The sun., 1919-03-22
CENSOR SLASHES
EDITORIAL IN sun


piled with equal lack of discrimination
TO any real criticism OF the plans which
President Wilson Is pushing here.
u. =. Censorship Il stilI On.
An American censorship still exists
in France. but Il is the military censor
ship which the American Expeditionary
Force has conducted ever since the first
division of troops landed at St. Nazaire
June 20. 1917.
This censorship has been greatly re-
Taxed since the arTnistice was signed on
November IL, and has not been applied
to dispatches bearing upon the political
situation in the United States or Eu-
rope or upon the Peace Conference, the
League OF Nations or any of the ques-
lions involved in the conferences. II
does not censor in any way dispatches
from the United States Intended for
French newspapers. but only such out
going dispatches from France to the
United States as deal with the Ameri-
can troops
Any censoring. therefore, Of incoming
despa tohes from the United States, by
which statements unfavorable or objec-
tionable to Premier Clemenceeu, Presi-
dent Wilson or any one else are deleted,
is done by the French censorship. which
still has the same powers It had during
the war.
The American military censors now
on duty In the Paris central office re-
iterated to-day statements they had
made previously that In practice they
delete almost nothing from outgoing
dispatches concerning army matters and
that they seldom see and never read the
outgoing dispatches regarding tho con-
ference or political matters. while they
never BEE incoming dispatches from the
United States.
Form OF Present Censorship.
The whole experience here Of TIE Sur
bears this out. Soon after the armistice
was signed the Intelligence section Of the
American Expeditionary Force. of which
the press censorship was one function,
ordered that thereafter tho censors
should delete from outgoinG dispatches
bearing upon the American Army only
such passages rs came under the follow
ing headings: First, statements that
might cause friction among the Allies
second, such as might impair the morale
OF the Allies or the people at home.
Although both of these orders might
be made the cloak to cover a multitude
of sins in practice, they have been quite
literally construed. Any one who at
tempted to write despatch involving
the officers or men of tho American
Expeditionary Force In an American
political argument probably would have
his despatch returned to him.
In general way the American mill
tary censorship now 10 at It's minimum,
at least so far as regards dispatches
from the front and Paris. American
military censors now are on duty In two
places. Paris and Coblenz
Judging by the statement of corre-
spondents who have returned recently
I from Coblenz. the army censors In Paris
permit more leeway than those in Cob
lenz, where, for example. any hint OF
friction between the. American and
French military authorities in the army
of occupation IL deleted consistently.
| In this respect 1t may be said perhaps
that tho American public does not get
the whole truth. but even II the ban
| were removed the most that the CORE
| apondents there could write would be in
consequential tales OF rather petty bick-
| erings. the outgrowth Of the prevailing
| atmosphere OF tension and Of racial dif-
fsrences In methods of handling the
| Germans.
The censors at Coblenz do not read.
| much less censor. incoming dispatches
from the United States. while the Amer
army SchoOTb ucltle nOtnlnK from
incoming and nothing from outgoing
dispatches unless they deal with the
American force and come under the two
headings given in the foregoing. Con-
yersely, neither the British nor the
| French censors delete anything from
| outgoing dispatches dealing entirely
with the American army. and the pms
| sage OF these messages uncensored by
them is assured by prehxing the code
words ''controle Franco Americana pa
| sam"
Dispatches dealing with the French
or British armies. however. or their
| military matters must be passed by the
| French or British censors. Whatever
| censoring il done. therefore. on any
subject but the American force, and in
coming on any subject at all. is done
| by French or British censors on the
| orders OF their respective Governments