Evening star., 1942-11-28

ported censorship Of an address de-
livered by Wendell L. Willkie in
which Mr.. Willkie made an attack
by inference on the recognition of
Admiral Jean Darlan as head of
government in the French possess
sions in Africa and criticized a state
ment made by British Prime Minis
ter Churchill to the effect that he
did not intend to preside at dis
memberment of the British Empire.
1t was charged that Mr.. Wilkes
speech had been delayed by censor
ship for IA hours. The inference
here was that the speech had been
held up for publication abroad until
the President had had time to make
his own statement regarding Ad-
miral Darlan the following day.
The fact, as given by Mr.. Price, is
that the Willkie speech was cleared
by censorship 54 minutes after Mr..
Willkie began to speak. The cor
respondents were not allowed to
send the speech in advance of its
delivery, which made it impossible
for publication in the London morn
ing newspapers because of the diff
ference in time.
Roosevelts Experience Cited.
The regulation against the send
ing of speeches made by prominent
Americans in advance of actual de-
livery grew out of an experience
with President Roosevelts impor-
tant Labor Day speech.
This speech was sent to London
by correspondents for release on de-
livery. Two hours before the Presi-
dent began speaking. the speech was
radioed from London to Latin
America. 1t was possible for the
Axis propaganda agencies to pick
the speech out of the air and make
whatever use they desired. before
the President actually made the
address.
In the case Of the Willkie speech,
Mr.. Price pointed out, some impor-
tant changes were made by Mr..
Willkie before it was delivered, at
the suggestion of Secretary of War
Stimson. These changes had not
been made in the text by London
correspondents when they filed them
several hours in advance for trans
mission.
Changes had to be made by the
censors to conform with the speech
as delivered. Mr.. Price said he did
not understand the charge that the
speech had been held up for ID
hours.
The head of the Office of Censor
ship said that censorship was en-
ployed for one purpose alone-to
aid in the war effort. He said that
the wishes of Gen. Eisenhower re-
garding what dispatches should be
permitted to go from this country
regarding the situation in North
Africa, therefore, had great weight
with the Office of Censorship.
Disunity Editorializing Checked.
Mr.. Price said that complaints had
been made that the censors had
been unwilling to allow the trans
mission of dispatches dealing with
race riots and labor disturbances in
this country, and even with the re-
cent filibuster in the Senate over
the poll tax bill. He denied that
factual reports had been censored
but said that when foreign corre-
spondents undertook to send edi-
torial comments which tended to
emphasize disunity in this country
instead of stating the facts as they
were, they had been censored.
Another complaint, he said, was
that information obtained through
examination of letters mailed from
and into this country-foreign mail
which is censored-was given by the
Office of Censorship to various
agencies OF the Government.
"Such information is distributed
to the Government agencies which
may be concerned" said Mr.. Price
But it is only given for war pur-
poses. No such information is dis
tributed to aid in the enforcement
of any peace time law. This dis
tinction is rigidly adhered to. Gen.
sorship has been voted by Congress
only for war purposes. We have no
censorship in peace time"
Mr.. Price said that information
obtained through the Office of Gen.
sorship had resulted in the jailing
of one saboteur in this country, and
in running down subversive agents
Further, this information has saved
to the Government literally mil
lions of dollars, and has resulted in
obtaining, for the Government, valu-
able essential supplies.
Alaskan Mail Cited.
Some criticism has been levelled
at the Office of Censorship on the