Evening star., 1944-10-21
Free Flow Of News
Is Vital for Peace,
Kent Cooper Says
By the Associated Press,

CHICAGO, Oct. 2l.-Citing prac-
tical steps taken thus far to achieve
a world free press, Kent Cooper
executive director of the Associated
Press, told the National Editorial
Association in a luncheon address
today that none of the world or
ganizations or systems now being
discussed for the peace to come can
possibly succeed unless the first
basic step is taken to assure unhin-
dered flow of information.
Peace can only be attained by
short-circuiting self-seeking, pred
atory governments through letting
the people of each nation really
know the peoples of other nations
through the medium Of a world
wide free press and freedom of in
ternational news exchange" said
Mr.. Cooper. IF government will
only stand aside. with a beneficient
attitude toward the effort, the prin-
ciple Of community interest and un-
derstanding can, through truthful
news exchange, ultimately come true
internationally. Then you will need
neither pact nor military power to
enforce friendly relations in inter-
national society.
1T is plain that the world must
learn to apply the simple principle
OF peaceful community life that each
OF us knows in our home neighbor-
hood"
Channels Created Hate.
Mr.. Cooper said channels Of in
ternational communications were
long used, Systematically and usually
clandestinely," not to inform the
peoples of many nations about the
truth but to make them fear and
hate the peoples Of other nations -
To avoid this in tnc future, he said
there must be full equality as to
availability of news at the source,
and adequate transmission facilities
at uniform nondiscriminatory rates -
Observing that the principles of
freedom of information ARE well
established in the United States,
as well as in the press of Great
Britain and its commonwealths, Mr.,
Cooper presented this view of con-
ditions elsewhere:
Russia never has known freedom
of the press as We know 1t but the
declaration of Moscow drawn up by
United Nations representatives. in
Guiding our Secretary Hull, who took
with him to Moscow a year ago nv
letter about freedom of the press,
specified free press for conquered
Italy.
Your comment could be that Rus
sia is willing to have a free press In
every part of the world except Rus
sia! But how much can we blame
Russia? Prior to the First World
War the Russian news agency was
controlled by Germans. With the
outbreak of war, the Czarist govern
ment took 1T over. Bear in mind tha,
this was no different from what al,
other European governments were
doing. But Russia has made tire.
mendous strides in many ways since
revolutionary days. Only recently
Russia established freedom of re.
ligion, once decried as the opium O,
the people. 1t has adopted the tech.
nique of the press of the democracies
In many things and one day the
government of Russia will be sc
strong that 1t can we'll afford the
boon of a free press.
With RnScio ond CL;-.
With the Allied countries, EXCEPT
Russia and China, enforcing the
principle (of free press at home
and with Russia and China Joining
IN requiring it Of the enemy coun-
tries, you have got nine-tenths OF
your world in line. That is, excep,
South America, where, had it no,
been for the upsurgence of Fascism
and Naziism in Europe there would
have been no interruption to the ad.
mirable progress that the peoples Of
that continent were making in the
matter of freedom of international
news exchange. Eradicate foreve,
the principles that brought on tfi,
war in Europe and Asia, and South