Evening star., 1942-08-14
Censorship Confined
To Military Uses,
Price Asserts
Necessary Evil to Be
Used to Homper Foe,
He Tells Lawyers
Ex tbs Associated Press.

BS ths Associated Press.
INDIANAPOLIS, Aug. 14.-Di-
rector of Censorship Byron Price
described censorship today as a
necessary evil of wartime" but
declared it was a vital weapon to
attack and hamper the enemy and
one which would be used in an
American way for military reasons
alone.
In a democracy, the public is
entitled to know about the tough
realities of this war. and it must
not be subjected to such a black
out of news as now pervades totali-
tartan countries he said in an
address prepared for a meeting of
the Indiana State Bar Association,
In its approach to this prob
lem" he added the Government
has followed consistently the demo-
cratic belief that American news
columns and American broadcasting
can remain the freest in the world
and still keep vital information
from the enemy"
Price praised the loyal co-opera-
ton" of newspaper publishers and
radio broadcasters, saying it had
been so universal that "incalculable
good is done every day by the with
holding of information about troops
ships, munitions, tanks and planes" 8"
simultaneously, he nquir e d
whether it lis too much to ask
that the process now be carried one
step further and that the public
itself participate in censorship"
"In sense" MI Price said
"every one of us became a broad
caster as soon as he was old enough
to talk, and he became a publisher
ss soon as he learned to write. No
American is doing his share unless,
as part of his self discipline, he
remembers always that the enemy
is listening and Is thankful for
even the smallest scraps Of military
information
He declared there was nothing
inconsistent between the operations
of censorship and the processes of
freedom. The binding link between
the operations of censorship and
the operations of our armed forces"
he said, should never be forgotten,
nor should any censor be permitted
to forget that he is dealing simply
and solely with the processes OF
war.
Not Interested in Shopping.
Censorship is neither a guardian
of private morals nor a snooper into
the violation of peacetime laws.
Every member of our staff keeps
constantly before him this basic
principle: What does not concern
the war does not concern censor
ship"
Price maintained that absolute
discretion in censoring the mails
and cables was essential to keep
open this country's lines of COM
munications There is no time
to convene a grand jury or submit
to the ordinary legal requirements
of ordinary times" he observed.
THE exigencies of war are breath
less upon our doorstep and will not
wait"
He told the Bar Association that
ain a broad sense the freedom guar
snteed by the first amendment has
been accepted as freedom to criti-
cize, to protest, to petition. to speak
opinions freely, but not as right to
play fast and loose with facts.
In the realm of opinion and
criticism it is highly essential that
there be no arbitrary action by the
Government. - This entire field
lies beyond the purview of censor
ship. 1t is one of the responsibilities
of the general statutes and of the
regular law enforcement agencies of
the Government"