Evening star., 1945-09-05

aSned, the Idea Is to have the State
Department take over part of its
5,000-odd personnel as United
States Information Service abroad.
This desire is attributed to the de-
partment, but it seems more likely
to have come from the payroll boys.
However, it cannot be charged
against Mr.. Elmer Davis, head of
the Owl, who is reported as in
f1exibly determined to return to pri-
vate life and radio employment.
Most observers will applaud his de-
cision. Few, indeed, will want to
change it. Nevertheless, even under
more gifted leadership the notion
Of entrdnching thousands of these
Owl boys does not appeal.
A plausible excuse Is being made
out but plausible excuses are al
ways made out for keeping on the
Government rolls employees in dam
ger of separation therefrom. The
move is anything but popular in
the department and among the
more experienced diplomats is re-
garded as unsound as it is unneces-
sary.r>
Congress Objections Due.
1t is certain. too, that members
of Congress who for a long time
have had.a low opinion of Owl will
object to having any part of it
transferred to the State or any other
department.
Particularly will this seem often
sive to those who for years have
been fighting the increase in Fed
eral employees and are now calling
for big reduction in the 5000, 900
Or more civilians On the payrolls
Almost from the start the Owl per-
sonnel has been under fire as largely
composed of second-rate radicals,
some OF whom have sought to use
the agency for the dissemination of
thelr own po litical ideas and aims.
.Ihese thi1lgs have been frequently
charged, snd, of course, denied.
But the dfnials have not been con-
snG,ng Se mase a3'd allegations continued to
Frequently says the magazine
News Week, the owl has lost pub
lie anH professional respect by such
gaucHeries as describing the Ameri-
can West for the Russians as a
desert and by left-wing
handling of domestic and foreign
, Information"
In face Of these and other Incl
dents Of its turbulent career 1t does
seem that If the State Department
must expand its information serv-
ice or establish one, it would be re-
luctant to recruit from this bat
tered and notoriously unharmoni-
Gus group.
Early this year feeling against
owl was so intense in Congress that
1t narrowly missed annihilation. 1t
took the combined efforts of the
White House, Army and Navy to
save it. 1t was made very clear
that the Owl was tolerated only
because of alleged military necessity.
This can no longer be invoked,
but the argument for a peacetime
State Department owl is that other
nations have official propaganda
outlets and various subsidized news
agencies-and therefore we must
match them.
Repugnant to American Taste.
There are several reasons against
the proposed step. One is that the
notion of any peacetime Govern
ment subsidized news or informa
ton service is repugnant to Amer
lean taste and practice. Another Is
that even If this were not so the
flavor, color and record of the OWI'.
wartime performance makes unpal.
atable the idea of having any part
Of it as peacetime proposition.
That the State Department coulc
find an easier, less expensive ane
more effective means of acquaintins
the world with the American posi-
ton and gathering information il
certain. The rest might safely b.
left to the free American press il
whose nostrils the OWL always lef
an unpleasant odor.
Unpopular during the war, al
eflasculated OWL will be still NOR
unpopular in period of peace
Americans never will rid themselve;
of the thought that such an agenc,
can be used by the administration
in power for its own purposes.
At any rate, let even part of th'
owl become permanent, and it will
grow as all such agencies do. Th
whole suggestion of its perpetuatio,
is a. bad one.
It will keep lot of jobholders Oh
the payroll who should not be there
It will negative the efforts of thos
who want to eliminate waste. l
tends to promote the coloring o
news, which is not good for tn
national health. It will co littl
appreciable good.
It has been the custom Of tn