The McDowell times. [volume] (Keystone, W. Va.) 1904-1941, 1941-03-21

WIND service, 1895 National Press
Bldg. Washington, ID. c.
WASHINGTON If you want to
start heated argument among the
members Of that Washington in
stitution which is often called the
third house of congress" but whose
official name is the National Press
club. just mention government
censorship"
Those are fighting words to the
men of press and radio and-well,
did you ever try to put a muzzle on
real healthy airedale?
Just to keep the fun going,
dropped in the other day to have n
chat with the man whose name has
been more closely associated with
censorship of late than any other in
the capital-and how he hates it!
He is soft-spoken, gray-haired
Lowell Mellett, keen-minded, mid
dle-aged newspaper acquaintance OF
mine over many years and one Of the
best-liked and most highly respected
Of all OF those who have now desert
ed the fourth estate to work for the
New Deal.
Mellett left the Washington Daily
News to become head Of the Ma
tional Emergency council in 1898.
(The emergency" in this sense re.
fers to the 1888 variety and not the
Limited" one we are enjoying at
presently The NEG. as the council
appeared in the New Deal "alpha-
bet" in those days, has since be-
come the office of Government Re
ports, less pretentious institution.
Mr.. Mellett is it's head and is also
one OF the Presidents administra-
tive assistants. These latter are the
men who, according to official pro-
nouncement. must have a passion
for anonymity" The functions Of
these assistants differ widely as
does the degree OF their intimacy
with the President, but of all his ad-
visers, Lowell Mellett is one of those
in whom the President places his
| deepest confidence.
There is a reason why this former
newspaper mans name has been as
sociated with a possible censorship
Of news. When the President asked
the office on government reports per-
manent. the house Of representa-
tiVes committee on appropriations
called Mellett before it to ask him,
among other things, what, if any.
plans the administration has for cur
failing or regulating what should
and should not be printed about de-
tense or other matters, according to
the governments way OF thinking
Mellett told the congressman that
the administration has no such plan
at all.
The word plan" is used in the
concrete sense for it is well known
that several specific programs for
regulating what would or would not
be permitted to be made public by
press and radio have been drawn
up by various officials, who would
like to tie a muzzle on the news
hounds in case Of war or even in
case full emergency is officially
proclaimed, or perhaps even before.
Melletts answer satisfied the
! committee and the lower house
agreed to the measure.
on that a man with scissors is lurk-
ing behind the White House hedge
ready TO clip the reporters wings
the moment they spread them too
widely.
called upon Mr. Mellett in his
businesslike Office in a building IN
downtown" Washington. Although
he had no official statement for me
| (Which | didn't want anyhow we
had frank, friendly, Informal chat.
As a result, ! can confirm what he
has told me before concerning his
sentiments on censorship, scnti-
ments which / believe 1t IS safe to
say are those OF the President, too,
at this writing This is the way Mr.
Mellett expresses himself on the
subject:
Even in case Of war / don't be-
lieVe IN a propaganda drive he
said to me, referring TO any artificial
effort TO mold public opinion IN
favor Of government policy Il
have constantly opposed a central
press bureau when ] have heard IT
discussed because 1t is impractical
II is impossible TO get the news OF
government through one bOttleneck
My idea" he went on. lis simply
to see to II that the press Informa-
ton bureau of the army and the
navy and possibly the defense agen-
cies, which now exist, are made as
/ efficient as possible"
To the newsman, this means that
| these bureaus would have at their