Evening star., 1942-10-20
Condor in Government

Wueu he COngTdLulaUeQ t1e people
of Canada on the "candor and COM
mon sense with which their govern
ment announced the news of the
heavy Canadian losses at Dieppe,
Elmer Davis, director of the Office of
War Information, may or may not
have intended his words to be read
as a criticism of the policies of our
own Government in dealing with the
news of military reverses. But, what
ever his intent, there is no escaping
the fact that our own official han
ding of war news has failed to
measure up to the standards Mr..
Davis laid down in his Montreal
address.
"A free people," Mr. Davis said,
wants to know, and has a right to
know, how the battle is going, and
will fight all the harder if it realizes
how hard it must fight for victory.
Here in Canada you have lately given
us a convincing demonstration of
that faith in your handling of the
news of the Dieppe raid. In
that operation the casualties were
proportionately very heavy. But
prompt announcement of those
casualties was proof that your gov
ernment had faith in the strength of
the Canadian spirit And that Incl
dent set an example which every
free people in this war should re-
member and profitably follow"
1t is clear enough, however, that
the Canadian example has not been
followed and is not being followed
in this country.
The American people have not been
told the whole truth of the disaster
at Pearl Harbor. 1t is possible that
military considerations still justify
the withholding of some of the facts,
although this is doubtful, and GER
tainly there is no excuse for refusing
to release much of the story that has
not been told. Neither has candid
picture been presented of the early
days of fighting in the Philippines,
although there is much there that
should be known. In at least two
instanceS-the sinking of the York
town and the loss of our cruisers in
the Solomons-the official announce
ments have been worded with a view
to deliberate deception. Presumably
the Navy has it's reasons for wanting
to deceive the enemy in such cases,
but when the American people
learn-belatedly-that they, too,
have been deceived, it may be Won
dered whether in the long run such
policy is not more harmful than
beneficial.
Since the start of the war, this
Government has never been prompt
and fortnight in it's announcement
Of bad news. There has been too
much evidence of what appears to be
studied purpose to soften the i'm
pact of defeats and losses by an
nouncing them a little bit at a time,
often with items of good news inter-
spersed to dull the effect of the bad.
In the long run this is not sound
policy. 1t has tendency to under
mine public confidence in everything
that the Government says and it can
hardly be doubted that much of the
uneasiness which prevails today con-
corning the situation on Guadalcanal
springs from uncertainty as to
whether the Government has given
out all of the facts that properly
might be released. Judging from his
comments at Montreal, Mr.. Davis is
not in sympathy with these tactics.
Apparently he is doing what he can
to substitute candor for concealment
in the handling of war news, and it
is to be hoped that he is successful
| in this effort.