Evening star., 1942-12-09
Van Nuys Challenges
Right 10 Censor Mail
Sent 10 Territories
Senator Declares
Practice Has Been
illegal Up to Date
BY the Associated Press.

BY the Associated Press.
Chairman Van Nuys of the Sen
ate Judiciary Committee challenged
today the legal authority of Byron
Price, director of the Office of Gen.
sorship, to censor mail between the
United States and it's territories and
possessions.
Senator Van Nuys expressed his
stand at press conference after
Mr.. Price had testified for three
hours behind closed committee
doors. The censorship director
himself, talking to reporters before
Senator Van Nuys' conference, said
he had no doubt that it was Con-
gress' intention in passing the First
War Powers Act last year to pro-
tect the security of communications
in and out OF the country
Senator Van Nuys said he
thought the censorship Of mail, ex-
cept that going to foreign countries,
has all been illegal up to date"
Il don't think the Commander in
Chief has got any more right to
censor mail between Alaska. Puerto
Rico and the United States than he
had to censor mail between New
York and California" he said.
Aimed at Security.
At issue is a bill authorizing the
censorship of communications be-
tween the United States and pos
sessions and territories
The mandate to the Commander
in Chief certainly includes man
GATE to control communications in or
around combat areas" Mr. Price said.
so far as the intent of Congress
is concerned, have never had the
slightest doubt that it was the in
tent of Congress to protect the
security of communications in and
out of the country"
Mr.. Price said that because all
communications with possessions
and territories must pass through
territory where there Is possible
danger of enemy interception or
must 60 into a combat zone, he felt
that censorship of these communi-
cations was necessary for security
purposes.
Gov. Ernest Gruening of Alaska,
whose protests to the committee
against censorship of the Alaskan
mail resulted in recall Of the meas
ure fof further hearings after 1t
had passed both houses, also ap-
peared, as did Delegate Dimond of
Alaska, who opposed any censor
ship.
Asked for his reaction to Mr.
Prices explanation of the operations
of censorship, Senator Van Nuys
told reporters:
Necessary in Wartime.
Il think Price is doing as good a
job as anybody could under the cir
cumstances. Mr.. Price admits that
the whole system is un- American
and un-Democratic but says it is
necessary in time of war"
Emphasizing that he was voicing
his personal opinion and not that
Of other committee members, Sem
ator Van Nuys said he was going
to hesitate long time" before he
voted for the pending bill. He said
Gruening had presented a letter
from a high naval official in
Alaska which said there was no
need for censorship between this
country and Alaska.
Senator Van NuyS said that Mr..
Price admitted in many instances
there had been mistakes in inter-
cepting and copying parts of letters
travelling in and out Of this country
to and from Alaska but attributed it
largely to ineXperience of some of
the $4,000 employees in the censor
ship service.
Letter Intercepted.
The chairman said Mr.. Price told
the committee he had corrected the
practice of clipping certain items
out of newspapers or magazines be-
fore letting them go to Alaska. Mr.,
Price explained that he was not
aware this was going on until it
was brought to his attention. since
he could not know everything that
was geing done by the many en-
ployes.
Senator Van Nuys revealed that
there had been extensive discussion,
led by Senator Mcfarland, Demo-
crat, of Arizona of the interception
by censors in the Seattle Office of
letter from woman in California
to her husband, who was working on
a military project in Alaska. This
letter merely asked the husband for
informal ton how she could join him
in Alaska. Senator Van Nuys said.
When the letter was intercepted
by the censors. they sent excerpts to
the Federal Bureau of Investiga-
ton and to the War Production
Board. the chairman added. He
said Mr.. Price justified this on the
ground that the FBI wished to
check on all persons going into
Alaska and the WPB desired to
have information on the background
OF defense workers employed there
Senator Van Nuys said he was
impressed, however, with the belief
that 1900 out of every 1000" going
to or coming from Alaska were con-