The Washington times. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1902-1939, 1918-03-19
u. S. NAVAL CENSOR
HAS ONE TOUGH JOB,
|. BUT ISA HARD MAN

LDNDcN. MaTcn Ill 'tOl he
| 'CreeI. or whoever has the picking.
hasn't picked a chief naval censor
I yet. here are the specifications:
4 man who looks as Lord Fisher
| would have looked II he had turned
/ out handsome instead of the way he
/ did; IL his nose hadn't turned up so
/ far and his mouth down so far: II
I he had found 1t easier to smile than
] to scowl and easy enough to do
l either as circumstances required; II
| the wind on the sea had put an Eng
| lish blush in his cheeks without dim
ming the sharp blue of his eyes. That
would be a man like Commodore Sir
Douglas Brownrigg, who keeps the lid
on British naval secrets as well a.
IT is possible to do so-which by the
vote of American correspondents is
| sufficiently well.
Looked Like Man-Eater.
1t probably won't be possible in
America TO find a man so facially
/ adapted to work as Sir Douglas is.
When met him today in the. musty
\ old part OF the admiralty building
| where he has his office. he looked
as though he had just finished eating
| one American journalistic missionary
/ and was hungry for another But ap-
pesrances do deceive. He was very
| gentle and kind. 1t was meatless
Friday and he had been lunching, he
said. on a fascinating work OF fiction.
| 1T is an excellent book" he said.
| But It never will see the light Of
publication. The author writes too
we'll"
TOO well:"
TOO convincingly. He's got one
chapter describing the shooting OF
/ some German prisoners-they de-
served to be shot. according to the
story-down in the dark cellars OF
London Tower. It really wouldn't be
| bad propaganda in Germany perhaps.
| II might be a warning to a certain
well known type OF our esteemed
enemy. But it's written too con-
vincingly. You couldn't persuade
Germans who read it that is pure
! fiction. And that might be bad for
British prisoners in Germany"
Kill On Suspicion.
This led the chief censor to discuss
some of the things he has TO think
about. He recalled various isolated
and apparently insignificant little
news stories that it had been found
necessary to suppress. Each by it,
pieced together and added to other
bits OF Information already obtained
by German intelligence officers would
give them information they undOubt-
eddy were working hard to get.
Earlier in the war the British intelli-
Eence officers had found the German
provincial papers, little inconseQuen-
tial news sheets. a most fertile field
Of exploration for just this reason.
so" he said. we have to Kill many
story harmless enough OF itself
and written in the best Of faith"
He explained the workings OF the
naval censorship. 4 striking feature
of it is the smallness of the staff.
Nine officers working at the Press
Bureau and something less than that
in Sir Douglas own office handle prac-
ticalIy all the work. Asked IL that
didn't result in the STAFF being
swamped and in delaying publication
OF news until il wasn't news. he said
that the contrary is the case. The
day staff cleans up all its work dur
ing its own hours and the night staff
does the same. Only in rare instances
where II is necessary TO place some
highly technical question before the
proper authority and this authority
is not Immediately available. do they
fail 10 get the censOring done in time
for publication in the edition in
tended.
Has Last Word.
In matters OF policy Sir Douglas
has practically the last word. lie has
occupied his present post from the
beginning OF the war through the
successive administrations of Prince
Louis OF Battenburg and the others
on down to the present. All these he
has known Intimately for years and
as censor has known their views
and their desires. Wherefore he has
been in position 10 expedite matters
/ for the press. And that he says he
considers one of the most important
/ features OF his JOB.
( Just how important Sir Douglas
/ considers the needs OF the press his
/ secretary indicated to me. The chief,
/ the secretary said. works three nights
a week till midnight. In the first
4 months OF the war he worked that
/ late practically every night and often
much later.
asked him about this. He dis
! claimed any excess Of zeal. reminding
/ me that there is war on and adding.
/ with some OF these First Lords the
/ best time to get AT them H. hslf-past
/ one in the morning, and If they can
| work that late. ] can
Which puts a different light IN the
stupidity Of the censorship" Ill
| have to think il over.
QEATTEIHhTI0N ne