Evening star., 1945-02-22
Censorship Upheld
On Presidents S Trips
Writer Urges Press to Keep All
Information From Foe
By Dapid laurence


By David Laurence
Are the Nazis responsible for some of
the plane crashes that have occurred
just before or after certain major inter-
national conferences have been held
abroad?
This question is asked in view Of the
fact that study of the, dates of Inn
portant plane crashes in and around
certain European areas seems to show
that they occurred about the week when
important officials were going or coming
from European conferences.
1t is asked also because some discus
sion has arisen as to the wisdom of the
rather rigid regulations governing the
Withholding from publication OF news
OF the movements Of the President or
high oficials OF the Government.
There has been some complaint lately
here among newsmen that the restric-
tions are not needed and that it is fool
ish to impose them when press dis
patches from European capitals which
refer to movements OF high officials of
this and other governments can be
printed under the censorship code, the
assumption being that the censors In
foreign capitals have passed on them.
The American press has rigidly re-
strained itself and has splendid record
In that respect. If, however, news
papers in foreign countries are PUBLISH
ing information about the movements of
the President or the Prime Minister.
this Is shocking disregard of precau-
ton
Reform lies in the direction of per
suading the press abroad to give the
same obedience to the purposes of the
rule as do Americans, rather than In
the lifting of such rules here In the
United States.
Jonathan Daniels Supported.
Jonathan Daniels, who is acting In
the capacity Of press relations ofiicer at
the White House these days, was criti-
cized recently for refusing to confirm
something that came In from abroad
about Harry Hopkins visit to Paris.
This was right. The American record
OF sticking literally to the secrecy rule
must not be marred just because there
has been a violation abroad.
Nothing official has been disclosed
about the mysterious plane accidents
that have occurred before some of the
big conferences abroad. Naturally no.
body is going to say it was sabotage
when there is no official proof.
Ma ri !
out leaving trace anyway. But it is
odd that when President Roosevelt was
on his way to the Cairo Conference,
which began November ~, 1943, there
was crash OF Navy transport plane
IN Brazil on November 20 and 18 persons
were killed. Did the Nazis have the
wrong date and the wrong plane and
was this crash the result of the planting
OF time bombs somewhere on the plane
or some other failure of mechanical
operation related to sabotage, or was it
just routine accident?
Again, about the time of the Casa
blanca Conference in January, l943, a
number OF American and British flyers
were killed in a plane crash outside
London
On June 3, 1943, the British news
papers reported q considerable amount
OF anxiety over the whereabouts of
Prime Minister Churchill's plane over
the Bay of Biscay, and on June
big commercial transport plane OF the
British government was shot down OF
Portugal, resulting in the death Of Les
lie Howard, the British actor.
1t will be recalled that in July, l943.
Prime Minister Sikorski of Poland and
Is others were killed in a plane crash
off Gibraltar after attending an inter-
national conference
Most recent was the crash Of
plane on February l, when u mem
bers of the British mission to the Yalta
Conference were lost en- route to the
conference
Maybe all these plane crashes are
mere condolences, but it would not
be surprising if all or some were the
result of attempts by enemy agents
to thwart the Journeys of high on
cials of the Allied governments.
Under the circumstances, 1t would
appear that the European press has
been lax in printing information abou,
the big conferences before they ar.
held
Opposes News in Advance.
There would seem to be no eooe
reason why any mention should b,
made in advance of the intention Of
/ the President or the Prime Minister
to hold conferences so long as every
bit Of information is furnished prompt.
" to the press when the high ofaciah
have returned home safely.
| It would be most unfortunate should
any accidents occur involving any OF
the high officials of our Government or
| Allied governments, If any blame or
responsibility ever could be attached
to the American press for failing to
guard these secrets. The movements Of
the President ought to be Kept secret
at all times when he is outside the
White House
When he has finished q Journey.
there should be complete publicity Thus
the interests of military security and
reporting Of the publics business are
| fully served.
This correspondent has been in WASH
ington - years and has never known
OF single precaution taken by the
Secret Service In guarding the life Of
the President that was not based on
sound reasoning in the art of pro-
lection, and it is doubly desirable that
even news Of methods of taking pre-