Evening star., 1948-02-19
u. ). NewsmenC CHARGE
Censorship, Coercion
By MacAnhur's S Staff
By Tom Lambert
A..seia,.a Pres. Staff Correspondent

TOKYO, Feb. 1s.-Correspondents
criticizing press policy in Japan told
Gen. Macarthur today that Army
agents raided one newsman's home
and nine others were embarrassed by
critical letters to their employers
sent by his officers.
A report of special committee
of the Tokyo Correspondents Club
said one correspondent has been
barred from Japan and others have
been harassed by attempts at in
timidation, coercion and censorship.
All this, the report charged, was
done under the guise Of military
security" It said security regula-
tions "have been used repeatedly in
an effort to control or influence the
handling of news"
No Comment From General.
There was no immediate comment
from Gen. Macarthur or his head
quarters.
The report contained these spe-
cific charges:
/. One correspondent was ex-
cluded from Japan on the basis of
vague and unsubstantiated security
allegations and the specific charge
he had shown marked antipathy
toward American policy" Pre-
sumably this is Compton Paken-
ham of Newsweek, recently barred
on the charge he associated with
Japanese of "feudalistic and mill
taristic tendencies.")
| 2. Another correspondent who
wrote stories considered critical by
authorities was subjected to inter-
rogation and threats" and his home
was raided by Army Criminal InveS-
tigation Detachment agents.
Writer'S Removal Requested.
3. "Ofhcial letters are known to
have been sent to employers of at
least nine correspondents seeking to
embarrass the correspondent in his
relations with his employer and in
number of instances requesting
the removal of the correspondent"
4. Security has been used as pre-
text for seeking removal or exclu-
sion from Japan of correspondents
who have written stories considered
critical "by one or another official. y
5. Some writer's of stories about a
political purge were branded per-
sonally by Gen. Macarthur as among
'ti1e most dangerous men in Japan
although their information came
from authorized headquarters off,
cials.
Reprisals Were Attempted.
6. Two headquarters departments
tried to take reprisals against one
correspondent who printed q story
obtained from another department
7. "At one time or another almost
every correspondent covering Gen
Macarthur headquarters has faced
the same charge Chat Of showing
marked antipathy toward Ameri-
can policy'D differing not in kind
but in degree"
The correspondents asked the su-
preme commander for "a clear dehni-
ton of peacetime security"
One copy of the committees report
went to Gen. MacArthur's Office
Another will be sent to Wilbur For
rest chairman of the Committee on
Freedom of the Press of the Ameri-
can Society Of Newspaper Editors.
Correspondents in Vienna
Protest New Regulations
VIENNA, Feb. 10 (R.-The Amer
lean Correspondents Association OF
Vienna protested to Army Secretary
Royal today against new regulations
governing travel Of correspondents
in American occupation zones.
The protest was directed against
the regulation that the occupation
zones may not be used as bases to
cover areas not under American
military jurisdiction, and that as
signments outside the zone be lin
tied to 80 days in any six-month
period.