Evening star., 1945-03-30

these agencies, 1'''''''
which had been Frank r. Kent.
deferred so as to give them time te
further "evsIuate war needs"
Some, 1t is true, reduced their re-
quests, but others asked for more
and the total reduction was much
less than half what had been antici.
pated. 1t is interesting to note tina,
the two agencies which, proportion.
ately, propose the largest reduction
are the two generally recognized a.
having done the best jobs-to wit
The Office of Censorship, under
Byron Price and the Office oi
Strategic Services, under Maj. Gen
William J. Donovan.
The latter has cut his appropria.
ton from $56,000,000 in 1945 te
$4,000, 900 for 1946. And Mr.. Price
proposes a Is per cent cut from
$25, ,674,0 900 in 1945 to $19,150,000 fol
1916, though the presence in this
country of several hundred thousand
German prisoners whose outgoing
and incoming mail must be censored
imposes an additional burden on the
censor's Office for an definite time
Demands Questioned.
BY contrast, the Office of War
Information finds itself able to re-
duce less than million and a half
from it's large 1945 budget of $55,-
535,0OO.
It Is also noted that the Office of
Co-ordinator of Inter-American At
fairs thinks it must have $15,880, 900
for the next fiscal year, which is
only million or so less than it had
this year. Undoubtedly, there will
be considerable reluctance in Con-
gress to provide so much money for
these two agencies, and they both
will be called upon to justify such
small reductions.
In the case of the Co-ordinator of
Inter-American Affairs, its former
head, Nelson Rockefeller, is now
Assistant Secretary of State in
charge of inter American affairs.
In view of this, there was every ex-
pectation that his old agency would
leave the field. To continue at an
annual cost of s15,000,000 would
seem an unnecessary and expensive
duplication.
AS to the Owl and It's request for
$54 100000, two questions are being
asked: First, with the war in Europe
over before this fiscal year ends,
why should not the necessity for
very large part of the Owl Euro
pean service cease to exist?
Elmer Davis, speaking from Lon
don, asserts the Owl will be needed
after the war to "re-educate" the
Germans by giving them "factual
news" But that is what the State
Department plans to do, and Mr.
Davis admits there is a prospect the
department will absorb some of
Owls information activities" Sec
ond, conceding some jurisdiction for
Owl propaganda in the Pacific
theater, how can that justify so
huge an appropriation? Third, if
the State Department plans, as an
nounced, to acquaint the world with
the American position and dissent
nate American news, what excuse re-
mains for continued owl opera
ton In the European field? Fourth,
If Owl continues next year on any
such scale as $4,000, 900 would seem
to indicate, will it not overlap the
publicity of the State Department
to the confusion of both?
Face News Study.
There may be adequate answers
to these questions, but they are not
generally known in Congress, and
they, with others. are certain to be
asked. In fact, before the debate
on these appropriations is over, the
whole question of the Government
and the news is likely to be thrashed
out.
A London dispatch last week con-
corning the State Department. Is
prospective absorption of the owl
said that this would be part of a
!ong-range plan to promote better
understanding of this country
abroad and clearer comprehension
of world affairs among Americans
at home" IT, as Edwin L. James
OF the New York Times points out,
this means what it says, then the
Government will both send out and
bring in news.
1t is known that, as part of the
Stettinius efficiency plans, the State
Department Is preparing to equip
every American Embassy and Le-
cation with a press agent or, if you
choose, a public relations officer.
The wisdom of this may be ques-
toned, but it isn't nearly as impor-
tant as this proposal to send out
and bring in news.
That would practically put us into
the same game Of propaganda
news" which other governments
have long played and which has
never been favorably looked upon
in this country. It would seem to
infringe upon the field very well
filled by private enterprise in the
form of the American press asso.
Citations, to say nothing of various
individual newspapers.
Up to now, Mr.. james says, there
has been general condemnation of
Government dissemination of news,
particularly in times of peace. Up
to now our leaders and Government
have regarded such news as "poi-
soned" and have held that the pri-
vate collection and distribution of
ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS