Evening star., 1946-01-18
Benton Requests AP
To Probe Government
Information Program

Information Program
BY the Associated Press
Assistant Secretary of State vii
liam Benton yesterday requested
that the Associated Press Board O
Directors name a committee to in.
vestigate the United States in.
formation program abroad.
The request was made in a lettel
TO Robert Mclean, president of the
Philadelphia Evening Bulletin anc
president of the AP.
Mr.. Benton, who directs the Gov.
. ernment's foreign information pro.
gram, wrote to protest termination
of a wartime arrangement whereby
AP news was given to the Office oi
War Information and, later, to the
State Department, for overseas
broadcasts and other uses.
The Associated Press boards ac-
/ ton was made public Monday with
a statement that the board believes
Government cannot engage ir
newscasting without creating the
fear of propaganda which neces-
sarily would reflect on the objec-
tivity of the news services from
which such newscasts are pre-
pared"
UP to Withdraw Service.
The United Press followed Wednes-
day night with an announcement,
made through it's president, Hugh
Baillie, that it would discontinue
availability of the UP news report
for Government overseas broadcasts.
Mr.. Baillie said the UP disagreed
with Mr.. Benton's contention that
the services of American press as
sociations were essential to con-
tinuance of Government broadcaSts,
but AIDED the UP had agreed to con-
tinue the present arrangement un-
til Mr.. Benton has further opppor-
tunity to lay his case before u.s.
Mr.. Benton's letter to Mr.. Mclean
was dated Wednesday, He told the
AP board president he was releasing
the letter to the press because "the
American people have a vital in
terest in the issues involved"
Mr.. Benton termed the AP de-
cision arbitrary" and asserted it
was based on assumptions about the
Government newscasting program
for which there appear to be no
foundation in fact" He said the
AP action was taken without an
effort by your board to examine the
facts"
Mclean Issues Reply.
In Philadelphia, Mr.. Mclean is
sued this statement: "Mr. Benton's
letter is astonishing in the charges
that the Board of Directors of the
Associated Press acted arbitrarily
and without knowledge of the facts,
since representatives of the depart
ment had, at his request, discussed
proposals with the top executive
staff of the Associated Press and
with the Board of Directors at its
special meeting last November. The
board, thereupon, authorized con-
tlnuation of service for distribution
by agencies Of the Government in
most Of the areas to which Mr.. Ben
ton refers, where the aftermath of
war has created special problems,
bat this was evidently not satisfac-
tory to the department.
Members of the board are all
newspapermen and are deeply ap-
preciative of the problems through
out the world and of the efforts of
the Department of State to increase
the free flow and interchange of
news, besides having the fullest un-
derstanding Of the aims of the
United States. The boards state
ment applauded the activities Of the
department in behalf of these pur-
poses"
Called Obstacle to Policy.
Mr.. Benton said the AP discon-
tinuance creates an obstacle to the
conduct Of American foreign policy"
The AP, Mr.. Benton added, was
taking responsibility for Judging
and hamstringing the Governments IS
shortwave broadcasting" and was
"impugning the objectivity of news
agencies that continue to provide
news for this broadcasting
This reflection upon the United
Press and International News Serv-
ice regard as grossly unfair and
unwarranted," he said.
Because of the serious nature of
your charges, I ask you, in the
public interest, to expose your Board
Of Directors and members to the
facts" Mr.. Benton wrote. II urge
upon you a full investigation con-
Quoted with the objectivity you
seek.
Wants Services to Take Over.
MY confident expectation is that
such study will demonstrate that
there is no conflict between inter-
ests of the AP. as judged by your
board, and the national interest
as I'have outlined it," Mr.. Benton
said.
Mr.. Benton said the Government
information program - including
short-wave broadcasting-was es-
sential to bring understanding of
American policies in parts of the
world otherwise "blacked out" from
news about this country.
He said he would be happy" if
the AP, in conjunction with other
wire services and private broad
casters would take over the short
wave operation "and bear the deficit,
which will average from six to ten
million dollars a year if the job
is done adequately
Confession in SIoying