The Tacoma times. [volume] (Tacoma, Wash.) 1903-1949, 1941-10-16

OF lllAoI Il4 AAoA dRSNh sN
yet made public.
compensation of any publicity
expert unless specifically APP
propriated for that purpose"
The term publicity" as used
in this act has been interpreted
10 cover activities which might
be said to advertise functions or
services rendered by any gov
eminent agency. or which might
be put out with the idea Of OBJ
tanning public support for the
continuation or expansion OF
existing departmental activities.
What congress particularly had
in mind. back in those distant
pre-World War I days. was the
fear that government agencies
might get busy and try to SOLICIT
pressure from interested groups
which in turn would bring pres
sure on congress to increase APP
preparations for some particular
activity. or prevent congress
from reducing an existing ap-
preparation.
In 1918, when that law WAS
passed, the word propaganda"
had not come into common
use. That was reserved for
1914 and the outbreak Of the
war, when the kaiser's propa-
ganda machine started spoon
Ing out the grease that has
been slidding the world slant
wise ever since. But even N
congressman didn't have
word for II In those distant
times, they knew what IL WAS
and what II might do. even
when spread upon the domes-
tic fields.
Today. however. this anti
ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS law Is
practically a dead letter. 1t il
cited now and then in hearings
before the appropriation COM
mittee when some federal de-
partment Of cabinet rank, or
some independent agency is pre-
senting its budget and its re-
quest for funds to continue
operations. But in every case,
the government agency will re-
ply IN effect that 1t has no pub
licity experts, that it is engaged
in no propaganda-like activities.
Technically, that may be a cor
rect answer. But 1t still cannot
screen the actual existence of the
huge public acknowledgement
ing machine in Washington prin-
cipally, but scattered all over the
country - in practically every
one Of the thousands of admins
trative branch offices which the
federal departments maintain.
FROM CONVENIENCE
TO CANCER
The existence of this compli-
Gated service OF information can
be justified on many counts, the
principal one being that in a
democracy, the citizens are en-
titled to know what their gov
eminent is doing. And many
government agencies, in the acts
Of congress creating them, are
specifically charged with the
task Of furnishing the public
with information.
No newspaper man could
function In Washington today
without the help of these In
formation specialists and In
most cases, the government
public relations men are for
mer newspaper men who have
. definite knowledge of what
newspapers and trade papers
want. and see that they get IL.
At the same time, in the con-
stantly increasing completely Of
government, with new bureaus
springing up so fast that they
crowd each other out of Wash
ington, the original good inten-
tons and noble motives Of the
public information sections have
been perverted TO an amazing
degree The growth of the pub
lie information achine in
Washington began with the New
Deal. and with the superimpos-
ing Of the defense effort on the
New Deal, the public relations
racket has become a government
cancer.