Evening star., 1942-08-17
Army's s0rder Cutting
Publicity Personnel
Is Made Public
Commands Must Comply
With Reorganization
Directive by Oct.

The War Department directive
carrying out Secretary Stimson' s
order for drastic reorganization
and reduction Of the Army's ex-
panded publicity staffs and cen
tralizing the clearance of all
news from Washington through
the departments own Bureau OF
Public relations was made public
today.
The directive, issued to all military
commanders, was signed by Mr.
Stimson within "a hours after his
announcement last Tuesday that rs
per cent of the more than 10O'
press officers now functioning out
side of the bureau maintained by
Maj Gen. Alexander D. Surles
would be assigned to the combat
services.
Mr.. Stimson's public announce
ment of the shakeup followed ex-
posure by The Evening Star of a
fifth column airmarker" story ear
lier in the week. The reorganization
plans had come to a head, however
before Jealous press officers of the
First Air Force stationed at Mitchell
Field, N. Y, had released a story
with pictures of the huge arrows and
other markers on the ground point
ing to airports and defense plants
This story had been released, much
to Mr. Stimson's displeasure, as evil
dence of fifth columnists operating
on the coasts. An investigation
made by The Star, established it as
nothing but hoax.
Excessive Expansion.
The "deadline' for all military
commanders in the field and in
Washington to comply with the new
reorganization order is October l
it was announced, but steps already
have been taken within the Bureau
of Public Relations to put in into
effect here.
Conditions existing before Decem-
Der 7, 1941, when the United States
entered the war and the rapid ex-
pansion of the War Department and
the Army, the directive said, con-
tributed to an excessive development
Of public relations activities"
The reorganization is necessary
1t was said, ito eliminate present
overlapping and duplication of &C
tivities and to reduce personnel now
employed in public relations
! work. ="
There was nothing in the direc-
tive to indicate by what numbers the
various public relations staf1s out
side of Gen. Surles' bureau are tt
be reduced. Under the reorganiZa.
ton, however, the ak appears tt
have fallen heaviest on the publicity
Offices of the ground forces, all
forces and services of supply. 81
far as could be learned, no changes
are contemplated in the regular stat
of the public relations bureau which
numbers 10 officers by the --latest
published list.
Function as Liaison Staff.
Gen. Surles was directed to or.
ganize his bureau so as to provide
for adequate representation" withir
the public relations Offices OF thu
ground and air forces and the SOS
An ONCE of Technical Informa
ton is set up at the headquarter
of each of these three Army organ
izations in lieu of their present pub
lie relations Offices. The new of
fees will function as liaison staff
each with the personnel of no more
than four officers and eight enlisted
men or civilians. The stats will pro
vide direct liaison between the vari
Gus organizations and Gen. Series
bureau. They will engage in th'
staff functions OF planning but th'
actual dissemination OF news ant
(see PUBLICITY, Page 2-X3