Walter Trohan (July 4, 1903 – October 30, 2003) was a 20th-century American journalist, known as a long-time Chicago Tribune reporter (1929–1971) and its bureau chief in Washington, D.C.
He attended Bowen High School, reported for a bit at the Daily Calumet, and in 1926 graduated from the University of Notre Dame.
[1][2][3][4] In 1934, the Tribinue transferred Trohan as assistant correspondent to Washington, DC, when Franklin Roosevelt was president.
In spite of the Tribune's hostility to Roosevelt's policies, Trohan and the president "maintained cordial relations."
In 1936, Trohan called FBI Director J. Edgar Hoover a "Keystone cop," but eventually, they became friends.
[3] On September 26, 1948, he reported that Alger Hiss was about to flee the country, rather than file a libel suit against Whittaker Chambers.
In 1951, Trohan was known for ferreting out the fact that Truman planned to fire General Douglas MacArthur, the commander of UN forces in Korea.
For instance, in 1950, he wrote an article that accused US Senator Herbert H. Lehman, Supreme Court Justice Felix Frankfurter, and US Treasury Secretary Henry Morgenthau Jr. were part of an alleged "secret super-Government of Jews in Washington.
[1][2][4] Trohan is the source for much unique information about Franklin Roosevelt's health that turned up in various publications and FBI documents.
He could remember freely wandering Roosevelt's White House and interviewing cabinet members and other staff.