The Wheeling intelligencer. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1903-1961, 1917-07-07
CLOSE CENSORSHIP
OF CABLE MESSAGES
NEEDED IN THE u. s

WASHINGTON, July 6.--Lord
Northcliffe, head OF the British ms,
sion in this country. today authorized
publication of parts of a connoenttal
speech on spies and censorship. maue
to the National Press club July 4.
He described the work OF spies III
England and the flood Of fatal m
formation that pourS over the caoles
through neutral countries to Ter
Germany, and spoke Of the dangers
Of any except technical military asa
naval censorship Of the press. only
on two occasions in the last monen'
Lord Northclitfe said, had he seen
anything published in American news
papers that might have been OF value
to the enemy.
The address said, In part:
What does not yet seem to be
understood here and what We did not
understand at the beginning OF tho
war. is that the really deadly high
explosive news IS not newspaper news
but the news sent out by spies IN
code 70 neutral countries for trans
mission 20 Germany.
Admitted that the task OF e1amin
Ing hundreds of thousands Of cables
q day is difficult and costly; admit
ted that brains arc required In large
number for the ask. The GRAINS
are here In abundance and the out
going cables can easily DO co'orol-
rated so that all cables addressed 70
III same names abroad. and even 70
~ same towns abroad come unoer
the eyes OF the same censors week
after week II it Is by means OF
checking back cables addressed from
England 20 neutral countries mat we
have caught many OF our spies
THE cable censor must DO teulotee
less II he finds constant domestic 'eie
grams going to one particular place. AZ
tho risk OF disturbing happy homes' ne
must hold up or destroy tho cables. A
world Of meaning can DO concealed oe-
hind tho words mother or motner go
ing TO SeaShore. . J.,
"It I may make a suggestion 1t is
that the American people should take
stories about the sinking OF suofno-
rsnes with grain or SAX. 1oor ne
papers have sunk very large IAeee u
submarines during the 1oar ~e
have been hore. Every gunner VINO
fires at 8 periscope and can soc no
periscope after the splash or the sheti
thinks he has sunk submarine. VIZ
give n ll;tle Instructive and perRecti!
true story on this point. 4 certain
man-of-war reported that It had urea
on a German submarine and sunk II.
An English submarine. which was IN
exactly the same location on the same
6ay, reported that it had been fired on
by 4 German battleship and had dived
and escaped il. t.ar that these con-
stant illustory singings OF submarines
may check .Nlnrr;cAn inventive elturt OIL
which the allies rely 50 greatly.
II have no idea OF tne preparation
Your government has made for ;he CEN
SorShIp, .nf pictures. A picture may
easily disclose dlnStrnUS information.
The Germans have system OF enlars .
ing newspaper photographs 10 SEQ X
thev can find any valuable lntorma-
tion. Thus, when We had been at war
sufficiently long 10 invent tanks. we
had 20; wise. ~ ynu say here. No pic
ture OF any new tank. aeroplane or 9TH
er machine OF war should DO published
here. =.
Us to The censorship in general. It
Instructions are given - newspaper pt"-
pie they themselves form the BEST cell,
sorShip. Trained news Satherers anu
prosecutors Of news are much more IN
telligent than the kind OF man VINO usu-
ally drifts into censor offices. Neither
military ror naval men care for the task
of censorship. They want TO be at the
front or at Ssa. Judging by my own
coilea CunS in England. | believe thS"
American new Spaprr men should De
very largely trusted I" do the censor
ing themselves. provided. OF course. that
General PcrShing has Il system Such as
has been adopted BY Sir Douglas HaiS.
who Will. allowing IN" utmost free
don, nf correspondence. secs that the
diSnatcheS ar. read and examined by
competent members Of his staff.