The Ypsilanti daily press. (Ypsilanti, Mich.) 1928-1962, 1942-04-09

Americans are talking too muca.
They've been accused Of that be-
fore. But now they're talking, not
about their admirable climate,
their scenic srandeurs. their mira
culous cities. but about things sup
posed 10 be matters bear
ing closely on the war.
Despite all the serve in silence
billboards. despite the enemy Is
listening" placards in restaurants,
bars and streetcsrs. despite censor.
ship-indeed, partly because OF
censorship-too much information
Of value TO the enemy is being Civ
en- out In careless conversation.
a lonesome young Navy oficer
opens conversation with a strans-
o.. in a cocktail lounge. He says
he was at Pearl Hsrbor He tells
details about what happened there,
details that have never been print
cd He chats about the present To-
cation Of certain warships.
Army and Navy censors insist
that reporters visiting an airplane
plant shall not write about exact
fgures-the size OF buildings, the
length Of production lines. the num-
Der OF employees. That might en-
able enemy agents 10 deduce rates
OF production. But many Of the
thousands OF employees in the plant
know these figures, and know things
that seem even more vital, and
don't hesitate to discuss them out
side working hours with anyone
who seems interested.
A giant troop transport was in
the harbor OF another coast city
recently The newspapers didn't
mention II. But word OF 1t travel
ed like wildhre from mouth TO
mouths name, the number Of
men il would carry. its probable
sailing date. It's likely destination,
the wsrships that would convoy
II.
Maybe all this talk isn't as dang
erous as II sounds. Maybe it's no
worse than the gossip and the
rumors that fly around Washing
ton. And probably. like so many
Washington rumors, much Of this
Pacific Coast talk is so wildly ex-
aggerated that j: would mislesd
enemy agents more than it would
inform them.
How does censorship stimulate
irresponsible talk?
Well, it's just human nature to
be proud Of knowing more than the
newspapers print. and TO let others
know that you know. It's mighty
hard 70 hold your tongue when
you have an interesting secret, es.
pecislly when les'Ling such secrets
is merely a matter Of using your
eyes.
From the top Of Telegraph Hill.
800 feet above the San Francisco
waterfront, for example. mucn
highly important military and nav.
al activity can be seen. Crowds
Of people go there daily and stay
as long as they please. even usa
field glasses Il they choose. There
are policemen 10 control traffic
but apparently nobody is interested
in whether the visitors take notes
or draw sketches.
Such supervision wouldn't Dc
much good anyway there are thou
sands OF other plsces-hilltops
apartment and Office windows
from which almost equally Gloss
observations could be made. They
can't all be guarded
4 lot Of people. perfectly good
loyal, patriotic Americans. figure
that spies would have 70 be in
credibly stupid not 10 see for them
selves what the Army and Navy
are doing What the Japs and
Germans can know they figure
Americans have a right 70 know
and to talk about. even II they
can't read 1t in the papers. 81
they talk
II makes some OF the censorship
efforts-the elaborate precsutionl
to keep information out OF prln
while it's still news. the wore
over military secrets that only sey
ersl hundred thousand people know
seem fairly futile. even trifl,
absurd Perhaps Il lends point {,
what General Macarthur told tn
correspondents In Australia thl
other day
My main purpose is not 10 SUP
press news but TO get news 10
you. The reason for efforts .
inform the public what Is going o.
is that II 1t does not know N
truth its Imagination operates
thereby reducing confidence.