Evening star., 1948-10-19


hearing Associate Justice Robert H.
Jackson, chief American prosecutor
at the Nuremberg war crimes trials,
define the basic American freedoms
at dinner last night in the Statler
Hotel.
One of the most important of
these rights, the justice said, is
freedom of the press. He pointed
out that when the Nazis made all
sources of public information into
propaganda outlets even Hitler
himself was sometimes deceived by
suppression of information"
The dinner at which the visiting
editors and publishers were guests
of the four Washington newspapers
climaxed two busy days of sight
seeing, luncheons, dinners and in
terviews with Washington officials
who agencies are engaged in pro-
noting the welfare of Germany and
Europe.
Weimar Error Recalled.
Mr.. jackson pointed out that even
the Weimar Republic before Hitler
came to power made fatal mis-
take by including a clause in the
constitution allowing the freedom
of the press to be suspended in
emergency.
Emergency powers, the justice
reasoned, tend to invite emergen-
cies. The provision for emergency
suspension of civil rights in the
short life of the republic was in
voked as many as $50 times by
different governments and for diff
ferent kinds Of emergencies" JUS
tice Jackson continued, land be-
came the only basis for the claim of
the Hitler dictatorship to legiti-
macy"
BY comparison, the Justice said
that while our press and other
freedoms are not perfectly secured,
the government has no ready
weapon for their overthrow, such
as the Weimar constitution provided.
Freedom of the press here Is a
legal right. enforceable in court, and
is not q mere privilege possessed at
sufferance Of the existing govern
ment."
Peoples Rights Secure.
The broad general rights enjoyed
by the American people, Mr.. jackson
said, are protection against
charges like treason.
ut may interest you to know" he
said, 'that in the 160 years of our
history, which includes a civil war,
no man has even been executed
for treason ..
1--WE have always regarded opposi-
ton to the policies of the Govern
ment as the legitimate right of the
citizen, so long as it is pursued with
out attempt or purpose violently to
overthrow the Government, and the
only thing we have regarded as
basically criminal Is betrayal =.
"It may be appropriate to point
out that the American press, better
than the press of many countries,
has been able to maintain in prac-
tice its theoretical rights because it
has in unique degree identified its
own interests with those of the pub
lie. Our press, with negligible ex-
ceptions, does not consist of what
are primarily party organs, subsi-
died by party treasures.
War Restrictions Cited.
The justice said that the right of
the free press is not secure If the
right to fair trial by courts and
juries, uninflamed by appeals to
passion and in an atmosphere not
poisoned by false rumor, is lost"
The justice foresaw, however, GER
tain restrictions of this freedom in
event of total war in the future.
"A war which would mean con-
scription, first, of capital, and then
of labor" he continued, land a
fight against fifth-column activities
certainly means sharp curtailment
of our customary liberties, includ-
ing that of the press. But mill
tarization, whether in Germany or
in America, is not and cannot be
compatible with our type OF free
society,""
Mr.. Jackson said the false in
formation circulated by the Nazi
propaganda machine even fooled
Hitler and his top generals. "Goer-
ing, for instance, again and again
would forbid the passing up of in
formation which might be regarded
as 'defeatist.' I suspect other die
tators are also deceived by their
own bureaucracy"
At the Pentagon yesterday after
noon the Germans heard q new
concept of Army responsibility to
the population of q defeated nation.
Assistant Secretary of the Army
Tracy Voorhees, told the Germans
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