Evening star., 1942-07-05
Breaking the News


Parliament last week, Mr.. Churchill
said: These splendid American
achievements have not received the
attention they deserve in these
islands. Superb acts of devotion were
performed by American airmen.
From some of their successful attacks
on japanese aircraft carriers only
one aircraft returned out of ten. In
others the loss was more than half,
but the work was done and the bal
ance of naval power in the Pacific has
been definitely altered in our favor"
Why should this information come
to the American people only through
the British Prime Minister? ASsum-
ing that Mr.. Churchill was dealing
with facts and not rumors, why
did this Government withhold these
facts as to losses when it was telling
the people of the victories that had
been won? Not for reasons of mill
tary secrecy, certainly, for in that
case Mr.. Churchill would not have
told the story Was it because an
announcement of losses running as
high as 90 per cent was considered
too grim to be brought to the atten-
ton of the people of this country?
If that was the case, and it seems to
have been, then it follows that this
Government persists in misjudging
the moral stamina of the people.
No one welcomes news of heavy
losses, but at the same time it Is a
source of inspiration and solemn
pride to the American people, no less
than to Mr.. Churchill, to learn OF the
high courage and devotion to duty
which has impelled these American
flyers to seek out and destroy the
enemy, regardless of the cost. Nor
should the people of this country be
required to wait until information of
this kind is impaired to them by an
official of some other government. 1t
is news which is of primary concern
to Americans, and they have right
to expect it first-hand from their own
Government.
This misguided tendency to soft
pedal bad news is at the root OF
many of the troubles which beset
this country today. Why do Ameri-
can naval officers, returning from the
Pacific battle fronts, express aston
ishment at what seems to them to be
"the complacency among the people
here at home?" Why did one of these
officers blurt out to reporters: ''This
is a bloody war and the people at
home don't seem to know it. We've
got to get down in the mud and fight
like hell, and believe me we've got to
do it pretty soon."
The answers to these questions are
not hard to find. The people as a
whole do not fully realize that it is a
bloody war" because the Govern
ment, foolishly solicitous for their
morale, has sought to cover up the
harsher facts.
According to official statements,
there is disappointment at the public
response to the scrap rubber cam
paign. National gasoline rationing is
being treated as political question,
with threats from representatives OF
the people that the people themselves
will not accept rationing. Minority
pressure groups still clamor for spe-
cial privileges, and are rebuked -
the President. But the one thing
that would put an end to all of this
shilly- -shallying-a militant public
opinion fully aroused to all of the
implications of this warts SHE'D
away from because some tinid off,
cials are unable to believe that the
American people are strong enough
to take the bad news with the good.
Until this attitude is abandoned, as
it should have been months ago,
there is but scant reason to hope for
the public awakening that is long
overdue.