Evening star., 1943-10-24
Public Hard Put to Weigh
War and Postwar Reports
By Constantine Brovn.

impressive figures from headquarters OF
the Allied fighting forces and is I'M
pressed by them. He thinks that We
are about to win the war II short order.
Then he hears prominent men who are
supposed to know what Is going on de-
clare that there still is a heavy and
bitter fight ahead OF us.
The newspapers are trying to give him
as accurate a picture as they can within
the limitations to which they are sub
jected, For instance, all the news from
the Mediterranean battle area is rosy
Cheerful communiques obscure the fact
that in reaching our objectives we may
suffer many a heartache and severe
losses.
Misled by News.
The newspapermen in the field are
compelled to file only what is permissible
and that is sometimes misleading For
instance, dispatches on September 10,
soon after the landings in the Salerno-
Naples area, said the fall of Naples "ap-
peared imminent" Newspapers in this
country carried big headlines to that
effect. The great Italian port actually
fell on october |, after very severe
and costly battle.
On the other hand, John O. Public
Is sometimes given juicy confidential
bits of news which enhance his morale
and his hopes. For a while they act
as good stimulant and he becomes
indignant when any one says that what
he is told may now materialize.
Take the case of the decision reached
at Quebec to attack the japanese in
Burma. Although plans for such an
offensive should have been kept secret
to prevent the enemy from taking the
| necessary countermeasures, this decision
was widely publicized
The chances of a Jor offensive in
Burma appear now limited But while
John @. Public was delighted at the
prospect of seeing the Japs licked at
Burma and the road to China reopened
the fact that II may have to be post
poned for another II months does not
register because it is a negative factor
Since little will be said about it or
because spectacular raids might occur,
it is believed by those who have COM
plete control Of the news that John O.
Public will not realize that certain plans
were intended only for publicity.
What does not happen is much less
spectacular than what does happen.
John @, Public reads the newspapers
but is inclined to discount what they say
when 1t is in contradiction to the off,
clal version of certain developments. He
used to trust his local paper and its
writers, but in recent months he has
taken note of the many official slaps at
Washington correspondents They are
/ not under the same rigid control as
! those in the war areas and can write
with greater freedom than the war
| reporters.
! At one time he was quite discerning
about what he was told from Washing
ton, London or Moscow Now he is not
so sure that his common sense is as
! good. He is aware that our principal
associates, the British and the Russians,
have done a splendid fighting Job. And
when he is told that millions of Russians
are dying for the defense of the United
/ States he is convinced that this Is true.
Criticism Is Opposed.
! Certainly it is true that millions OF
/ Russians have been killed in the fight
/ against the NazlS and that Russia has
/ been Of great help to our war. But the
fact that the same millions would have
/ been killed had We not been in the war,
that the Soviet might have been de-
feated had she not received lease lend
I assistance, is not being emphasized be-
cause, we are told, that means sowing
the seeds of discord between the Allies.
No one is supposed to react to the
Russians bitter denunciation of our
failure to open a second front. Criti-
cism is wholesome thing, particularly
among real good friends. Foreign criti-
cism of the United States is understand
able but American criticism of our as
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