Evening star., 1944-02-21

AZ uAoAC AAuttCAo CfCll WOISC, tklC
day the Bari story finally broke,
United States troops invaded New
Britain, the RAF resumed its bomb
ing of Berlin-as did the American
Army Air Forces-President Roose-
velt came home, Prime Minister
Churchills illness was announced
and there was a major. train wreck
on the Atlantic Coast. All this is
another way of saying that the
Little Pearl Harbor" incident did
not receive the attention it de-
served and would have received II
the story had broken earlier.
Thus, we can be perfectly sure
that Owls job in this field is by
no means finished. AS matter of
fact, the necessity for this work will
grow rather than diminish, particu-
larly since our major military ac-
tions both in the European and Pa
cif1c theaters are still ahead Of us
Our experiences after the last war
taught us that news suppressed to-
day becomes news distorted tomor-
row. The distortion may be an
exaggeration or 1t may be an under
statement, but in either event the
people do not get q clear picture of
the cost Of victory. Since the Amer
ican people depend on the press of
the Nation for the first outlines of
this picture-the scope, the proper
tions, and the general contours
the owl must continue to see that
the press has the materials for max
ing this outline. To do this, the
Owl must continue to exercise ex-
pert care in scanning daily COM
muniques-our own, those of the
other United Nations and even those
of the enemy-for developments the
Importance of which might be over
looked by the military.
owl Must Be Reporter.
In addition, it must continue to
hold the confidence of those who
control the flow of military news so
that free and frank discussion on
all points, especially those In dis
pute, can be carried on and the
continuing access to all news on all
military developments be maintain
ed. Finally, the owl must continue
to act as reporter, either on as
slgnment or on its own initiative.
in digging up details of stories fire.
quently lost in formal military
reports.
But the job of getting out the
military news, as important as it
is, is only part of Owls job. The
number two function of Owl which
I outlined at the time of taking
office is ito obtain and correlate the
news Of all of the agencies of the
Government concerned with the
war" After six months in Wash
ington, 1t is my firm belief that
1t Is necessary and vital that there
be a civilian agency in Washington
at the service of the press, whose
job 1t Is to see that America is in
formed about the war.
In the last few months. report
ing of the war in the Pacific has
been done surprisingly we'll Great
credit should go to the Army and
Navy and Marine Corps, but some
credit, perhaps the most important
credit, should go to the Office of
War Information for continued in
sistence that no less than q police
beat job of coverage of the war
would satisfy the American public.
Improvement Stressed.
The news reporting from Tarawa,
New Britain and the Marshall Is
lands certainly leaves little to be
desired-eyen from the standpoint
Of the most exacting of news edi-
tors. 1t is my belief that a similar
type OF news coverage will be given
to succeeding engagements against
the japanese.
On the western front, the prob
lem is little more complicated,
because here British censorship has
to be taken into consideration. The
reporting of the battle for Rome
has not approached the stories of
Tarawa and New Britain. When
the invasion starts, it will be more
than important-it will be vital
that the American public be given
a play-by-play account of what may
easily be the greatest battle in the
history of the world.
To this end, George H. Lyon, vet
eran newspaper editor and cur
rently deputy director of the do
mestic branch of the Office of War
Information, is in England to work
out with the military authorities
the kind of coverage that America
must have if they are to know what
this greatest battle of history is
like. In this venture, Mr.. Lyon and
Owl will vitally need the support
OF press and public alike.
The American public and press
should be satisfied with no less than
the complete story as it unfolds.
They should unite in demanding
that they be kept fully informed
within the limits of security and
without giving information to the
enemy. However, it is my Judgment
that this will enable military au-
thorities to give out the story pretty
much as it occurs.
(Released through N.ANA.)