The sun., 1917-07-29
CHANGE URGED
IN CENSORSHIP
TOOUST CREEL
Put Strong Man From Army
or Navy in Position,
Critics Say.
NEW BLUNDER is MADE
Announcement of Arrival Of
More Troops Arouses Secre-
tary Baker.
NEW BLUNDER is MADE

WASHINGTON. July 2s.-The censor
ship Is in a worse muddle than ever.
Indecision and lack Of cooperation and
coordination are the most giarinR de-
fects In the system which has resulted
from tho plan Of appointing George Creel
10 erereiSe two functions which in the
spInion Of competent authorities never
can be exercised by the same individual.
namely, those Of a publicity agent and
censor. On all sides the demand is for q
strong man picked from either the army
or the navy to take the helm and ex-
srcise the functions Of n censor on mlli-
tary matter absolutely. independently of
Mr.. Creers publicity organization
The muddle which has resulted from
the present system was again empha-
sized to-day. when dispatches announc-
ing the arrival Of more troops in France
came through by cable and were pub
lished just as II the Creel bureau did
not exist Just how this happened no.
body seems to know. Tho War Depart
ment absolutely refused to sanction the
publication Of the news. although as n
result Of arrangements made by Mr..
Creel following the first instance Of this'
kind IL was supposed that any such news
that came by cable had been properly
passed by an American censor and could
Be printed.
Refuse to XIII News.
After the publication OF the news to-
day all over the country the Committee
on Public Information began It's Gus
toriary drive TO prevent publication. Its
refusal to release" the news, which was
appearing in extra editions everywhere,
complicated the muddle. The Associated
Press refused to accept the Creel bu-
feau's ruling that the cable story should
be KILLED. even II II had already been
printed, asserting that there was no
prohibited information in the story.
Individual newspapers were told they
must not print the story, but when they
asked IL the same ruling had been given
to other newspapers and press associa-
tons that had not asked for information
they were politely told by one Of Mr.
creel's subordinates that it was none
OF their business.
But the muddie Is not altogether in
the creel bureau Last evening Secre-
tary Daniels ruled that the news that
the Vateriand had been commissioned
and would be employed to carry must
not be printed. although he had given
II out in the afternoon. The Creel
bweau sent out word TO this effect At
soclock Mr.. Daniels. however. decided
to revoke his earlier ruling, but 1t was
II o'clock before word of this was sent
TO the newspapers. Explanation of the
Creel bureau was that II was necessary
first TO close the outgoing cables in New
York to the news before giving out Mr.
Daniels's release order. and this con-
sumed two hours.
Secretary Baker Aroused.
Secretary Baker was aroused to-day
over the fact that the news of troop ar
rivals had not been suppressed, as he
had every reason to suppose II would be-
When the mixup occurred over the pub
heation OF the announcement that the
hrst transport contingents OF the Per5
shing expedition had arrived, Secretary
Baker had q long talk with Mr. Creel as
to the vital seriousness OF this matter
Brig.-Gen. Tasker II. Bliss. acting Chief
OF Stan. Informed Secretary Baker at
that time that the army's interests were
being jeopardized.
Gen. Bliss wanted such announcements
suppressed because there were other con-
tingents on their way and some Of them
Just about to enter the war zone In
tested with U-boats. He regarded the
public announcement that the first con-
tingent had arrived as tantamount to
telling the Germans just whsre the 9TH
ers might be found, especially as the
original announcement stated that the
transports arriving were the second con-
tingent and made 1t clear that two more
were following.
Mr.. Creel then announced that he
would make ironclad arrangements to
prevent a recurrence In the future. He
told army officers that he had taken
up the matter OF putting an embargo
IN tct1 he fhow Ia 81
II could not possibly leak out again.
Plan 60 Keep Army Secrets.
In celebrating his plan Mr.. Creel
said that he would not only have the
matter taken UP with American CEN
sors abroad, but with the British and
French authorities. He admitted that
these authorities we're not In a position
10 know the damage which such publi-
cation OF military secrets might do to
the United States, but added that Il
would be clear to them after he had
put into effect the plan he had in mind.
In view of to-day's cable dispatches
army officers are wondering what plan,
u any Mr.. Creel tried TO put into effect
~ Is suggested that Mr.. Creel, not be-
ing military man and having no con-
ception OF the technicallties of military
censorship, may have given the authori-
ties only confused idea of what was
decided here.
The opinion OF army and navy officers
Is that matters cannot continue in this
muddled way. and 1t was freely pre-
oicted to-day that ultimately the mill
tary censorship would be taken out OF
une hands OF the bureau OF information.
a plan providing for this has been
drawn up by a General Staff officer and
submitted to the War Department II is
the opinion here that a censorship bu-
reau organized by the War Depart
Or Navy Department or both, with pos
s'oly one or more Newspaper advisors,
would command greater confidence than
tne present system, which places the
censorship question largely In the hands
= oi Mr.. Creel. Although the rulings are
supposed 10 be obtained by the Creel
bureau from army and navy officers,
there have been many instances in the
past where the Creel bureau has under
taken to give the ruling entirely on It's
own responsibility. without even con-
snlting the military men.