The Waterbury Democrat., 1942-03-10

Rdson prettier than 1t
really is that's
something else again.
Timing complexities this In Pc
culiar way. If good or bad news is
held up for q time, then released
at some psychological moment 50
that the good news makes you feel
better or the bad news Is buried by
other good news, then the custom
ers start complaining. For examples:
A good many people thought, and
some still think, that the news Of
Pearl Harbor was deliberately doc
tored to deceive the American peo-
pie. The President had to spike that
one.
Again, the rumor got round in
! some cities that the Navy had held
up details of the first big raid on
Gilbert and Marshall Islands from
Feb. l, when the raid took place, and
released it Feb. IL to offset the bad
news from Singapore. The answer
to this one was that the details
were not given until after the raid
ers got back to Pearl Harbor because
to have radioed the news sooner
would have given away the location
of the raiding ships and their route
home.
COMMUNIQUES OKAY
Navy policy on announcing SUBJ
marine attacks and sinkir1gs has al
so been questioned. When q subna-
rine sinks U. s. vessel, under the
present ruling, that's news, but when
a U. 8. vessel sinks q submarine,
that's a naval secret. The theory
here Is that If axis powers don't
know the fate of their unheard-from
submarines, 1t makes the operations
Of sub fleet commanders that much
more difficult and 1t breaks up the
morale of the enemy submarine
crews. This experience stems from
the last war when German crews
finally refused to go to sea. The news
policy on sinkings is now under re-
view, however, and may be changed
in some way, such as permitting the
announcement Of submarine sink
ings week after they occur.
Army and Navy communicates, the
day new reports Of the actual war
developments are, sas a matter Of
fact, free from any propaganda con-
troll. The communicates are written
by colonel for the Army and a
commander for the Navy. They clear
their information with each other,
information which comes in once or
twice day from commanders in the
several theaters or operations. Two
or three hours after the reports are
in, they have been decided, rewrit-
ten, passed by the general and adj
miral in charge of press, and issued.
There are times when, If the COM.
munique contains hot news from one
sector, secondary news from an
other command may be held UP for
a day or two when there is a lull.
SOMETHING TO WATCH
The one government agency which
has potentialities for propaganda
ing news for domestic consumption
is the Office Of Facts and Figures,
and 1t must work largely by remote
control in shaping the policies of
other agencies handing out war in
formation. OFFS announced policy
Is to give the American people a
true picture Of the war effort. If 1t
sticks to that policy, well and good
War and Navy Department and the
Office of Censorship are tied in with
OFFS Interdepartment Committee
on War Information, but the OFF
control over the services policy on
news Is negligible, and the Office
of Censorship is steering miles away
from anything that resembles
propaganda. Office Of Censorship
may have to order some news with
held. but 1t won't color what news
is given out.
Far more to be feared than any
potential propagandizing of the war
news Is another development Of re-
cent date. This is the so-called war
secrets bill prepared by the Depart
ment Of Justice and now before the
Judiciary Committees Of the House
and Senate. The purpose Of this bill
is to prevent the leaks Of war Sec
rets, Of which there have been
number. The bill would provide
5000 fine or two-year imprisonment
for anyone furnishing or publishing
ANY file, instrument, letter, men,
orandum, book, pamphlet, picture
plan, record or other writing In the
custody Of the United States" which
any government official had declar-
ed secret.
Under the bill, any government
official could make a record OF
graft, label 1t secret" and pre-
vent Its publication. The proposed
law Is not anything to worry about
yet, as Congress viii probably tear
1t to pieces. But II Is something TO
watch, II you're interested In getting
any kind Of an accurate picture Of
what this war is all about.