The Tacoma times. [volume] (Tacoma, Wash.) 1903-1949, 1942-10-27
. Clapper
Withholding of War News
Has Many Boomersnes
Lone-Delayed Releases
On Losses Hurts Morale
Only Recently People
Learn Fliers Held in Tokyo
BY RAYMOND CLAPFER

censorship and the Withholding Of
news in wartime. he is on delicate
ground. He may find himself un-
Willingly asking for the disclo-
sure of information that would aid
the enemy.
On the question Of what viii aid
the enemy. civilians must give the
benefit of the doubt to the mill
tary. Yet in doing this it is as
sumed that the military will al
ways have in mind that there is
public anxiety about the war and
that the people ought to know at
all times how the war is going.
so far as that can be done without
aiding the enemy.
Incidents of news withheld have
in some cases aroused doubts as
to whether as much news has been
given out as would have been
possible.
The speech of Elmer Davis. di-
rector of Owl, in Montreal recent
" was interpreted widely as an
indirect complaint. Mr.. Davis
emphasized rather pointedly his
congratulations to the Canadian
government on its prompt dis
closure of Canadian casualties in
the Dieppe raid. 1t is generally
talked around Washington that he
is disappointed in some respects
at the Withholding of news here.
Without doubt Mr.. Davis came to
Washington determined to carry
out his assignment to tell the
American people as much about
the war as could be safely done.
II becomes more clear around here
that he has been frustrated at
times in that purpose.
/
One of the most disturbing Incl
dents was the long-delayed release
by the navy of the news of the
loss of three cruisers in the Solo,
mon islands landing last August.
Australia lost a cruiser in the
same engagement and announced
it ten days later. We waited more
than two months to announce
ours. Meantime the Japanese
radio had broadcast similar, al
though exaggerated claims. Our
navy explained that the news of
the losses had to be withheld until
requirements had been provided.
Perhaps so, yet that very ex-
PLANTATION gives some information
to the Japs. There was a three
months delay in announcing the
loss of the aircraft carrier York
town. If these delays are es-
sential from a military point Of
view. then more ought to be done
to reassure the country on that
point and to make it clear that
news is not withheld for policy
reasons beyond strictly military
ones. The present handling only
encourages rumors that other
news is held back.
During the recent Guadalcanal
campaign, communicates have
cited minor successes. the bring
ing down of enemy aircraft and
such, but without balancing them
to indicate the gravity of the
situation as a whole.
Unquestionably wspaper
headlines are partly at fault.
Newspaper men here working on
the Guadalcanal story have a
pretty good idea of what is 60
ing on and are able to convey
in their dispatches the fact that
the underlying picture is not too
rosy. Yet the headlines seize
upon official announcement of a
small incidental success, and the
casual newspaper reader who
goes no farther than the head
line or the first paragraph or two
lays down his paper with an i'm
preston that all is well, when
the opposite may be the case.
So that in the navy there is some
feeling. which is well based, that
newspaper headlines contribute
TO mistaken impressions.
However. that situation would
seem TO make il all the more ad-
visable that the navy include in
its communique a guiding size
up of the real situation. that
would transfer the burden OF
writing in cautioning tipoffs. The
reporters speculation would be
transferred to an official basis.
The latest holding back of news
comes from the army in con-
nection with the Doolittle raid
on Toxic last April. We did not
announce that some American
fliers were held by the japanese
until Toxic revealed il a few days
ago. Yet the United Press quotes
the mother Of one of the fliers
as having been notified by the
war department last August that
word had come from the Inter
national Red Cross that her son
was a japanese prisoner. The
news is released Just now, after
Toxic breaks il
There was no news in that 10
be withheld from the enemy. II
was withheld only from the Amer
lean people, who have been as
much interested in the Toxic raid
as In any one thing We have
done in this war.
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