January 2, 1918 - First taste of news gathering in London

     As Don Martin began his work reporting from London, he would have known that his competition was the Associated Press (AP). The New York Herald was publishing AP dispatches datelined London every day, usually more than one per day.  Yet he never mentioned an AP reporter in his diary. Months later in France, he does record when he refused to share an automobile with the AP reporter. 

Don Martin diary entry for Wednesday, January 2, 1918: 

Had my first taste of news gathering in London. With  Welliver saw Admiral Reginald Hall [Director of Naval Intelligence], Gen. Maurice [Director of Military Operations at the War Office] and a foreign office man. They talked quite frankly about the whole situation. It is evident the British expect some desperate fighting before the war ends. The submarine menace is much more serious than U.S. knows. Admiral Hall says a new scheme will largely overcome it however. Met Holmes formerly of NY Times, Wallace formerly of [Blyraw], and Tuohey of World at the Admiralty office. Business of gathering news just same in London, where the world’s future is in the balance, as in NY City during a city campaign. Took Champion to dinner at Simpson’s and wrote two mail stories.

Weather pretty fair
[At the New York Herald London Office on Fleet Street, Don Martin found Messrs. Champion and Baird and others not named in his diary (except little Jo, the office boy, to whom he would give a suit). He never mentioned their first names, although he expressed his opinion of them a number of times.]