New-York tribune., 1918-01-06

munique calling attention to British
gains and minimizing things in Italy,"
said the general. Now, when the
truth is known and everybody is thick
In gloom, along comes Secretary Baker
with his prediction of big German
offensive. There is no reason for his
saying anything at all, and less for
his saying it at the wrong time"
Another serious aspect of the CEN
sorship is that it has been a censor
ship against pessimism. Nothing has
been allowed to pass in criticism of
things which were going badly. No
check, however, has been put upon op
timism, which is much more dangerous.
definite reaction has set in against
America in France. 1t is not great yet,
but it is almost certain to be great in
the spring. The reason lies almost
wholly in the fact that the newspapers
at home and even the correspondents
at the front have been allowed to talk
too big. Level-headed Frenchmen think
that there are already half million
American soldiers in France and that
there will be million in the spring.
In the spring they will find that this is
not so, and they will be disappointed
and angry.
censorship is bad not only for what
1T has prevented correspondents from
saying, but also what it has permitted
them to say. 1t is also responsible in
an indirect way for the singular style
of war reporting which has surrounded
the progress of the American army.
We newspaper men have Overplayed
every slight piece of news to such an
extent that the French and English
laugh at US. The story of patrol by
American and French soldiers, a rou-
tine patrol such as takes place at hun
dreds Of points along the line every
night, was printed in one New York
newspaper under two-column head
line, "American Troops Go Over the
Top" A favorite French joke also
arose some little time after thousands
of words were sent home about Ger
man captured by the doughboys. GLOW
is your prisoner today?" jocose
Frenchmcn would ask American friends.
But if censorship is bad for the news
papers it is also bad for the army. The
American army is swaddled and hob
bled in secrecy. I have little book
which was given out with some general
instructions pointing out the proper
way to salute and some other minor
points of discipline. Somebody has
stamped it: "Contidential. Not to be
taken into the trenches"
When a reporter reproached the
press Omccr because he was not able to
tell him until the last minute that the
American troops were going into the
trenches, he said proudly that it had
been kept such secret that the intel
ligence bureau itself did not know"
Our chauffeur knew.
IL knew it ten days ago. Why
everybody around here knew about it, ,
he said. And further up the line
found that troops with gas masks anc
tin hats had gone through village ir
motor trucks singing that they were
going to chang the damned old Kaiser
to sour apple tree"
Pershing's movements are shroudee
in the deepest mystery. The chief O.
staff of newly arrived division calee
up headquarters and asked for Genera
Pershing.
"He's not here" came the answer.
"Where has he gomez"
There was long pause.
"Nobody around here knows"
"Well, when will he be back"
There was another pause.
81 can't find out Nobody's beer
told"
The divisional staff officer then asket
for the chief of staff.
Inquiry developed that he, too, ha.
gone away, no one knew where, ant
would be back on some dateless day o
! nameless month. Secrecy in pres
and army is great stuff until you begin
to trip over it.