Evening star., 1945-08-06

This is an awful lot OF money
None of it is to be spent in this
country. 1t is all to be used abroad
eone way or another, for the benefit
of countries over there on the theory
that we cannot prosper here until
and unless there is economic stabil-
ity there.
Conceding the correctness of this
view, it does seem that our Govern
ment and our people are at least
entitled to full knowledge of con-
ditions in the countries our money is
going to help. Certainly, we have a
right to know how and for what
our money is to be spent. Certainly
there is no justification for any
country asking and receiving aid
from us hiding things from us OF
putting obstacles in the way of our
acquiring all the facts as to what
goes on.
Question Of Censorship.
And that brings us squarely face
to face with the question of Russian
censorship and suppression of news
"a fact recognized at the PotSdam
Conference and dealt with in para
graph IL Of the official communique,
which states that the conferees
"have no doubt that in view of the
changed conditions representatives
of the Allied press will enjoy full
freedom to report to the world upon
developments in Romania, Bulgaria,
Hungary and Finland"
1t would be interesting to know
why Poland and Austria are omitted
from this list. 1t also would be
interesting to know whether this
expectation of free access" to the
facts will be realized. Similar ex-
pectations in the past have not been.
Already skepticism is being evinced.
Living up to the avowed expectation
involves a complete and radical
change in Russian policy. 1t means,
If it means anything, an aban-
donment Of the Russian censorship,
which has strangled the news
wherever Russians control.
Sensible Americans do not want to
"bait" Russia. Sensible Americans
want to be friendly with Russia, to
understand Russia, cooperate and
live" with Russia. Also, they want
to help Russia and our plans now
call for financial as well as other
forms of aid to Russia for some
years to come. But these are not
reasons why we should be incurably
sappish in our dealings with Russia.
The fact is that in this matter
OF information or news the Rus
slams do not cooperate and are
not helpful-so little so, in fact,
that not only in Russia but in large
territories now under Russian con-
troll, free access to the facts is de-
MED both ourselves and the British.
Today, in Eastern Germany, in
Poland, Romania, Bulgaria, Yugo-
slavia, Finland, Hungary and Aus
tria, the facts are almost completely
veiled from the world. Russian cor
respondents, who are government
controlled, are in these countries.
But free access is denied both
American and British correspond
ents. And even when they are
guardedly admitted, they are un-
able to write freely because of the
Russian censorship.
Varied Stories Leak Out.
The result is that from all these
countries there have leaked out
many and varied but always un-
confirmed stories Of what is hap
pening therein, some of which ap-
pear designed to put the Russians
in very poor light. These stories
sometimes get printed and in any
event are widely spread.
There is no way to find out the
truth. In the absence of any mill
tary reason for secrecy, Russia S
own interest should be served by
full information. Yet, full informa-
ton is not obtainable. AS. Mr.. Ed
win l.. James recently wrote in the
New York Times:
THE cold, hard fact Is that the
people of this country have no idea
of what goes on in Russian-occu-
pied territory. But the Russians
can-and do-know what goes on
in American and British occupied
territory because these correspond
ents, including Russians, are free
to tell about it."
In brief, the Russians have full
information about us but make it
impossible for us to get full in
formation about them or their con-
trolled territory.
If there is reasonable justifica-
ton or defense for this, it has not
been advanced. Our State Depart
ment recognizes the unfairness of
this situation and Under Secretary
Joseph Grew recently declared that
the department had been "for some
time pressing the Soviet authorities
to let American correspondents en-
ter Eastern and Southeastern Eu-
rope so as to report accurately to