Evening star., 1935-11-24
Difficulties of War
Correspondents
By Frederic J. Haskin.

news on the war IN Africa. Reports
have been so conflicting that q survey
of the information that has come
through leaves the reader here at a loss
to know what really is happening. The
fact is that war correspondence in mod
ern times is beset with so many diff
culties that the utmost ingenuity on
the part of the reporter is required to
report clear picture of the facts.
1t seems more than likely that as the
struggle progresses some better means
will be found Of getting the news out
than now exists. AS matters now stand
news must be cleared through Rome,
and there 1t is censored by the Italian
authorities. 1t is the same old story.
Military men are not at all interested
in informing the public, their paymas-
ters, of what they are doing. Indeed it
is sort Of cult to keep the civilian in
ignorance. To be sure the military take
the position that any information which
is allowed to come through to the pub
lie may reach spy and be transmitted
to the enemy.
In Civil War days in the United States
in the Franco-PruSsian War, the Boer
War, and some others of the last CEN
tury, correspondents had a little more
freedom of action, although communica-
ton facilities were poor. They were not
faced, however, with so tight a censor
ship OF press dispatches as existed in
the World War, and exists, so far as
Italy can impose it, in the African war
War correspondents who have covered
many struggles are reporting that con-
ditions to be faced and overcome in Ethi-
opia are worse than in Europe because
OF a two-fold censorship. First, there
is the Italian censorship at Rome
Everything must be sent by wireless
from the italian base to Rome. It may
pass one censorship before being sent,
and certainly must pass another before
being allowed to go forward from Rome.
A second censorship, affecting those
especially on the Ethiopian side of the
several fronts, is the physical censorship
imposed by the nature Of the country
itself.
OF telegraph lines there are none.
Communication among the Ethiopian
chiefs is carried on by tom-tom code,
which no American war correspondent
has yet mastered, and even if he had
and was possessed Of a tom-tom, he
would have to have line of relay posts
on the receiving end to get his messages
to the outside world. 1t seems highly
probable that some means of communi-
cation will be found whereby news can
be got out of the country through
Egypt, British Somaliland or Tangan-
yika and the Kenya Colony, which will
circumvent the Italian censors, but no
such means of communication has yet
heo7 established
49, *&
The Italian Army is reported to be
extremely well equipped, modern in
every respect, but the tales of some Of
the correspondents which have reached
this country-tales not of military ma
ture, but more or less personal communi-
cations to friends here-indicate that the
equipment is actually meager, especi.
ally for the writers. Even in the rela-
lively fiat country over which the Italians
have advanced, the utmost hardshipS
have been endured.
The correspondent must carry his own
food, for 1t is only by the occasional
courtesy of a friendly Italian that a
piece of hardtack is obtained. He must
carry his blankets, for although he may
tramp 20 miles a day through a tenn
perature of ITO degrees, fighting of in
sectS and trusting to an occasional
stream at which to fill his canteen, at
sunset the thermometer goes down to
so or lower. He must carry everything
he can bear. for he cannot depend upon
any supplies. This is on the civilized
side of the front. What is happening
on the Ethiopian side has not been re-
ported in personal detail as yet.
It might prejudice correspondents now
In the field to mention names, but 1t Is
too late to bother men by recounting
some of their exploits in the World War.
There was Will Irwin, for instance. He
was twice arrested by the Germans,
twice by the French, once by the
Belgians and once by the Dutch. each
time in the line of duty as a correspond
ent. Irwin had been lodging around
through the lines under fire early in
the war. Each time he got out of his
ifhcultieS-though with narrow escapes
because there was not only the danger
of being hit, but the danger OF being
executed as spy. He finally made his
escape through the British lines and
wrote the now famous Splendid Story
of Ypres," one of the classics of the
war. This brought to the public their
first news of that great battle. The
censors had let nothing through before.
y y
Irwin Cobb and John T. McCutcheon
broke through a skirrnish line and got
into German territory by charging in q
taxicab. They were held four days.
Harry Hansen found his way through
later and joined them. They were de-
ported to Germany and held prisoner
and, being braSh Americans, had the
conSummate effrontery to write directly
to the German Emperor, complaining.
The result was that they were permitted,
under strict military escort, to go to the
front. S
Arthur Gleason was another resource
full evader of the censorship. He joined
Belgian ambulance corps and got to the
front under gruelling fire. but he got his
news. Richard Harding Davis made the
tactical blunder of using photograph Of
himself in the British uniform he wore
in the Boer War. Picked up behind the
German lines he narrowly escaped being
shot as a British spy.
A remarkable story is that of Wythe
williams at Verdun. There had been
conflicting reports of the situation at
the great fortress. The German COM
muniQues were claiming they had taken
the stronghold; the French were deny
ing it. Williams induced French COM
mander that the surest way to get the
truth out was to permit non-military
man to see for himself. So he was per-
mitted to proceed, under heavy fire, Of
course, to that shambles, and found that
the French were, indeed, holding the