Evening star., 1944-07-01
Letters to The Star
Interruption Of Hoover Address
Deplored BY Listener

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To the Editor Of Ths Star:
The Republican convention In Chicago
now is history. What additional chap
ters are added to the book will be die
tated by the American people At the
polls.
Press and radio have done superb
Job OF reporting the COP gathering.
We, the public, are grateful.
Once again, We thank God very
humbly for the privilege OF living under
the daily protection Of our incompa-
rable American Constitution and Bill OF
Rights. Yet. If the political utterances
and the platform Of the present Repub-
lican party are any particular index,
we are being threatened seriously now
with the loss of most of those liberties
which we have priced throughout many
generations.
From all indications. we are winning
the war abroad, II advancing and con-
quering the lost territory OF our allies
and ourselves is any reliable indication.
We have trusted our civil and military
the American people, who. am sure,
can stand bad news as well as good
reports.
Yet now, and frankly, are we winning
the domestic issues of our own war on
the home front? recall that during
the previous conflict of 19l4-l9ls, while
living in a small country then ut war.
but which has been neutral this time,
the powers Of censorship bungled mat
ters. A simple, yet vital commodity,
such As corn and corn meal, which was
the source Of bread for millions of
people ran very short. Soon after this,
large white spaces began appearing In
the newspapers which had been report
ing the situation, showing that the cen
sors had obliged the editors to delete
sections OF type. Any one may imagine
what effect this crude censoring had
upon the people, who began putting two
and two together.
Controlling the press and the radio
in this war, under the limitations of the
Constitution and the right Of civilians
In wartime. has reached more subtle,
yet obviously more dangerous form of
restraint. Whereas the police powers
of the Nation may not be standing di-
rectly over the editorial desks or in
the radio control rooms debating what
shall be or shall not be said to the pub
lie, the form of physical sanctions now
in effect may have a direct bearing on
what the American people may know
Of those real and vital issues now pre-
vailing in their political life. Spe-
cifically speaking, the amount of news
print or printing stock, in monthly or
quarterly quotas Of their previous re-
quirements so materially reduced, dc
tates to publishers what news shall be
printed or none at all
Having written about news and per-
sonal views in the public and private
press In three languages, and in Is
many countries, during the past quarter
OF century. I know something about
the defense which editors could put up
In favor Of their rational liberties of the
freedom OF the press when they are
unrestrained by finances, high costs,
crushing taxation, shortage OF news
print, verbal and physical coercion. and
many other factors.
Now to arrive at the purpose of this
discussion: At one point early In the
speech delivered by former President
Herbert Hoover to the COP convention
last Tuesday evening, June n, noticed
that several parts Of Mr. Hoovers
speech faded out. Then I heard very
distinctly during the interval. a low
voice, presumably OF a radio engineer,
saying anxiously, This isn't going over
the air."
I was listening to VOL. our Mutual
radio outlet here in Washington, D. c.
My wife, who also was listening to this
speech, said, Something has happened"
We still could hear the audience mur-
mur in the background. A few seconds
later, Mr.. Hoover was heard again with
out further interruptions. His speech
will 60 down in history as one of the
most dramatic and most ardent Of his
whole career. He meant every word of
1t. We passed by that interruption,
believing it was merely technical break.
Expecting to see the whole speech in
print next day in q morning paper, and
certainly In an evening paper here in
Washington, I indeed was very much
disappointed, and, I would venture to
say, millions of other fellow admirers
Of Mr.. Hoover, who were not able to see
the full text Of his speech, especially to
mi in for ourselves the deletion caused
by the break in radio communications
over the network to which we were
tuned.
No, we are not being fooled all the
time, nor even part of the time. Sooner
or later the truth will come out. It is
too potent a matter to keep under cover.
We ask very directly: If the powers
that be can SO effectively, even though
by methods of indirection, oblige a free
press to condense a major political
speech. which millions of other people
did not hear due to their present occu-
pational duties, what chance will other
men have to reveal the truth of vital
issues affecting all our national free
doms? How would men of another DO
litical persuasion wish to be treated,
If the shoe were on the other foot?
Let this not happen again, again,
again and again, American voters, and
fellow citizens OF a free Nation! See
you all at the polls next November.
I'll cast my vote in our own precinct
here In the free State OF Maryland.
CHARLES ALLEN RENTTRO.
DisaSrees With Mellett