New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1914-12-13
Englishmen Rush to Get
Details of Disaster to
Dreadnought.
SOME HESITATE TO
TOUCH UNHOLY SHEET
British Government Still Sup
pressing Publication in
Home Journals.
tFrom Tn. Tribune Correspondent

London, Dec. 3.-American newspa-
pers containing accounts Of the sinking
of the British super-dresdnought Auda-
cious have enjoyed big sale in Lon
don, but. despite the fact that the ais
aster is now chronicled in black ana
white the Admiralty has not seen nj 10
make any announcement.
While the disaster was a secret IN
which every one, from the street urcnih
TO the clubman, participated, not many
knew the Audacious had been blown up
by the cruiser Liverpool. Since the
/ first il has been contended the dread
nought was in port being retitted. she
/ has been in Glasgow, Belfast, Liverpool
and numerous other ports, and with one
accord all the rumors have agreed on
| the score that as soon as she was READY
/ for sea again there would be full an
nouncement made about the whole dis
aster.
! With the appearance of the American
newspapers the rumors have gwen way
/ TO still others, the latest being that one
of the dreadnoughts now building VIII
/ be named Audacious, and thus when
/ launched the government Will deny all
Audacious disaster stories.
I
papers soon attracted attention in the
principal hotels. In one well known
| hotel the disappearance Of these Amerl-
can editions led to the story that they
| had been suppressed by order OF Lord
Kitchener and Winston Churchill. De-
spite the interest this caused, 1T devel-
/ oped that some Britisher with an aD-
normal sense of patriotism had MADE
off with at least one copy, while II was
I thought that some American OF selnsh
proclivities had taken the only remain
ing copy to his room.
While one of the biggest news vend-
ers told of selling more American pa
pers to Englishmen than he remem-
bered ever selling before, he also add
ed that more might have been .pur-
chaser except for the timidity OF the
purchasers.
"They did not want TO take such an
unholy thing away with them, | sup
pose," he added, but they were only
too willing to read all about i" m
AT another place, near Piccadllly
Circus, the dealer had the good bust
ness sense to display the Audacious
headlines to excellent advantage, soon
getting rid of all his copies.
Two of the London dsilies have re-
ferred to the printing of the Auda-
cious disaster in the American papers.
They are "The Times" and "The Daily
News and Leader" which latter said in
an editorial on November 80, entitled
"Darkening Counsel:
"Rumors of an event of very great
interest to the British public have been
circulating for long time now in this
country. Very full accounts of the
event in question have now been pub
lished in the Swedish, the Dutch, the
American and finally the German pa
pcrs.
There is scarcely an important pub
lie in the world, that is to say, which
has not now received full report OF
the alleged occurrence except that one
which is most directly affected by 1t.
The truth or falsehood of the reports
I is a matter on which judgment may,
and indeed for the moment must, be
suspended. 1t is ineligible that the
authorities may have good reasons for
delaying the publication of news, ia
vorable or otherwise, until a time when
in their judgment its publication will
be most effective or least prejudicial
to the public interests. The sincere
I study and understanding of national
psychology may be Of important assist
] dHGc III d cuNh 40 biab NliNh
we are now waging. But it is surely a
psychological blunder of the first order
TO conceal from the British public
news, whether good or bad, which is
the common property of their neigh
bors."
On December / "The Times" said:
1.-THE principal purpose Of the censor
ship, as we understand it, is to prevent
the publication of news which will be
of service to the enemy. If the enemy
know the news its publication in this
country cannot be of service to them.
Yet our office is Uttered with German
newspapers containing news We are
forbidden to publish. We have also
many American newspapers containing
the same news, which was further sent
broadcast in the German wireless mes
sages.
"The present position therefore is
that the whole world is acquainted
with news which this country is not
officially permitted to know, and the
ridiculous feature of the situation is
that very large numbers Of individuals
in these islands know it quite well. We
understand and appreciate the reasons
which may make reticence in such a
case desirable for limited period. But
for how long does the government pro-
pose to continue the farce of con-
cealing facts from the British public
alone2"