The potters herald. [volume] (East Liverpool, Ohio) 1899-1982, 1944-04-06
ARMY PUBLICATIONS, PLEASE COPY

SECRETARY of War Stimson borrowed diplo-
- matte deadpan from the State Department last
week. He needed it in order to reply to a re-
quest by the AFL that servicemen be supplied
with more and straighter' news about labor
record on the home front. For he reasserted that
the Army News Service is honest and objective in
its news writing-a point never doubted by the
AFL; while he ignored entirely the main COM
plant presented by labor This was the charge
that over-emphasis of certain types of news con-
stltutes blased anti-abor propaganda in spite OF
the fact that, taken item by item, the accuracy
of such news stories cannot be questioned.
Enough comment tYickles back from the fox
holes to prove that this over-emphasis has al
ready taken effect. The GI. diet of labor news
seems to be limited to strike stories plus an occa-
The anti-labor attitude of the average serviceman,
clearly an outgrowth of this diet, is danger
signal that even the War Department recognizes.
TO foster mutual respect and confidence" in
fact, the Department has made it practice in
recent months to arrange for visits of labor and
management groups to Army camps throughout
the country. These visits the Department seems
to believe, are the only antidote needed.
We would like to make a suggestion to Secre-
taly StimSOn. TO "fOster mutual respect and con-
dence," organized labor would like to arrange for
visits Of groups of servicemen to production cen
terS throughout the country. Following the
example of the Army, the visitors would be put
right into the factories next to union members on
the production lines. They would attend union
meetings. enter into discussions on postwar plan
ming, on housing on reconversion problems. They
would line up with their union hosts to give blood
for the Red Cross, to buy War Bonds, and to make
their contributions through the Labor League for
Human Rights to the Red Cross and the National
War Fund. And, again following the example Of
the Army they would be issued labor's CT. equip
ment in the form Of rationed food over-priced
clothing, over-crowded living quarters, difficult
and trying transportation.
1t would be absurd for labor to pretend that
it can match hardship for hardship with the men
of the armed forces, and we have no desire to
make the attempt. But the hardships are in
evitable part Of the home-front picture just as
the relief activities, the war bond purchases, and
the postwar planning committees of our trade
unions are a part of the large and busy picture
called "Backing the Attack" These are the facts
Of which soldiers are largely ignorant; these
are the very facts which would restore their con-
lidence in the home front and eliminate the dis
tortions and prejudces which form barrier be-
tween our armed forces and organized labor.
OF course, the way to provide such complete,
picture is through the Army News
Service or through labor's own publications. But
it might still be statutory experience for some of
our SerViccmen to learn at first hand the day-tO-
day experiences of the average union member.
Labor would welcome the opportunity to prove
that it has nothing to conceal and nothing to
censor. And we want to make it clear that the
AFL's hospitality would not be restricted to buck
privates The latchstrng is out for Secretary
Stimson too.