The Tacoma times. [volume] (Tacoma, Wash.) 1903-1949, 1942-11-02
. Clapper
Between the Lines In
Navy Communiques
jap Casualties Not as
Bad as They May Look
Newspapers Put in
Tough Spot
Solomons Situation
Is Serious
By RAYMOND CLAPPER

BY RAYMOND CLAPPER
WASHNGTON-When so much
public questioning Of official news
out Of Washington exists, news
paper readers who want to stay
on an even keel will find II help
full beyond the text of the COM
muniques.
A good example. although not
the only one, of course. is the New
York Times Washington dispatch
on Guadalcanal in the Oct. 20
issue. There, as you will find in
the first paragraph, the navy an
nounoes by communique that Jap
anese losses in troops and equip
ment in the ground fighting have
been very heavy as compared to
to our own. That was the Lam
guage of the navy communiqus
the night OF Oct. rs.
But read on into the third
paragraph. There, the reader 10
told that q navy spokesman sup
plemented the communique with
a warning against optimism that
might be encouraged unduly by its
contents. Further down, the dis
patch says that news writers at
the navy department also were
cautioned against drawing the in
ference that the japanese had
sustained heavy losses, as the
communique might indicate. Our
own losses in the land fighting
have been light. So the announce
ment that the Japanese had lost
a comparatively large number Of
soldiers does not mean that their
casualties are counted in high
figures.
Why wasn't the caution, that
the news wasn't as good as it
might appear. also included in the
official communique The navy
department confines its official
communique to reports of action.
II avoids as much as possible
editorislizing or drawing conclu-
sions. Possibly also there was
hesitation about putting into the
official communique, which goes
all over the world, an official
statement that might sound pessi-
mistic and might seem to be fore
casting a hint of defeat. So a navy
official gives the newspaper cor
respondents an unofficial sizeup
so that they can convey a better
balanced overall picture.
Newspaper reporters are con-
stantly making every effort to
get out an accurate sizeup. Some
times it is uphill work. There are
limits to the ability of newspapers
to untangle the conflicting off
cial statements which have to be
printed because they are made by
responsible officials.
For instance, when the Solo
mons action began, Gen. Mac
Arthur described it as a navy
show" Now Secretary of War
Stimson says the campaign was
the result of plans agreed to by
the joint army-navy chiefs of
chiefs Of staff, and was mot pure
" a naval decision" Two weeks
ago Rep. Costello of California
said the navy had tried to make
a grandstand play and had not
called on the army for help early
enough.
Each of those assertions-at the
time it was made-was news.
Secretary Of War Stimson, Gen.
Macarthur and Rep. Costello, a
Democratic member of the House
Military Affairs committee, are
in positions that entitle them 10
speak on this subject. Newspap-
ers must report what they say
The result is confusing. But that
is not the fault Of the newspapers
Unquestionably high navy OH
Gals are disturbed at the amount
Of public questioning that mas
grown up about navy reticenos'
1t has reached such a point that
newspapers played up the re
assurance Of Elmer Davis TINS
week that the navy was not hoip-
ing back any major naval losses.
Several newspapers in the basl
printed the Davis resssurance
prominently in the middle OF dis-
patches reporting navy depAi'
ment announcements.
The navy is engaged in o
perate action, and defeat "ouiu
mean American lives and a SEN
Gus military setback. Unul tns
danger is over, the navy sAoui'
not be distracted by controversy,
The time for accounting Is oouA-
10 come. but the moment demands
the nsvys complete attention n
6ghtinr the solomons campaign