Evening star., 1946-02-01

are pure. Even S$ 49, !sl$S
Elmer Davis be- 81
heyed that he, '''Ssss
too, was "objec- Frank R. Kent.
tive" in his conduct of the late and
unlamented Owl, but the charges
that quite often some very crude
administration propaganda got
mixed with American propaganda
were fully substantiated and the
agency never smelled very good. In
time of war, propaganda, of course,
is essential and proper: in time of
peace, 1t is wholly out of tune with
American precedents, principles and
professions.
That is why the Associated Press
board Of directors, supported now
by the United Press, have declined
to furnish Mr.. Benton,s organiza-
ton with their news for short
broadcasting now the war is over in
the way they did the OWL when the
war was on.
View Taken by AP.
Their point is that no matter how
well intentioned Mr.. Benton may be
no ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS news
service, information service or pub
licity service, whether supplemental,
background or whatever you choose
to call 1t, can ever be really "objec-
tive; that, no matter how it starts,
1t inevitably becomes propaganda In
the end; that for us to establish such
. service as Is proposed is to do ex-
actly the thing we have deplored
IN other nations; that soon or late
1t means an international propa-
ganda race, sure to create friction
and breed i'll will, distinctly not in
interests Of world amity and accord.
Believing this, it is easy to under
stand why our great press associa-
tions refused to put their facilities
at the, disposal of Mr.. Benton. And
this refusal was strongly indorsed
few days ago by Mr.. Christopher
Chancellor, general manager of
Reuter-, the British news agency
comparable to the Associated Press.
In speech to newspapermen here
Mr.. Chancellor criticized British
propaganda and deplored govern
mental news sponsorship anywhere
ut any time.
News" he said, "is sacred. That
Is why any handling of news by
government is so greatly to be
feared. When governments 20 into
the news business, it is very hard
to get them out again. The appetite
grows with the eating. If once you
begin to tamper with the news, even
with the highest motives, you find
yourself sliding down the slippery
slope toward pit which is bottom
less"
Exactly who conceived the idea of
converting our wartime propaganda
machine into a peacetime publicity
machine is uncertain, but it took
both clearheadedness and courage
for the Associated Press to see
through it and take firm stand
against it.
Neither the charges of the exas-
perated Mr.. Benton that it is inter-
fering with the foreign policy of
the country and refusing to CO.
operate with the Government nor
the ill-natured slurs of Mr.. Davis
over the radio, where he seems to
be about as objective" as he was
as head Of the owl, diminish the
basic soundness of the APPS position.
Can't Disguise Facts.
Nor do the local cries that Amer
lea must not be left at disadvan-
tage by having no means of making
her voice heard in the world dis
guise the facts, first, that we have
gotten along pretty well in the past
without this kind of business; sec
ond, that, call it what you will, it
Is certain ultimately, as Mr.. Chan
cellor says, to put us into competi-
ton with the propaganda of other
nations who can-and always will
beat us at that game.
OF course, there are other obiec-
tions to the establishment of this
far-fiung information service"
aside from the one that 1t takes us
along the propaganda road which
we have always regarded as repre-
hensible In peace periods.
One Of these is that it is expen-
sive at time when the great need
OF the Nation is for economy. Mr.
Benton has mentioned six to
ten millions" deficit, but conserva-
tive estimates put the cost at much
more than that. A second is that
the personnel Of the organization
is hardly first class. It is largely
composed of the dregs of the Owl,
which at its peak was none too good.
Several thousands, unable to get
civilian jobs when the OWL was
liquidated, succeeded in transfer
ring to the State Department pay
ROLAND there they cling. The plan,
1t is said, Is to man the new service
with these.
A third objection is that the
scheme is very unpopular with our
career diplomats in all parts of the
world who look with distaste at the
prospect of having these former
Owl employees thrust into their en-
bassies and legations. They take a
very dim view Of the whole scheme
and their feeling Is beginning to
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