTS
Politica corruption
in the Swiss Alpe last tenson, They had been secreted in a He was a tail. distinguished. cave in Switzerland in the anal looking man, called Simmons, days of the war-later al-
greying, and covered by a Swiss farmer. All were brilliantly successful tean, athlotle, at parting fools and their money.
The farmer wanted £10,000 events have passed him by, thatit. Elvis Presley in doing dollars. But at least I'll be able Interested in the idea of a little
ile soon created an extremely for the documents. If the breeds infection. The best But now the fashion of gang favourable Impression. gift is undiminished today, and it. Even Gina Lollobrigida in to live barefoot and at peace. It Caribbean hideaway the
He' was British refused, he planned la expressed in different ways doing it.
produced a 30-minute colour crime has changed, The top
negotiato with the Russian safeguard is the fresh air Shirley MacLaine, whose hus- Ölm for him to give him a gangs have moved to more lucra brilliant on the dopest and ex-
celled in the hotel's
bassy in Berne, social life.
of publicity. · band produces ilms in Japan, comprehensive look-see at the five pursuits--particularly banke
-LORD SAMUSE. reports that they have just property."
robberies and drug smuggling. His conversation was c Hero's role bought an land there. "It's a
The condidence tricks have livened with a fund of diverling A spokesman says: "We report gorgeous place,” she says, "and on everything-from- the plumb-|been left to the solo sriista — stories. He was a good dancer earlier than he did 30 years a,the Bahamas. Marion, who has the cherry trees."
Elvia expects to find refuge in I'm building a bungalow among ing potential 10 the blurk often former members of the and he spent generously, though and he has a nap after lunch.
menace."
confidence gangs who dealded to not extravagantly,
The British Secret Service This man has been in my life been filming Mutiny on the Right in the middle of this But Bing Crosby, apparently, stick to the Bne they knew, and
war willing to pay the morney, Magnanimity In politics: to such an extent that I am in Bounty, has "fallen"
the island-paradise boom is a Los is rather hard to please. Bays the loved the bust,
Among the wealthy people explained Simmons, The dila many ways his creation. To a South Pacific so heavily that he Angeles company
not seldom the truest with the company spokesman: "86 far Of course, howover gullible a who patronised the hotel, auch flculty Lay. In getting the wisdom; and, great extent he formed not only dickering for a whole group appropriate
title Robinson our salesmen have shown him victim be, it, like compuutre men could pick essay money laid empire and little minds go great my life but my character, Iof Tahitian Islands.
Incor- nine islands in the Hawaiian that those days, he will swallow his acquaintanco. Eventually, and to buy the documents, with¬
group without his signing on the an old tale like a madilike that,
made gold.
́-ERMUND WORKË.
in his eightles be goes to bed
Cherry troos
for
Crusoe Itcal Estate,
canle to London an tropression-i "If the deal goes through," ha porated. able newspaper-stručk youth, says, "It will cost me a million When Elvis Preslay became dosted line,"
he joined the lable of a party out attracting the attention of ill together. of Australian businessmen and the Bwiss ruïhorities:***