Evening star., 1944-03-29
u. ). Protest 10 Britain
Over 4 News Leaks
Disclosed by Hull
Sy the Associated Press.

~ Inc ASSOclAteu ffesS.
The State Department disclosed
yesterday that it had protested te
Britain against four news leaks ir
London. but reiterated its denia
that 1t sought to have the British
impose political censorship.
At the same time 1t appeared that
the British similarly had com
planned to the United States about
premature" disclosures on impor-
tant inter-governmental news. The
State Department said it was GUS
tomary to register protests on
either side whenever the other let
important news leak out prema-
turely in violation of British Amer
ican secrecy agreements.
Those disclosures stemmed from
q recent charge by Gov. Thomas E.
Dewey Of New York that the State
Department had requested British
censors to suppress political news
sent to American newspapers by
American correspondents abroad,
Secretary Of State Hull Monday re-
piled that Gov. Dewey was 100 per
cent wrong"
Yesterday, at Mr.. Hull's press con-
ference, Bertram D. Hulen, New York
Times reporter, called attention to
a dispatch from London to his paper.
This dispatch said Mr.. Hull's denial
Monday raised the question on what
he meant by political, adding that
If the word was used anonymously
for diplomatic" the record "is not
so clear"
Instances Cited.
There have been repeated in
stances" the dispatch said, "of OBJ
jections from Washington to stories
by American correspondents for
American newspapers about diplo-
matte developments which had been
passed in regular routine through
British censorship"
Asked for comment on this, Mr..
Hull stood by his denial of any
desire for political censorship. There
was no comment Immediately from
Gov. Dewey, but his secretary, Paul
E. Lockwood, said in New York, 1T
looks like the truth is coming out"
Subsequently, the State Depart
ment issued a statement in which
Mr.. Hull said that the question of
complaints about news leaks was
entirely separate from the question
Of censorship.
ANY claim that the State Depart
ment has requested the British
censors to suppress political news is
therefore entirely wrong" he said.
News Leaks Listed.
The four instances on which COM
plants were registered with the
British on the ground that the dis
closures were premature follow:
l. October, 1943, disclosure in the
British press of the impending ar
rival of Secretary Hull and his party
in Moscow for the meeting of foreign
ministers.
2. Also in October, disclosure from
London Of Marshal Pietio Badoglio's
declaration of war on Germany.
Simultaneous government announce
ments had been agreed on for Lon
don, Moscow and Washington.
3. Also in October, disclosure Of
the signing of the third lease-lend
agreement between the United
States and Russia, and also the
similar arrangement between Britain
and Russia.
Cairo Meeting Cited.
4. The Reuters British news
agency story from Lisbon concern
ing the meeting of President Roose-
velt and Prime Minister Churchill at
Cairo late last year.
House Majority Leader McCor-
mack yesterday demanded that Gov.
Dewey tell the people who gave him
false information" about political
censorship.
HE is in the position that if he
does not disclose the source of his
information it will be justidably as
sumed he invented it to make SEN
sational charge for political pur-
poses," Mr.. McCormack's statement
said
Statement Released.
The State Department issued this
release Incorporating Mr.. Hull's
statement:
"At his (Mr. Hull's) press confer
ence this (Tuesday) morning a cor
respondent called attention to an
article in the New York Times from
London which stated that the Lon
don office took no exception to Sec
retary Hull's statement yesterday
Monday) but that there had been
repeated instances of objections
from Washington to stories by
American correspondents about dip
lomatic developments which have
been passed in regular routine
through the British censorship.
Commenting on this, Secretary
Hull said:
"The statement I gave you yes
terday (Monday) Is entirely ac-
curate. We have never requested
the British for any kind Of censor
ship whatsoever except on grounds
Of military security or for the safety
Of high officials while travelling.
There seems to be confusion
between the censorship of news in
the possession of the press and the
avoidance of premature disclosures
to the press of confidential informa-
tion. The disclosures of confidential
information is a matter between the
governments conducting negotia-
Wenfher Renorf