Arizona republican., 1916-08-14
BRITISH WAR
 OFFICE LIZ TS 
 SECRECY VEIL
lRepublIcan A. p. Leased Wlrel


 LONDON, August l3.-By lifting the veil of secrecy to an extent hitherto unheard of in the present war and al- lowing the British public to get a clearer view of what is going on at the front the war office has made a tremendously popular move. This rev. olution in departmental methods started with the Anglo French offen- sive. Its effect on the people has been magical
 The British public Is now being fed generously on what it was deprived of for nearly two years, namely personal doings of the soldiers. And they like it. Incidentally, added importance is attached to the new order of things simply because the British government is not easily convinced of the wisdom of departing from old customs. It's about the most revolutionary occur renee since the war began.
 To begin with, the public realizes that there Is still much that must be hidden from them but they are very grateful for the concessions made. The people realize further that this war must be largely ananonymous war and that 1t Is inadvisable to describe, ex- | cept after a long interval, the deeds 1 of particular regiments or divisions. But in other respects the veil has | been lifted and the British public has 1 been permitted to read many moving | stories which present the war to those who stay at home In a truer light than ever before.
 Generally speaking these are the sources of information which are now available to the public. First and fore most there are the dispatches from the British commander-in-c chief, Gen. eral Sir Douglas Haig. who, as a rule l sends from the general headquarters in France. two bulletins each day sum ! marizing in military language the gains, or losses. which the armies un- ] der his command have experienced 1 during the day and night These are occasionally supplemented by mes- sages which. coming from the accred ited war correspondents at headquar- ters, may be retarded as semi official
 Reverting to the improved arrange. ments for keeping the public informed on what Is going on the Daily Chron. icle compliments the war office anC says of the newspaper correspondents:
 There are now five representative, or British newspapers attached to tn, general headquarters, and Frederick Palmer of the American Associated Press is privileged to join this seleci band. They are housed in a chateat somewhere behind the firing line-ai their own expense let it be said-ant from this newspaper nerve center the, are free to come and go almost a! , they like.
 "Consonant with military exigencie, they are practically allowed a ire, hand. As 1t is obviously the duty of { newspaper correspondent to preserv, a whole skin, this freedom is tempered by discretion, but they must talk, many risks, and in these days of lonl range artillery they are bound to spenC most of their days as well as theii ! nights under fire
 The expansion with regard to tn, pictorial side of the war is not les, remarkable than the development o the literary side. One supplements tn, other. Some remarkable photograph. have come from France since the re. cent offensive began. Many of then have perhaps done as much as tn, written description of events to sti the imagination. et~a
 Then Inere IS the moving picture op orator who has his place, not only be
 hind the lines, but often at the fight
 Ing front Many films which even nov are of absorbing interest, and which il days to come will be of historical val
 ue, have been taken. Like everythin, else they have to pass the censor be
 fore they can be given to the world
 but unlike the written word burieI
 under the official blue pencil, thes
 temporarily suppressed sections ma, be revived hereafter when the war i a sad memory.