122
B. H. HAGGIN
In the matter .of my discussing .other critics' writing there is this
later incident to report: The fDll.owing September I directed Mr.
Kirstein's attenti.on tD a
Nation
editorial,
Socialist Unity in Italy,
which
pointed .out ArnDldo CDrtesi's misrepresentation of the Nenni-Saragat
negDtiatiDns in the
Times,
and which I said was an example .of the in–
cDnsistency and absurdity I had pointed .out a year bef.ore: that
The
Nation
might discuss a pDlitical matter as misrepresented t.o the public
in a rep.ort in the
Times,
but
The Nation's
music critic might n.ot dis–
cuss the c.ontroversy at City Center as it had been misrepresented t.o the
public in articles .of the
Times's
music critic. Mr. Kirstein answered that
I wDuld be surprised tD kn.ow he agreed with me: he hadn't seen this
editDrial yapping at the heels of the
Times
befDre its publicati.on in
The Nation ;
if he had, it would n.ot have been published; and when
he did see it he t.old Mr. McWilliams it was the kind .of angry picayune
n.onsense he fDund .offensive, and made his p.ositi.on clear en.ough s.o that
similar editDrials w.ould n.ot be published in
The Nation
in
the future.
And tD this I replied- with great reluctance, I assured him- that we were
not
in agreement : "I didn't criticize Mr. McWilliams's publishing the
edit.orial but his inc.onsistency in refusing t.o publish my articles. Y.our
view that tD discuss what appears in the press is .offensive; y.our ruling
that such discussion shall not appear in
The Nation- these
I strongly
disagree with."
As f.or the matter .of m.ore rep.orting .of live events, in June Mr.
Kirstein wr.ote that some .of his acquaintances, and his sister Mina and
brDther Linc.oln, had t.old him a number .of times they were enj.oying
my column mDre as a result of its greater emphasis .on live events. It
occurred t.o me tD examine my columns from October t.o June in 1954-
55 and 1955-56; and the result, as I wrote t.o Mr. Kirstein, was "my
discovery that in 1954-55 I had discussed 33 events in part Dr all .of 25
columns, and in 1955-56 36 events in 23 columns"-which was to say
that "I gave live events nD greater attenti.on Dr emphasis in 1955-56
than in 1954-55," Dr t.o put it in a way I th.ought m.ore significant, "I
gave live events as much attenti.on in 1954-55 .on my .own initiative, as
in 1955-56 at the explicit request .of edit.or and publisher"-the sig–
nificance .of this being its refu tatiDn .of the idea I had heard was being
spread around by Mr. Kirstein and Mr. McWilliams, that I was .of
c.ourse a good critic but had required the guiding and c.ontr.olling hand
.of editor and publisher tD do the j.ob I hadn't dDne on my .own.
There remains the additi.onal guidance and cDntrol by Mr. Hatch
alDne. When Mr. Kirstein, at .our first meeting in Oct.ober 1955, had
told me .of Mr. Hatch's demanding and receiving the right tD edit all
c.opy, I had knDwn what I was in f.or. I still have the letter in which
