Evening star., 1946-04-18
u. 5. 10 Investigate
Russian Influence
In Iran Censorship
Formal Protest Considered
In Efforts to Obtuin
Lifting Of Strict Bon
By the Associoted Press

Trans sudden resort to drastic
news censorship sent the State
Department on an urgent two
way quest today to determine
/. Whether the action was Rus
sian inspired, and
2. What the United States might
be able to do to get the iron Lid
lifted.
The possibility of a formal protest
is being fully explored.
Un the first Associated Press
dispatch from Teheran since the
censorship announcement, Joseph
G. Goodwin said the American
Embassy is sending a note of
protest to the Iranian Foreign
Ministry expressing grave con-
Germ" and couched in strong dip
lomatic language. Similar ac-
ton was taken by the British
Embassy.
(The dispatch said an Iranian
government executive said the
government did not consider its
action constituted censorship
Indications are that an explana-
tion is being asked from the Iranian
government of Premier Ahmed
Qavam.
This is expected to show whether
there is any connection between
yesterdays dramatic imposition OF
blind censorship" and the increas-
ing Soviet pressure on Premier
Qavam's government because of the
still pending row over Iran in the
United Nations Security Council.
Soviet Action Recalled.
The form which Iran chose fol
control over outgoing news is one
that was used in Russia from about
March l or earlier until March 20
but then partially modified.
1t is known both among newspa-
permen and within the State De-
partment as blind censorship" be-
cause it denies correspondents the
opportunity to learn what changes
have been made in their censored
dispatches. This may be used by an
unScrupulous censor to distort the
meaning of stories.
The new censorship policy as dis
closed to correspondents by the
Iranian Ministry of Posts and Tele-
graphs was reported to Washing
ton by the American Embassy at
Teheran. A State Department an
nouncement said
Notification will not be given
to foreign correspondents when
their dispatches are suspended MOI
will they be given an opportunity
by the ministry to make changes
or to discuss such suspensions OF
their dispatches ="
Action Is Strict.
The start of the censorship was
so tight, the embassy told the State
Department, that reporters were not
even allowed to inform their home
offices. The correspondents in Irar
include representatives of the Asso.
ciated Press, New York Times, Chi.
cago Tribune, United Press, Chicago
Daily News and Time magazine.
Iran has been a free-news coun-
try and, in the opinion of American
diplomatic authorities, the steady
flow of information out of thai
country during its continuing dis.
pute with Russia has served Trans
interests we'll on the whole.
1t was this fact which led to strong
suspicious among these authorize.
that censorship may have been i'm
posed at Russia's insistance. They
fear this ma, have been the same
kind of pressure which Russian
Ambassador Ivan Sadchikov is re-
ported to have employed in the last
few days to force Iran to agree tc
withdrawal of her case from the
Security Council.
A check of American officials
brought the information that at the
moment Iran appears to be the only
country in the Russian orbit which
actually has a completely blind CEN
sorship. Romania, Bulgaria. Poland
and others were described here as
having imposed varying degrees OF
control on outgoing news dispatches
but with nothing now as extreme
as the form applied by Iran.
The seriousness with which the
State Department views the Iranian
situation was high lighted by the fact
that full announcement was made
within hours after the information
on censorship reached the depart
ment from the embassy in Teheran