The Lakeland evening telegram. (Lakeland, Fla.) 1911-1922, 1918-08-13
(By Associated Press.)


Washington, Aug. 1S.--The story
lof the governments policy and activ-
Titles in pictorializing the war, not
only for record and information but
flor morale at home and for COM
batting the German lie in other coun-
tries of the world" Is told In re-
iport which Secretary Baker has laid
before Congress.
1t is in reply to a resolution Of IN
curry regarding motion and still pic
lures of the American Expeditionary
Force and of the military preparations
at home, and it shows comprehen-
sive system of picture activity safe
guarded by a permit system devised
by the Committee on Public Informa'
ton and approved by the War De-
partment.
The pictures are taken by Signal
Corps units and are shown in thou
sands Of motion picture houses under
contracts on a commercial basis to
, help pay the committees expenses in
motion picture propaganda.
1.-THE funds received from these
Isources, which are put in the Treas
Jury to the committees credit" says
. the report, "do not represent profit in
any sense. Every cent goes to manu-
fracture and distribution of the enor-
nous amount OF film the committee is
] compelled to distribute without re-
turn in foreign countries as part OF
1.-THE United States educational cam
, lpaign. An features and war reviews
will be supplied free Of charge to can
tonments in the United States and to
the picture shows on the firing line
1 lin France. The returns are to de-
!. fray the heavy expense Of the free
distribution demanded by the necessi-
4 tiles of our morale at home and even
larger necessities of combating the
German lie in other countries Of the
world"
1 Secretary Baker says each corps
headquarters and division headQuar-
tiers of the American Expeditionary
! Force is provided with Signal Corps
Photographic unit consisting OF one
| lotficer and three enlisted men. These
units together with personnel neces
! |sary for development laboratories
supply service and to do special pho
Geographic work ordered by Genera
Pershing aggregated seventeen off
GERS and 1O2 enlisted men in May. AL
motion picture negatives received
from overseas and prints of still pic
lures are delivered to the war plan
i division of the general staff for his
torical record and government propa
X ganda Duplicate negatives, OF NJ
-lvalue to the enemy are turned over t.
: the committee.
General Pershing was allowed las
December to grant permission 10 out
! lsiders to take photographs subject T.
censorship Of the Expeditionary Fore
! but the War Department has no infor
! lmation as to whom his permission ha
| been given. Here in the Unite
! Estates, the committee, In cooperation
| with the army by order Of the Score
I! iltary of War, worked out permit sys
!! Item to enable civilian photographer
, Ito take pictures of the war prepare
| | Itions in this country. "This system
| says Secretary Baker, safeguard
| military interests and deals adequate
! lily and even generously with all pr
- vate interests desiring to present tt
. nations war progress to the people
picture form. Except in certal
Il camps, where secret tests are beir
made, cantonments have been Tree
HI photographers from the beginning
n the war. With respect to ordnan
III and airplane production the milita1
d authorities have not deemed II WI
ID to expose secrets to other than tho
Ia uniform and while permits ha
III been given in some cases the gener
II policy has been to exclude priva
81 photographers from factories whe
q ordinances and airplanes are bel
II made. The permit procedure max
II investigation Of the applicant pos
Il BILE and furnishes control over
Fl pictures taken"
II Permits are limited to fifteen da
= from issue. Photographs cannot
"a taken of experiments in materials, {
ri trenchments, or formations, mach
ii gun targets, or camouflage. All ha
81 to be censored promptly and beft
III publication by the committee. In
Ill case Of a famous seven-reel-w
a crusading picture, the material v
II collected by Signal Corps operators