The Waterbury Democrat., 1944-12-23

During the year 1944, the Prcsi- dent has been absent from the White House a total of 25 weeks. He has been in Washington to- tai of 27 weeks.
 Censorship does not permit GiS- closure of where the President has been during all of these 25 weeks This censorship in it. self has an interesting angle. No longer is there much censcrsnip regarding the Presidents trips abroad. They arc announced in full detail after they have been made, and in the C1sa Of his one trip to a foreign country this year-Canada-it was announced even before the President arrived in Quebec.
 But the Presidents local trips around the United States, in cluding those to Hyde Park and areas closer to Washington are still heavily censored. For in- stance, this year FDR made four notable trips: To South
 Carolina for months rest in
 llpril; to Pearl HarbOr and
 the Aleutians for a cruise in July; to Quebec in September; and to Warm Springs in late November and early December.
 These were al made public, as were his political trips during the campaign. However, these do not make up the total of 25 weeks away from Washington, so that a good many other smaller trips were taken which have never been made public, and perhaps never will be.
 FDR LOVES MYSTERY
 These are known to the news papermen who cover the White House, but they cannot write about them. Censorship forbids it. Censorship, incidentally, is invoked by the White House, not by the Office of Censorship under Byron Price. The censorS merely carry out White House orders.
 Many of F'DR'S close friends think that this Cype of cenSor- ship is mistake and only arous- es unfortunate speculation and mystery. If no security was in- volved in going to Quebec, cer- tainly the President is even safer when he journeys to Hyde Park and there should be no reason why the public shouldn't know about it. Also there is very little security involved when he takes other trips inside the United States.
 It was only natural for ROOse-
 welt to go to Warm Springs
 for a brief vacation, some of his friends point out, there
 fore they don't think he
 should have kept the public
 guessing about it. Result was rumor and speculation, some of
 it unfortunate.
 However. the President seems to get a kick out of keeping his whereabouts secret. He loves to feel that he has ouGslnatted the press. So the censorship rules are not likely to be relaxed soon.
 NOTE-When Roosevelt, Chur- chill and Chiang Kai-shek met at Cairo, the Germans even an- nounced the name ol the hotel where they were conterring ScV- eral weeks before an official an- nouncement was given the Aineri- can people. However, real se- curity was involved here, and no one quarreled with the secrecy which surrounded this trip.
 NAVY AIR MEDALS
 The Navy passed out several distinguished flying crosses some time ago for a bombing raid from Midway over Wake Island. It was the first time Coronados (PB2Y-3S) had been used for bombing at night and the men who flew them ies.r"ed reward.
 The mission was efficiently or ganized by able AG.nir Ii John D. Price, commander at Kaneohe, Hawaii. The carriers hit Wake for three straight days and then the PB2Y-3S hit it three nights straight, flying all the way from Midway which was about the limit of their endurance.
 Tagging adoringly along with Admiral Price on the mission was Lieut.. Theodore Roosevelt, III. His title is ''flag lieutenant' to Price, and his job is to order the food. pay the bills, gas the car, ar- range parties and generally be amenable.
 On the first night of the big raid, Navy photographer (en- listed man) was slated to go along and take pictures of the raid. It was to be the first Of- ficial Navy photos of night bombing, and medal was in the Offing for the man who old the job.
 r.".