The Washington herald., 1918-03-30
.SENATEFLAYS
CREEL BOARD
FOR UNTRUTHS
Misleading Information Up.
on Aeroplane Program
Brings Censure.

Criticism OF the Creel Committee on
Public Information grew bitter in the
Senate yesterday when it was dis
covered that the committee had con-
tinued to put out matter concerning
the aircraft situation which the SEN
ate Military Affairs Committee has
ad5udged false and misleading.
Board Roasted.
Senator Thomas. of Colorado, after
explaining that the information sent
out by the Creel bureau is used by
many newspapers throughout the
country. characterized the work Of the
bureau as primarily, secondarily. d.
rectly and indirectly a fraud upon
the press Of the United States"
Senator Wadsworth, of New York.
said that the Creel committee had
been formed upon the theory that the
people should have accurate informa-
ton about the progress Of the war.
He said this theory and spirit have
never been carried out.
The fresh outbreak upon the part Of
Senators who object to the methods
of the Creel bureau was occasioned
by the publicatin in the Official Bull
letin OF the captions for the aeroplane
pictures which had been condemned
by the Military Affairs Committee at
its session Tuesday.
The committee had been assured by
the head of the picture division of the
Creel bureau that the pictures would
not be used and that the ''fiamboy-
ant" captions written out of the en-
thusiasm of one Morris Strunsky
would not be given for publication.
These captions were particularly OBJ
jectionable to the committee because
they conveyed the impression that
thousands upon thousands of aero
planes are being sent to France"
At the very start of the Senate ses-
sion, Senator Wadsworth called at
tention to the apparent refusal of the
Creel organization to adhere to the
promise made by the representative
who appeared before the committee.
He read the article and the captions
as they appeared in the OfficiaI Bull
Ietin, and said:
Need Censor.
THE Committee on Public Infor-
nation has been completely informed
that these captions are utterly mac
CHrate and still persists in publishing
them to the American people with the
seal Of the government. The chief Of
the division of pictures assured US
that publication would be stopped in
accordance with the committees resO-
luton. yet mere we find two days
later, the publication Of these false
hoods in the Official Bulletin upon
which the people rely for accurate in
formation.
Il do not know that the Senate can
do anything about these things but
can say, as upon a previous oCca-
sion, the Committee on Public Infor-
nation needs a censor"
There can be no justification for
the publication OF such falsehoods.' -
said Senator Thomas. The Bulletin
spread in this instance among the
people four statements upon an eN-
traordinarily important subject, which
are not true / think the time has
come for Congress to have something
to say about these publications. The
publication Of false information is
bound to react upon the morale of the
people"
Senator Thomas referred to Lau-
renee Rubel, the head of the pictur"
division, and Strunsky. composer OF
he captions, as Obscure. unknown.
irresponsible individuals" and declar-
Cd it was difficult to place a limitation
upon the extent of deception which is
being praCticed upon the people.
Senator Poindexter insinuated that
the efforts of the Creel bureau really
amount to the same as German propa
ganda, for. he said. publications OF
this character would lull the people
into a false sense OF security. which is
exactly what German propagandists
are seeking to do.