Evening star., 1948-01-05
Military Secrecy in q Free Society

organized SclenLluc research curing the
past war produced military weapons and
devices that will change the nature of
future warfare Such organized research
is continuing in peacetime. It is vital to
national security. And part OF that
security depends upon secrecy-the sort Of
secrecy which protects the element of
surprise and leaves potential enemy
without means of defense.
The proper protection of that sort OF
military scientific secrecy in peacetime
has become complicated problem. AS a
free people, with a free press, we are
suspicious of secrecy. We are reluctant to
trust anybody with the determination of
what our people should and should not
know, especially unwilling to let such
decisions rest in the hands of the military.
Free interchange of knowledge, moreover,
is in itself a powerful stimulating force
toward scientific invention and discovery.
How. are we going to retain both-the
ordinary advantages of surprise in devel-
opment of new weapons, and the freedom
Of information, freedom Of the press and
freedom from enforced censorship which
are so important in the preservation of
all other freedoms? If we resort to laws
alone in the protection of restricted infor-
nation, we run the risk of losing in one
direction as much as we might gain in the
other. Yet our freedom of the press and
kindred freedoms, unless there is strict
regard for the responsibilities which
accompany them, can in themselves
menace the national security on which
those freedoms depend
An incident last month, though perhaps
unimportant In itself, illustrates the
nature of the problem. A magazine,
Aviation Week, reported development of
a supersonic airplane which military
authorities regard as highly secret. The
Department of Justice is looking into
statutory grounds for action. It is highly
improbable that anything can or should
be done under existing law to this maga-
zine. But, in certain circumstances,
whether or not they were present In this
case, a publication of this sort could be
of great disadvantage to the national
interest.
There is no easy or quick solution of
the dilemma thus presented. But 1t would
considered. One is to impress upon the
consciousness of communications media in
the country the danger of careless news
treatment of new developments in certain
fields. The other is to set up in Govern
ment a responsible source of advisory
information, available to press and RADIO
concerning subjects whose disclosure
would be prejudicial to the country's
defense. The lack of any such agency now,
together with the contradictory advice
which sometimes is given by sources
within the Government and the inclina-
ton of such sources themselves to talk
out of turn, create confusion. The sue
cess of voluntary censorship during the
war was to large extent due to the cen
tralization of advisory authority in the
Office of Censorship and the wisdom with
which its policies were applied in dealing
with press and radio. It's advisory word
was not law But its advice commanded
respect.
The revival Of some such method in
peacetime for preservation of reasonable
military security would provoke normal
skepticism under any conditions and some
outright opposition. But In meeting an
unprecedented condition in the world
today, such machinery might be helpful
to the press in discharge of the RESPONSE
bility it shares with Government. If the
press lacks responsibility, its freedom is in
jeopardy under any conditions.