Evening star., 1945-05-19
Office Of Censorship
Removes Many Bars
a ,3f.. 4
On European News
Ey the Associated Press.

The ONCE of Censorship's new
press-radio code removes most of the
restrictions on European military
news and lowers other bars against
domestic news relating to the war.
Director Byron Price, releasing the
hberalized code yesterday, said:.
There are those, I believe, who
think censorship in this country
should continue in full force in con-
nection with the policing of the
peace in Europe. I happen to be
one of those who take the opposite
view.
Purpose Attained.
Censorship was provided for by
Congress and has been endured by
the people for the sole purpose of
winning the war-and the only war
we are now engaged in Is with
Japan"
Some of the changes in the new
code:
Troop movements. except those
alerted for transfer to the Pacific,
can be reported. This modification
also applies to troops in Europe who
are coming to the United States be-
fore going to the Pacific, but con-
tinues restrictions regarding units
headed Immediately for the Far
East
All weather information is pub
lishable
The ban on sabotage news is re-
moved, as is the section covering air
raids.
Can Identify Units.
Soldiers can be identified as men,
bers of particular military units, ex-
cept those in or going directly to the
Pacific.
Restrictions on movements of air.
craft, except those in or bound for
the Pacific -Asiatic theater, are
lifted.
Information regarding rate of
production for war goods, data on
exports and imports and on stock
piles of strategic materials are pub
lishable. The new code, however,
continues restrictions on news of
new or secret weapons" or the
identity of plants making them i
Information on prisoners of war
except Japanese, and enemy aliens
henceforth is usable.
The code defines the Pacific
Asiatic theater of operations as:
The Far Eastern combat zone, in
cluding the Southwestern Alaskan
Peninsula, the land and water areas
of the entire Pacific Ocean except
the coastal waters of South America,
and extending westward on land and
sea to and including Alden, Cape
town and the east coast of Africa.
Will Issue Copies.
Editors and broadcasters will re-
ceive printed copies Of the new code
next week.
Mr.. Price told a news conference
yesterday that his Office has made a
80 per cent reduction in the work of
collecting economic information
cleaned from the scanning of inter-
national business communications.
In Government circles the system
is described as intercept" 1t OPP
crates somewhat in this fashion:
Gable or postal censors, making
routine checks of communications
going out of or coming into the
country, watch for information of
interest to military intelligence,
economic information relating to
stockpiles, or other references to
material of value in the war effort.
Such information is relayed to vari-
Gus interested Government agencies
Cite Past Complaints.
In the past. complaints have been
made about the use of such infor-
nation, notably in the case of inter-
cepts made in communications from
Alaska and more recently by Miss
Vivien Kellems, Westport (Conn)
industrialist, who had correspond
ence with a German businessman in
South America. The censorship Of
fee says copies of the intercepts
are given to other Government
agencies only as highly confidential
material and should not find their
way to public channels.
Mr.. Price said the operations of
his Office already have been cut SUBJ
stantially in the nonnews field. add
ing that expenditures for censorship
of press and radio material repre-
sent only about one-half of l per
cent of the total cost of running the
office.
President Truman, in his recent
budget recommendations, proposed
a reduction of $4,000, 900 in the item
for censorship.
Explaining how this was accom-
plished, Mr.. Price said substantial
reductions" have been made in the
corps of censors concerned with
mail, cable and other censorship. At
its peak in 1943, censorship en-
ployed 14,500 persons. Congress au-
thorized for the current year force
of 14,167, but on April only 9,999
were on the rolls, Mr.. Price said.
He has requested appropriations for
$3.50 employees during the next fiscal