New-York tribune., 1918-02-17
Creel Condemns
Idle War Gossip
In Knitting Circle
He Urges All to Help Close
Rumor Factory; Will Tell
News as 1t Comes
Warning to Bolsheviki
Iyenaga Fears Chaos ImperiIs
Far East; Lausanne
Lauds France

Pullman car gossip, club chitchat ane
rumer retailing over the knitting
needles in women's societies are work
ing considerable harm to the cause 70,
which the United States and the Allies
are fighting, George Creel, chairman OF
the Committee on Public Information
told 500 members and guests at the
regular monthly lunch of the Law
yers' Club in the clubrooms, at 1l5
Broadway, yesterday. Mr.. Creel stirred
the assemblage to prolonged applause
when he declared that the Administra-
tion desired to "play square" with the
people and begged his audience to do
everything possible to reduce the prod
uct Of the "rumor factory" and prevent
the distribution of untruthful war
news"
"The Bureau of Information is Just
what its name implies" declared Mr.
Creel. at withholds nothing and i'm
poses no censorship. The only censor
ship that exists is that voluntarily i'm
posed by the newspapers themselves in
withholding from publication informa-
ton which it is perfectly plain to
every one would be of use to the enemy.
Warns Against Gossip
Trust u.s." he continued. you arc
not being lied to. The government is
telling you everything and will con-
tinue to tell you everything. Every
disaster, every reverse will be made
known to you the minute it happens.
So do not lend yourself to the gossip
of the Pullman smoker, the chit-chat Of
the club or the knitting circle. must
say that it is the women who are most
tion with the war. Over the click
clack of the knitting needles the great
est untruths are retailed as facts. In
whispers this is declared to be that
and that to be this. 4 can't tell you
where l received the information,' says
one, but / know SO and so and so and
SO is so and So And the trouble is it
is not So: Do everything you can to
stop this"
Describing the many methods in
voked by the bureau to spread the
gospel OF American aims and ideals"
Mr.. Creel said:
Moving pictures are being made and
shown in theatres all over the neutral
and antI-German countries. Every dav
we send one thousand words of Ameri-
can news by wireless to the capitals of
the world. Our aeroplanes are drop
ping pamphlets describing Americas
aims into the German lines every dav.
we are appealing to the German sol
dIer-telllng him what America is try-
ing to do for his people; asking him
II ne remembers how he was pushed off
tne I sidewalk by the military clique in
germany before the war, and asking
MN II he knows what will happen to
him If that clique is not reduced. Onr
messengers and interpreters are at
work IN the German prison camps in
france and England and Russia, preach /
ing American doctrines to 500 OOo |
Germans. Those Germans cannot he (
returned to the German frinp limo
without causing the greatest demora1-
izatlon among the German arms. of tha+ !
am convinced.
, mere is not an ignoble thought be-
nina US IN our fight"
Japan Fears Chaos in Russia
Chaos in Russia, spreading to Rms
s.an possessions in Eastern Asia, NAV /
a. any moment imperil the peace ~
the Far East and draw Japan into
actlye hostility with the forces of the
noishevlki, according to DR.. T. Iyenara,
p'lec'or OF the East and West News
bureau and unofficial mouthpiece in
TINS country of the Japanese govern.
ment' and another speaker. Japan, de-
spite press attacks on her "modified
support" Of the Allies, was Thoroughly
at one with the Allied aims, he said.
and a1f Is doing all and more than the
Al'ies required Of her, and was ready
70 make the supreme sacrifice ia the
case of need" ''' VIC
lt would be foolish" he said, "to
piedlct that no emergency will arise
%nen 's, ~ VIII become the imperative
duty of Japan to sacrifice her ali at
the altar of the common cause e;ncb
an emergency, if it ever arises. Will
come from the development in Russia.