The Ypsilanti daily press. (Ypsilanti, Mich.) 1928-1962, 1943-04-14
Observations
Planning For Post
War Living Not to
be Hush-Hushed
BY Charles ?. Stewart

THE WASHINGTON ADMIN
ISfRATION isn't going to succeed
in hush-hLshing the United Ma
lions series OF postwar planning
conferences, beginning with the
one on the subject OF rood aQOca-
ton, as it had intended.
This Was revealed when Ducr
tor Elmer Davis Of The Office o.
Mar Information broadcast the
news that press representatives
would be admitted TO the food Se,.
sions and kept advised as TO al
developments arising out Of tine
discus, They'll be asked 10 eX
erC.se a certain amount OF d.sCIe-
lion. but that's entirely a dlterenl
thing from excluding EN- entirely
The same rule viii prevail A.
subsequent International chats. uu-
questionable.
The administration maniiesllE
has realized that Il cant get away
With a policy OF obvious secrecy. II
may be able 10 keep the husher on
few details but not on proceed
ings In general
For one thing The American
newspapers won't stand Tor IT,
They'll make such racket thai
officialdom will have TO slteamh
TO 10.
Furthermore the foreign press
tat least some Of I'D wont suom Z
10 such strict regulation as W ash
iagtou has contemplated. Editors
in totalitarianized countries are
scouiescent. but the English aren t.
It's been noted that their journa p
istic accounts OF postwar con!sos
have been more Illuminating IMAM
ours have been permitted 10 be,
MS rather morthying to have
10 have our chroniclers dependent
on clips from abroad to amply
their columns.
Even China beats us also.
II NAV be that Axis reporters do,
likewise. on a limited class OF items
but wa cant depend upon the YER
Acity OF what they say, HaruTdt1y'
Our domestic censorship mas
-hesn erreHtfie.--
speaking OF It strictly "a Ger
sorship. Byron Price. as liberal a
critic as could be desired, has been
in charge
Elmer Davis isn't a censor. He
furnishes information,
He disseminates what he con-
siders the right kind. too.
IL stuffs discouraging, he plays
1t down. II It's favorable, he boosts
It for all it's worth-or more, Z
desirable.
There's distinction between
Elmer Davis and Byron Price.
II vou want encouragement. con
suit Elmer. II you want facts.
check up on en- from Byron, ana
don't subtract, but don't s1asssr-
ate. either.
ElmerI stunt Is circulating
news.
Byron's is the suppression Of
BAD news. Thus IL becomes the
propagation Of GOOD news.
A controlled press is what were
on the edge OF.
What the Administrations plug
sinE for is an irresponsible press
that it can boss.
Byrons is one kind; ElmerS is
another.
The two personalities don't sI-
Rctly conflict. but they vary.
Byrons newspapermans FL
mer's a Censoris.
l wouldn't have thought so OF
ElIner's
1t would seem as Il the informa-
tive end OF the busiuess would be
liberal. and that the censorial end
should be restrictive.
The contrarys the case.
know those two boys
Blmers the information center
but q husher Byron'S the censor
hut the main source o. inforMa-
ton.
They're 10 competition.
Id rather ne Informed by the
censor than by the informer.
Other governments like TO get
the real dope rather from Byron
than from Elmer
The censor's more reliable than
mere guesswork.
NAMED CHAIRMAN