The Western news. [volume] (Libby, Mont.) 1933-current, 1944-08-17
Army Fears Political SndrI
In Handling News for G|s
Military Not DESTROYS of Cutting Off News From
Armed Forces; Dislikes Entering
Possible Controversy.
BY BAUKHAGE
Neus Analyst and Commentator.
WNU Service, Union Trust Building
Washington, D. G..

WNU Service, Union Trust Building
Washington, D. c.
There is great deal of talk, some
OF it sincere and from the heart,
some of it so dripping with senti-
mentality that it offends good taste,
about "GI Joe" and what the
country owes him.
After a bitter battle, a bill was
passed in congress, following all
kinds Of political badminton, to pro-
vide means for the men and women
in the armed services to vote in the
coming election. Then, . fortnight
ago, came q dispatch from the cor
respondent Of the New York Herald
Tribune in Algiers which said:
"Unless some provocative discus
sion OF the presidential campaign
appears in the Stars & Stripes
(the service newspaper) only q
small percentage OF the troops will
vote"
A little later, Col. Egbert White
Il worked with him on the original
Stars & Stripes in Paris In the
first World war; was relieved Of his
dictatorship OF the Mediterranean
editions of the Stars & Stripes and
ordered to report to Washington.
About the same time, it was re-
vealed that books like THE Repub-
lic' and similar works which have
been accepted as standard textbooks
are on the war department pro-
hibited list because congress has
forbidden political argument and
propaganda in the armed forces.
Colonel White wanted to make the
Stars & Stripes as much like met
ropolitan newspaper as possible. He
wanted to send reporters to cover
both the Republican and Democratic
conventions. He wanted to have the
use of regular news report from
the Associated Press wire, like any
other newspaper, instead OF being
limited to the army news service
"a digest OF the news carefully
oIlCCiiC4 III NEW 1OAhJ.
Receives Legion Of Merit
Just how far Colonel White had
gone with his ambitious plans when
the pressure began, do not know.
do know that when he first went
to Africa, while General Eisen-
hover was still there, the Colonels
work was apparently so satisfactory
that the General made him a MEM
Der OF his staff and he received the
Legion Of Merit award. But Gen.
eral Eisenhower departed, and an
other Pharaoh came to Egypt Tor /
should say to Algiers). For time,
White seemed to have pretty free
hand but there were no great inno-
vations noticed in the papers he was
publishing. He did start a reprint Of
the Readers Digest which caused
some disturbance, not because of
the content, but because other
magazines objected i believe some
reprints from the Saturday Evening
Post were also used.
Then General Surles, head of
army public relations. and Secre-
tary Of War Stimson both appeared
in the war theaters and about that
time Whites demission occurred.
He had left when President Roose-
welt agreed to run again and the
GIs who read the Rome edition
of the Stars & Stripes learned about
it in l90-Word story given third
place, well down on page one under
two-column head. The Normandy
campaign was given first play and
the Russian offensive, second.
The coverage by the Rome Stars
& Stripes of the Dewey and Bricker
nominations was a 550-word story,
hallway down the page, with box
containing highlights OF the conven-
ton. There were also 200 words on
how New York papers covered the
nominations; seven paragraphs on
Hoover's speech, two paragraphs
on Farley. The Herald-Tribune cor
respondent described this as
"meager' coverage due, not to the
wishes of the editors, but to the re-
strictions.
No Public Statement
AT this writing, White has not
made any public statement-offi-
GERS don't talk Since the action oc-
Cured in the Mediterranean the
alter, Washington army officials can
not comment. They merely point to
Title Five, sponsored by Senator
Taft, in the soldiers vote law
passed by congress.
This Title Five says that anyone
responsible for permitting publica-
ton in service organ paid for by
Jr -