Evening star., 1943-12-03

u. ). Editors Protest
!: Reuters Violation Of
Press Release
/ By the Associated Press.
. American editors have pro-
tested to the White House and
; to the Office Of War Information
over the broadcasting by Reuters,
British news agency, of news of
the Roosevelt Churchill Chang
/ Kai-shek conference more than
"a hours ahead of the release
time in the United States.
A protest also was made by OWL
Director Elmer Davis to his British
counterpart, Brendan Bracken.
Roy A. Roberts, managing editor
OF the Kansas City Star and presi-
dent of the American Society of
Newspaper Editors. in protests yes
} terday to the White House and the
Owl, said:
THE whole episode hurts the war
leffort. Our war correspondents have
ltoo fine record of devotion and
sacrifice in this war in keeping the
public at home informed to be
brushed of as they were. The
breaking OF faith, If not the release.
by Reuters destroyed much OF the
effect Of what should have been
one OF the epochal high spots of the
war"
No Comment on Statement.
Neither the White House nor the
Owl had any immediate comment
on Mr. Roberts message. The Owl
has pointed out that the White
House set the hour for formal an
nouncement of the Cairo confer
ence Wednesday night.
Mr.. Davis complained to Mr..
Bracken over what he called loop
holes in British censorship He also
deplored the premature" Reuters
release as fragrant and possibly
dangerous breach OF the basic rules
of security"
Mr.. Bracken, as British Minister
OF Information, was urged by Mr..
Davis to do something ito make
sure that British censorship from
now on keeps Reuters in line"
Reuters has contended its report
Of the tripower conference, cir
culated from Lisbon while Ameri-
can editors were pledged to Sc
crecy, was simply journalistic en-
terprise. an argument which Mr..
Davis rejects.
British news sources, which were
denied even the privilege of dis
seminating the Reuters material,
also continued to belabor the CEN
sorship in their country today.
1rked likewise by the press restric-
tions at Cairo, the London News
Chronicle carried a cartoon labeled
MOI Ministry OF Information)
squatted beneath blaring United
States and Axis radios-the ears Of
one are stopped; the mouth OF the
second is stopped, and the third IS
blindfolded. The cartoon Is cap
toned, Hear no conference, see no
conference, speak no conference"
British Paper Blames owl.
The Evening News, however,
blamed Owl, which rebroadcast the
Reuters dispatch, for the prema.
ture release.
Mr.. Bracken also was called on
the carpet in the House of Com
mons to explain why Reuters and
the British Broadeasting Corp. re-
layed the Reuters dispatch sent
from Lisbon - throughout Europe
while censorship was keeping 1t
from British newspapers at home.
Mr.. Davis cable to Mr.. Bracken
dated Tuesday, follows:
Il feel that I must protest most
energetically against the distribu-
tion by Reuters today Of the dis
patch which purports to have orig
! mated in Lisbon. Naturally, am
J aware of the fact that Reuters is q
private organization and that the
British government exercises over IL
no influence of any sort At the
same, time 1t should be pointed out
that the British censors cleared this
. dispatch for overseas transmission
: by radio, though it is reported here
, that the dispatch was not approved
for publication in Great Britain.
1T is scarcely necessary for me
to call to your attention the ex-
tremely unhappy results. Most i'm.
2 portant is a fragrant and possibly
9 dangerous breach OF the basic
rues of security, Furthermore, the
3 psychological warfare value te
Britain and America of the con.
ference and the decisions reached
by the conferees has been greatly
!, Impaired by the premature publi-
cation Of the news. thus permitting
9 both the NaZi and the Japanese
y propagandists to MI the air with
their own distorted versions of the
news prior to its oficial announce.
ment.
Understanding Held Jeopardized.
Lastly, result important to Us
both lies in the unfortunate effect
on the American press. which Is
universally and justitiably indis-
nant over the fact that the Reuters
dispatch, though not published In
the British Isles, broke a story here
which had been given to American
editors with the strictest admoni-
tions that utter secrecy be pre-
served.
Il am sure that you are aware
that this is not the first example OF
such an occurrence. though this In
Its flagrancy exceeds by far those
that have gone before. Anglo
American understanding is seriously