Evening star., 1946-05-25
By Paul BelIomy

CLEVELAND, May Is (NANA) -
There is no free press in Germany
today in the sense that German
editor can say what he pleases, as
an American editor can. And I do
not see how there can be until the
active elements of Naziism have
been completely liquidated from the
German scene and the danger of
that country's falling back into such
a foul philosophy has been elimi-
mated.
Some of the members of our party
expressed regret over this fact and
had to be reminded that we had just
won a war against a relentless,
resourceful, cunning and cruel foe.
In American-occ Germany
there are at present 80 licensed
daily newspapers, that is, licensed
by the American commanders, with
total daily circulation of Alb ,814.
They are divided among papers in
Bavaria, having a circulation of
1,793,086; in Greater Hesse. 940,760;
in Wurtenberg-B Baden, 844,975; in
Berlin, 100000, and in Bremen,
1898.
Aims Explained.
The best statement on the aims of
the American military government
in handling the press problem in
Germany is to be found in speech
made April IA by Brig. Gen. Robert
A. Mcclure, director of the Infor-
nation Control Office of the mill
tary government in Germany. He
made the speech in connection
with the granting of a license to
one of the newspapers in the Amer
lean zone, namely, the Frankfurter
Neue Presse.
Freedom of speech and a free
press are things which Germans
have not had in their recent his
tory; they do not have them now,
and they will not have them in a
complete sense in the immediate
future" he said.
But they will be given means
and encouragement to develop
them. For example, bodies of Ger
man experts are eventually to be
set up, to act independently of
German governmental agencies, to
assume the administration of hcens-
ing and other operational matters
in the field of information control
so long as such licensing is neces-
sary.
But military government direc-
tives will continue to define policies
and military government authority
will continue to enforce them. Fu9-
thermore, at military government
direction, the drafting of law, based
on a reinforced version of article
118 of the Weimar Constitution,
guaranteeing a fundamental free
dom of expression, but outlawing
libelous material, is being under
taken in the Laenderrat. This is
all in accordance with the Potsdam
agreement.
No Precensorship.
eve look forward to the time
when German information services
will be completely free of admins
| trative controls and will be subject
only to general provisions of de-
Modification and to such laws guar
anteeing freedom of expression as
I have just mentioned"
Certainly no American can cavil
at this statement of objectives. The
American commanders make a
strong point of the fact that there
is no censorship prior to publication
in the German press, but that the
utterances of the German news
papers are carefully scrutinized and
the offenders promptly brought to
book.
No, this is not a free press. 1t is
press in the no mans land between
the absolutely controlled press under
absolutism and the free press in a
democracy. Whether it ever pro-
crosses beyond this no mans land
will depend on the Germans them
selves. That is, always provided
America stands by her word and re-
mains in Europe to see the JOB
through.
The Office of Information Control
also handles periodicals., books and
the radio.
Radio Rehabilitated.
In the comparatively brief period
of the occupation to date, the radio
has been rehabilitated to the extent
that almost complete broadcast
coverage has been effected for the
United States zone Our forces
found studios destroyed and trans
mitters blown up, rebuilt the sta
tions and operated them.
At present the radio in Germany
is strictly controlled by Americans
1t has not been thought wise as
/ yet to entrust any German OF
group OF Germans with the COM
plete management of a radio station
and access to the air.
1t is automatic that all Germans
specially qualified for radio were
automatically disqualified because
of their active part in the Naz
party. Germans who operated
under the Nazis and who were
forced out for political reasons will
have to be given almost as much
training as novices.
1t is inconceivable that qualified
radio executives, writers, producers
and technicians can be fully trained
in the short period of a year or two
And it is equally inconceivable that
these same Germans can be fully
! re-educated and cleansed of Naz
\ doctrines in less than a score OF
! years.