The Tacoma times. [volume] (Tacoma, Wash.) 1903-1949, 1943-04-05
. Clapper
Reporters Asked
To Stay Home
Not Wanted al United
Nations Conference
Question Is. Where
VIII II End7"
By RAYMOND CLaPPER

HANntN1ION - mis- govern
ment is playing with the danger
Gus idea Of carrying the technique
Of a controlled press far beyond
anything we have experienced be-
fore in this country.
A United Nations food confer
ence Is being arranged TO take
place within few weeks. The
president has desired to hold it
at an isolated location some dis
lance from Washington where the
meeting could be easily protected
from the public view.
Newspapers have been re-
quested not 10 attempt 10
send reporters TO cover this
conference or TO try 10 talk
10 the delegates representing
the United Nations.
Such arrangements 60 far
beyond the sphere of military
censorship. They reach very
frankly into political censor
ship.
Obviously the reasons that
prompt the White House to feel
the United Nations conference
should be thus isolated from the
normal operations of newspaper
correspondents will be the same
reasons that will be found per-
suasive by administration officials
when subsequent United Nations
conferences are held.
Newspaper editors have been re-
quested to accept this policy. What
else will they be asked to accept
If This precedent is established?
There could have been no objec-
ton il the government had called
in the press, explained some of
the considerations, and emphasized
that international relations might
be done serious injury by irrespon-
sible handling of news or COM
ment.
But the press is being given no
opportunity TO be either respon-
sible or irresponsible. 1t is pro-
posed to shut it out fatty.
Anyone will recognize that the
United Nations are still in the
formative period, that their first
meetings may thrive or wither
depending upon how they are car
ried off. An irresponsible press
can do fateful damage to interna-
tional relations, particularly in a
time like this.
But free press is not neces-
sarily an irresponsible press.
For evidence in behalf of a free
press as against the type Of con-
troll now proposed for the United
Nations conference, ! go directly
TO our own government propa-
ganda service itself.
The Office of War Information
is an enormous organization. II
employs dozens of excellent news
pspermen and magazine writers,
men who have made their reputa-
tons in competitive private life.
Yet, the skillful propaganda
prepared by these expert
craftsmen falls short. II
doesn't ring true enough. So
owl sends out, for the infor-
nation of the people in for
eign countries, the actual daily
columns and editorials of we'll
known American writers and
newspapers.
The government prefers to send
abroad the regular work Of these
writers, and TO give newspapers
abroad the opportunity to print
current columns of many Of the
American columnists, because this
is the genuine propaganda of truth,
the genuine discussion that goes
on IN America.
Abroad they don't want special
propaganda written particularly
for them. They don't have con-
fldence in il.
But when they read what Ameri-
cans themselves are reading in
American newspapers, then they
are, so to speak. listening in on
important discussions.
Tailored propaganda is dis
counted abroad a. IL il here
at home. Everybody abroad
has been propagandized by
experts for years. All the