Evening star., 1944-11-10
Cooper Urges Allies
To Draft Peace Pact
Assuring Free News
ny the Associated Press.

1y the Associated PresS.
NEW YORK, Nov. l0.-rA positive
program with adequate enforcement
machinery to assure unfettered flow
of news and information around the
world is urged by Kent Cooper, exec
utive director of the Associated
Press, In an article in the current
issue of Life Magazine.
The article describes the former
world news monopoly of the Euro
pean news agencies, and the con-
trolled press of the totalitarian
countries, and asserts the aggressor
countries could not have driven
their peoples to war without sys-
tematic perversion Of the news.
"A heavy duty rests upon the AL
lied peoples" Mr.. Cooper concludes
"If they are not convinced that the
adoption of free news principles is
their responsibility, then once again,
the next war is their war"
Mr.. Cooper cites the recent ac-
ton Of Congress in unanimously in
dorsing the idea of worldwide free
dom of news and suggests that If
the British Parliament followed the
example of Congress it would 'help
enormously" to promote the unham-
pered flow of free news.
Wants Equal Access to News.
He writes that the peace negotia-
tions, ION the positive side," should
guarantee equal access to news
wherever 1t occurs or whenever it is
disclosed.
"On the negative side, there should
be two provisions: One that forbids
the intentional transmission of
propaganda from one country to an
other; and a second that forbids
peacetime censorship in any form.
And in no country should there
be preferential transmission rates,
whether by radio or telegraph or
telephone; for it is as easy to stop
news at its source by putting prohib-
tive prices on wordage as by out
right censorship. 1t is obvious that
radio news involves similar prob
lens that will require similar ans
wers"
To enforce the plan, Mr.. Cooper
writes ''one important step would be
to give diplomatic immunities to
news correspondents working abroad
independently, however, of any
diplomatic missions.
These immunities would mean, in
effect, the right to report news
without hindrance and protection
against being expelled-should a
correspondent become persona non
grata-except by the officials of his
own country.
Besides this, each correspondent
should be guaranteed access to all
the governmental news that the
foreign country makes available to
Its own newspapermen; and each
correspondent should have equal
chance to transmit his copy"
Wants Right of Appeal.
In cases of violations of the inter-
national code, Mr.. Cooper urges
that correspondents should have
the right to appeal. through diplo-
matte channels to the proper branch
of whatever international authority
comes out OF this war. In the i'm
portant capitals, where there are
foreign correspondents associations,
these could weigh the grievance
first; and if the complaint were JUS
titled, the petition could be made
with the authority of the whole for
eign press corps.
"If the Dumbarton Oaks agree
ment results in establishing an eco
nomic and social council, it could be
this council that would look into
violations. The council could estab-
lish its own code, make certain that
abuses are corrected, and-if they
are not corrected-make them pun
ishable by international force. Force,
In such case, would mean cutting
the offending country of from other
nations, or else invoking sanctions
against it.
This may seem severe, but who
can say it is really drastic If we
are to attain the goal at which we
are aiming? More drastic methods
have been suggested to end wars
and many of them have not even
pretended to get at the basic
caIIseS