The Wilmington morning star., 1945-01-23
CENS0RS CHARGED
WITH SUPPRESSION
Continued from Page One)

were willing to tell what Nazi
teachings had done to their daugh-
ter and how she had changed. The
correspondent, however, w a S
forbidden by Army officers to pur-
sue the matter. Further, she said,
she was told that anyway you are
not accredited to this (The First
Army and when the story is given
out it will be given first to First
Army CORES pondents.
This development of press rela-
tons officer competition to make
their areas exclusive hunting
grounds for correspondents accred-
tied to their units has been one of
the wars unwelcome developments.
Apparently it is based on an idea
that news of concern to the world
can be sliced up like a cantaloupe
and dealt out through one channel.
After three days the Ninth Army
correspondents stories wer e def
initely stopped. The reason given
was that if the fact were published
that the 6 RI had written these
things it would discourage ether
girls or boys from doing the same
and thus spoil evidence in future
arrests.
This explanation has been used
through five years of war. 1t is
kin to the old order issued to Allied
and German soldiers alike-and vi
olated wholesale by both sides
not to keep diaries that might be
of use to the enemy in the event
of capture.
Recently another similar case
cropped up in the Ninth Army but
the story already had been pass
ed and the storm fell on the hapless
censor's head. The story concerned
a campaign by Dutch churches and
other authorities to put brake on
hasty romances between Dutch
girls and American soldiers. An
American Army chaplain, at the
request of Dutch clergymen, tried
to have the story stopped.
Censorship directlves are suppos
ed to be laid down by Supreme
Headquarters and followed without
interference, with each army G-2
Intelligence section) deciding what
violates security. But there is moth
ing to prevent an irate colonel from
calling field press censors-Who are
seldom more than captains-and
putting on the pressure. Although
the captains often risk their super
iors' wrath by refusing unreason-
able demands for censorship they
are in a vulnerable position, Colo
nels can always appeal to some
high army officer who, knowing
nothing of the situation, is more
likely to listen to a colonel than
to a captain.
The toughest stories to get pass
ed are those revealing flaws in
the Allied military machine. Re-
Gently Associated Press Correspon-
dent Kenneth L. Dixon wrote dis
patch telling why some Raj air
fields were caught off guard New
Years Day when attacked by the
LuftWaffe
Ninth Army field censors, not
having authority to pass on matter
originating in another area, sent it
to Supreme Headquarters censor
ship where it was juggled like a hot
potato and then passed on to Lon
don for the British Air Ministry.
In London the dispatch finally was
passed after two or three days with
minor cuts. The delay, however,
had taken the edge off its timeli
ness.
AS Supreme Headquarters h S
mushroomed into a complex COM
mand of many armies and air
forces, Eisenhower censorship
has been pushed farther and farth-
er away from what was originally
intended as outside interference
has increased. Chief sufferers from
this, besides the correspondent, are
the field censors, who are ham,
mered from both sides. .,