Evening star., 1944-04-17
Five Newsmen Halt
Burma Dispatches in
Censorship Protest
By the Associated Press.

BY tne Associated Press.
LONDON, April 17.-Five wal
correspondents representing a large
block of the British press in Burma
announced yesterday they will file
no more news from that theater
until censorship restrictions are re-
laXed.
The correspondents protest
against what they consider exces-
sive censorship came as the British
press, for the first time since Japa-
nese forces began their invasion of
India, expressed grave concern over
the conduct of the Burma campaign
In an article in the London
Reynolds News, Lord Winster warn
ed the British public yesterday
against forgetting "the foolish and
optimistic statements which pre-
ceded the fall of Singapore and the
inadequate generalship which lost
us Burma"
"It is uncomfortably reminiscent
Of those days." he continued, ito
hear Auchinleck Gen. Sir Claude
Auchinleck, British commander in
India) describe Tddim as of mo
strategic Importance after we evac-
uated it under not very brilliant
circumstances. So far the cam
paigns in Burma have been very
disappointing and have seemed q
hotchpotch of improvisations. The
situation undoubtedly is disquiet-
ing"
| Drive Declared sUnderrated.
The Japanese drive into Imphal
he said, seems to have been under
rated in Delhi when it began tc
develop"
The London Daily Observer, also
criticizing censorship in the Bur.
ma-Indian theaters, said, Here We
know virtually nothing Of what Il
going on inside India, thanks to the
effective clamp exercised by the
New Delhi censors. Soothing mes
sages which bear all the marks OF
lcensorious emasculation are causing
more disquiet than news from the
'front.'"
This is all the more disturbing
in the light, of what happened at
the Quebec conference" the news
paper went on, asserting that at the
conference neither the late Mai
Gen. Orde Charles Wingate nor
Admiral Lord Louis Mountbatten
Allied commander in Southeast
Asia, chad an easy passage with
proposals for Burma offensive.
TN the end" it continued, "the
Wingate plan was accepted after its
author threatened to resign. Win
gate was given his expedition but
he was limited in various ways
- He could do nothing Withhold
the consent and approval of others
this time Auchinleck and Stilwel
CIT. Gen. Joseph w. Stilwell, com.
mander of American forces)-ane
Auchinleck had not been convinced
by the Quebec plan.
Dissatisfied With Censorship,
at seems now that the DARN,
Burma venture will fall short of 1t,
aim because of the manner il
which it was hamstrung from tn,
first"
| In addition to the protest actio,
by the five British correspondents
the tone of numerous dispatche
from both American and British cor
respondents have implied that tn,
news corps generally is decided,
dissatisfied with the CENSORSHIP,
setup.
Dispatches have referred also t,
the critical attitude of at least .
part OF the Indian press reported t.
be resentful at what was termed a.
1.-THE sugarcoating of news from I'm
jphal.
| Announcement of the British writ
ers' action was contained in a mes
sage from Correspondent Stanford
to the editor of the London Dali,
Mail.
"A story on which the Express
(correspondent, the Telegraph ant
Self spent five days was killed toda,
for no apparent security reasons
This is happening constantly ant
conditions are impossible. Cor
respondents of the Express, Tele
: graph, Kemsley. Australian Consoli
dated and Self have jointl
agreed to ask our editors to deman,
the fullest inquiry into all aspects o
public relations, delays and censor
ship. We have all agreed not to fill
from this theater until assurance /
Igiven from London of an overhaul
Repeated representations here hav
had no effect"
Far East War mo Sideshow."
:; The Kemsley papers include tn
London Daily Sketch and Sunda,
; Chronicle and a number of provin
cial newspapers.
Lord Winster, commenting on tn
withholding of news for securit
} reasons, wrote:
ITO refrain from making the fact
known for fear Of assisting tn
enemy is nonsense, for the enem
knows all about them"
I'VE are badly informed abou
Burma in this country SO that ther
= is grave danger of the situation
= being underrated," he continued.
| "rTha r1oin truth ic VIC ora cor