The Birmingham age-herald., 1921-05-08
TARD|EU PROVES
 CENSORSHIP WAS
 NOTHING BUT MYTH
Charge That CIemenceau, at Wilson's Request, Withheld News of League 0ppo-
 sition Untrue
By ANDRE TARDIEU Former French High Commissioned to

Special Cable to The Age Herald Copyright, 1891. by The Age-HeralD (M. qardieu today makes notable contribution to controversy which re- gently has stirred France to the heart and which he believes tends to threaten the good will between France and the United states. It has been charged that Premier CIemenceau, nt the re- quest of President Wilson, suppressed from the French people and the peace commissioners at Paris. alI news of the growing opposition among republican senators to the League of Nations. When M. Clemenceau wns asked to re- ply to this charge he said, "See Tar aleu-" Until now NJ. Tardieu has re- mained silent. But today he contra diets the charge with undenfabIe evil dence. M. Tardieu was member of the French peace delegation. He writes with mn intimate knowledge of Amer lean affairs. By special permission M. Tnrdieu's article, written for The AEe-Herald, is being printed in the French press this mOrning).
 Paris, May 7.-(Special.) .)-Ameri- cans and Frenchmen sincerely inter ested in maintaining the traditional friendship of the two countries must be on their guard against enterprises on both sides of the ocean based on internal politics. One such enterprise has just been launched in the news paper Le Matin under the signature of Stephan Lausanne, who accom- panied the Viviani mission to Ameri- ca. Let me say that my purpose in this article is to unmask thS maneuver and to re-establish the truth.
 Under the title The American Sem fha C1amancpau Ca hiuatI, M Lausanne alleges that former Premier Clemenceau. at President Wilson's re- quest, concealed from the French pub lie through the censorship early in 1919 all hostile manifestations of American senators against the League of Nations negotiations in Paris. He declares notably that the round robin,'' signed March 8. 1919. by 3y senators, urging the separa ton of the league from the treaty, was withheld from publication. Lausanne writes thus:
 '"rhls decisive document was hid
 den from President Wilson, from
 the plenipotentarics and from the
 parliamentary S2mmittees. Every
 thing remained Na secret at Paris,
 the censorship having received or
 ders to suppress and smother what
 came from Washing ton"
 In other words, Le Mathis editor al- leges that both countries were system atically deceived by the abuse of gov ernmental powers
 The truth, which happens to coincide with common sense. is quite to the contrary.
 WAS WIDELY PUBLISHED
 The round robin was widely pub l.shed by the American press and there fore would have been difficult to hide from Wilson," It was telegra phed textually to France by the great news gathering organiza tion. the Agence Havas. and was communicated to all French papers and published without the slightest censorship on March 4, 5 and 6. as the files of all the papers will show.
 NJ. Lauzanne further asserts that the round robin was communicated by its signers to Count de Chambrun. charge d affaires at Washington. with the re- quest that it be forwarded to Paris, which the latter instantly did. This Is another distortion of the truth. The records show that no such visit, nor such transmission, ever occurred Moreover. the newspaper publications sufficed.
 The only visit paid to de Chambrun was in December. 1918, by Senator Brandegee of Connecticut, calling at tention to two speeches. very general in character, concerning the Senate's rights in treaty makinE delivered by Senators Lodge and Knox The French charge transmitted these In diplomatic pouch December 13, 1918. It Is needless to add that the peace
 tContinucd on Page Two)