The Ypsilanti daily press. (Ypsilanti, Mich.) 1928-1962, 1941-08-20

their suspicious,
but only suspicious were available;
our capitals correspondence corps
couldn't get anything definite until
after the historic confab was all
over.
Even then, apparently, the origi-
nal intention was TO have the news
come initially from London.
That is to say, London cable,
received here on the afternoon OF
the same day that the meeting &C.
Cured. conveyed the information
that Major Clement Atlee, British
lord privy seal. was TO broadcast a
tremendously important announce
rlent which Americans would do
well to tune in on, with their radios,
at a. m, Washington time, on
Aug. ID, the day following the
Roosevelt Churchill get-togethers.
Well, evidently it occurred to
somebody in the know, that it
would be little too raw for words
to make the United States depend
ent upon London for first advices
concerning OUR presidents chat
with Winnie Churchill on the for
mer's so-called vacation cruise"
Anyway Presidential Private
Secretary Steve Early scrabbled
hastily around and. at midnight,
Aug. 14-15 (several hours after re-
ceipt Of cabled tidings Of the COM
Ing Atlee statement), notified the
Washington correspondents that
he'd have something vitality inter-
esting to tell EN- at $50 in the
morning-just in time to beat At
lee by about so minutes, though not
soon enough 10 get into print with
II ahead Of Atlee's broadcast.
Correspondents Nettled
OF course extras were issued as
fast as type could be set and
presses could swish out the papers.
Nevertheless, I've heard some
growing among Washington cor
respondents.
The boys thesis Is that Britain
seems to be having a lot TO say
concerning American publicity,
which they consider is none Of John
Bulls business.
Ilustratively. not long ago the
war department circularized Yam
kee military post commanders
thusly:
The director OF British censor
ship, western hemisphere, has
brought to the departments atten-
ton several letters written by
United States army personnel to
individuals in foreign countries in
which mention was made Of mat
tiers pertaining to military estab-
lishments. While the cases report
ed appeared to be the result Of in
discretion, measures must be taken
TO cause this practice to be dis
continued. All personnel Of your
command will be directed to omit
all reference to matters pertaining
to the national defense in personal
letters written by them, especially
to foreign countries"
Colonel William A. Smith, COM
mander at Fort Devens, Mass,
posted his copy Of this circu-
lar on the forts bulletin board,
which is how it happened to get
into the newspapers.
II wasn't played up very promi-
nently at the time, but, in connec-
ton with the Atlee matter, it's be-
ginning TO be considerably COM
mented on by capital correspon-
dents.
Resent British Angle
They don't take the position that
care shouldn't be exercised relative
to leaks that may be useful to po-
tential enemies OF Uncle Samuel
but they're. decidedly resentful of
the suggestion as coming from a
BRITISH director Of censorship"
Moreover, he's a director for the
WESTERN HEMISPHERE"
Does that include the United
States?" the scribes are asking
They've been urged 70 censorize
themselves voluntarily and they're
pretty good about doing II. There