Evening star., 1943-06-19

fore it voted last night that the real
purpose here is to snipe at the Com
mander in Chief" Republicans
shouted mo- and they laughed when
he suggested it would do members of
Congress IAN awful lot of good" to
read some of Owls pamphlets
Chairman Cannon of the Appro-
pria tions Committee said the action
would wipe out all wartime CO.
ordination of news releases for the
radio and the press and eliminate
the motion picture program.
The owl employees approximately
1900 persons in its Domestic Bureau
and around 5000 in the overseas
branch.
Program Is Denounced.
In his speech, Mr. Starnes de-
clareG
THE type and character of tie
domestic propaganda foisted upon
the American people. through pub
locations printed and distributed at
Government expense by the OWL. Is
stencil to the nostrils of a demo-
cratic people. The character and
context of the propa ganGa foisteG
upon our people by the media of tie
radio and screen insult the intel
lleence of an average 6-year-old.
1T is an insult to the American
people to say they do not know what
We are fighting for until they are
told what and why by the Owl
under the direction of Mr.. Elmer
Davis of the American Labor party.
1T is more than a waste of public
funds to permit the Office of War
Information to spend s5,500.OOO to
inform the American people why
we are at war and how to win it,
when we have the only zee and un-
trammeled press in the world to give
us the facts without distortion.
Press Is Praised.
I'VE should thank God in our
daily prayers for Americas free
press. 1t is the strongest guardian
OF our liberty. When it is controlled
by the Government our democracy
will perish.
Il affirm my faith in the accuracy,
character and truth of the informa-
tion furnished concerning the con-
duct of the war and our domestic
policies by the New York Times. the
Baltimore Sun and newspapers of
their kind.
Il submit the Owl with it's distinct
Socialistic tinge has no business tell
ing me or any other American citizen
why we are at war or how we
should look Upon domestic programs.
America needs no Goebbels sit
ting in Washington to tell the press
what to publish. America needs
no Virginio Gayda sitting in Wash
ington to hand down news and tell
us how to think"
WOodrum Defends Bureau.
Representative Woodrum. Demo-
crat, of Virginia pleaded that the
amendment would leave no agency
at all in the Government by which
the War and Navy Departments
could issue their news
Mr.. Starnes retorted. I'D prefer
my news directly from the War and
Navy Departments
Representative Celler, Democrat,
of New York argued it is essential
for Owl to coordinate the news,
saying:
The country doesn't know COM
pletely what the war Is about. 1t
doesn't know fully about the aims
and aspirations of other nations"
An attack on Mr.. Davis by Repre-
sentative Allen. Democrat. of Louis
lana was applauded vigorously by
the Republicans.
Mr. Allen said Owls recent
pamphlet on the Negro situation
had melted race prejudice in the
South, and that Mr.. Davis had
done more to create disunity and
unrest" in the South than any one
else
Earlier yesterday Representative
Short, Republican, of Missouri, re-
newed his attack on Mr.. Davis,
while Mr.. Cannon made public
telegram from Will H. Hays prais-
ing Owls work with the motion
picture industry.
Mr. Shorts statement said Mr..
Davis lis not the man to co-ordi-
nate the press and radio of the
United States if he has come to
the conclusion that they are in
competent. He has commandeered
all four of the national networks
once each week so that he can
personally overcome the inad-
equacy' Of the radio newscasters
And following the same pattern,
he presumably would now like to
do the same thing with the press.
Mr.. Hays. president of the Motion
Picture Producers and Distributors
Association. telegraphed Mr.. Cam
non: I'VE have been greatly pleased
by the understanding shown by the
Bureau Of Motion Pictures of the