Evening star., 1944-11-29
information Freedom
Seen Focing I est Soon
Lesson Of Distortion Of News
In France Recounted by Writer

SSSl ! 0SsIsS SSt SOVlS
Lesson Of Distortion Of News
In France Recounted by Writer
BY David Laurence
Freedom Of information" n"-one Of the
four freedoms for which, according to
President Roosevelt, this war Is being
fought--is soon to face its biggest
test among the Allied powers OF the
world
Although the newspapers and press
associations and the Congress OF the
United States. as well as the Democratic
and Republican parties in their re-
spective national conventions, have all
declared in favor Of the principle that
access to the news must not be hindered
by any governmental barriers anywhere
in peacetime, 1t remains to be seen
whether the idea will be accepted by
all the governments Of the world.
Many people who are not familiar
with the working Of foreign govern
ments in peacetime do not know that
even In so-called democratic countries
the truth about international affairs is
suppressed and distorted. In France,
for instance, the newspapers were sub
sidized by foreign governments and the
French Republic was lulled into q false
security by the infiltration of German
propaganda and German funds. 1t is
significant that under the initiative of
the De Gaullist government an effort
now is being made by the French press
to clean up that situation and develop
system wherein the integrity of the
press will be established and corruption
exposed.
Initiative Taken.
Too much emphasis has been given
from time to time on the suddenness
with which wars break out, when in
reality for years prior thereto the
ground is laid by scheming governments
which have reached into the internal
affairs of other countries or have sup
pressed the truth.
The American press has taken the
Initiative because of tragic experiences
| in the past. Kent Cooper, general
manager of the Associated Press, and
Hugh Baillie, the head of the United
| Press, have been discussing this subject
recently in public speeches and have
endeavored to impress on Government
authorities here and abroad the i'm
portance of a free interchange of news
in peacetime. Now the American Society
Of Newspaper Editors has taken action
also looking toward the attainment of
perhaps the most important OF all peace
aims-freedom Of information.
Members Of Congress are, Of course,
deeply sympathetic with the move and
so Is the Department Of State. But they
recognize that the whole problem Is
fraught with the greatest delicacy be-
cause each country must, after all, de-
eide for itself how far it wishes to go
in allowing access to news within its
borders. The American conception is
that there can be little sympathy on the
part Of the American people with any
government, whether or not 1t Is at
present allied with us or is in a neutral
position, if in the long run the truth
cannot be gotten out. especially in inter-
national affairs
The lives Of American boys and the
funds Of the American people are being
expended in order to establish certain
freedoms that are admitted to be essen
tial to the prevention of. third world
war. Again and again various reasons
have been cited as basic In the tendency
toward aggression. But the newspaper
men who are most familiar with events
leading up to war are almost unanimous
in their statements that when any gov.
ernment begins to interfere with free
dom Of information, 1t is starting on
the road to dictatorship and ultimately
aggression.
People Will Insist.
The American people are certainly
going to expect their own Government
to stand up militantly for this principle
and insist upon its inclusion in any
general treaty setting up a new League
of Nations, for unless there is freedom
Of information it will be difheult for
the American people to know how to
advise their delegate in the new league
to vote.
Up to now much emphasis has been
placed on procedure in the new league
and Americas participation therein, but
the real root of the matter is the ques-
ton of whether foreign governments
in time Of peace are going to be con-
sidered law-abiding members Of the
international organization or COM
munity when they violate within their
own borders the most essential freedom
Of all-the freedom of information.
The problem, of course, has external
as well as internal aspects because of q
rule when newspapers are suppressed or
interfered with inside q country, it
means that censorship is imposed on all
news emanating from that country.
The right Of q nation to do as 1t
pleases without limitation within its
own borders has in the past been con-
ceded, but there is a growing public
opinion now that this right does not in
clude the privilege of conspiring against
foreign governments or doing any acts
within ones own country which are
plainly prejudicial to world peace.
| Reproduction Rishts Reserved1
Truth Revealed
From the St. Louis Post Dispatch.
Perhaps Generalissimo Chang Kali
al. i