Evening star., 1949-04-24

Success, has been attempting 10
write q convention designed Ia
promote greater freedom 70 cor
respondents and others ensagcd
in the gathering. traasfnittlng and
publishing Of news throughout the
world. the last veStlge Of a free
press disappeared in Argentina
The reron government has not
only confiscatec ali the ne@spytnt
owned by individual newspapers
and publishing companies. but IL
has set up a government monopoly
and a political bureaucracy !oE the
importation and distribution Of
the product III the future
L. S. Newsmen Targets
On April II. ls+s. amid consid =
cradle pomp and publicity. the Ar
gentine President and his wife in
augurated The Voice OF Arsen-
tina" q series Of daily. short wave
hroadcasts TO give the United
States and the world what they
called the truth" about their
country Yet. as ! can testify
from experience, no radio coEre-
spondent In Buenos Aires can
transmit a broadcast 10 the United
States or 10 any other country
unless II conforms TO the wishes
Of the authorities, NewseastS and
news commentaries within the
country are under the strictest su-
pervision OF the government
Since Peron came TO power
first as dictator in ls&3 and after
his formal election as President In
1916. foreign correspondents. and
especially representatives OF the
United States pieSs and radio
have been the continual targets
Of PeroniSta wrath.
Correspondents OF individual
United States newspapers in this
country have been publicly de-
nounced. threatened and even
arrested and jailed.
On September -. ls4s. Peron
himself. in q speech from the
BALCONY OF the presidential palace
accused the entire corps Of United
States negsmen in Argentina as
being Yankee spies aud sabo-
teurs." Later. on October s and
without explanation. Ave leading
correspondents OF the United
States press were refused the use
OF the cables to send out their
dispatches. The ban was lifted
next day. but the threat still
remained.
Not Only Argentina
Argentine denunciation OF the
North American press has not
been confined to the home soil,
but Argentine diplomats have
even taken up the crusade abroad,
For q time they made II q prac-
tice TO issue lengthy. legalistie
denials and criticisms OF nevis
dispatches arriving In this coun-
try. When their rcfutations did
not receive tile space or promi-
nence in the newspapers which
they thought such statements de-
served. they resorted to paid
advertisements.
Nor is the badgering and pres
suring of those engaged In gather
Ing and transmitting OF news 10
and from Latin America confined
TO Argentina. Restrictions In sew
eral Of the other countries have
often proven equally as severe
Such q thing as the free and
unrestrained now OF news out OF
or distribution Of foreign news
within the countries under mill
tary or dictator domination does
not exist.
Since the revolution Of Noyem-
Der ~. le48. the Venezuelan mill
tary government has kept the
strictest control over All news
going into and out Of the country.
Last January 10 II was announced
In Caracas that prior permission
for the transmission OF all mes
sages touching on political mat
ters" was required. also that only
known facts" could be mentioned
In dispatches. that Is. facts" as
interpreted by the authorities.
There could be no speculation.
opinion or mention OF rumors, As
IL all this we're not enough. all
cable dispatches and radio trans
missions had first 10 meet with
the approval OF the junt&."
Peru Watches Wires
A few days later It was an
nounced that these restrictions
had been lifted. But on January
10 an Associated Press correspon-
dent could not report q strike In
the Maracaibo oil fields. About
the same time . United Press rep
rcsentatiye said that apparently
one Of his dispatches had been
completely rewritten and sent out
without his knowing II. At least
he could not recognize II when he
finally saw It In print. Diplomats
arriving In this country from
Venezuela In the past few weeks
say that news restrictions In
Venezuela today are anaonr the
severesf they have ever seen In
any country Of the Western Hemi-
sphere.
The Peruvian military tunta,
which In October of iels over
threw the constitutional govern
ment and deported President Luis
Dustamante Rivero. has been
overly vigflant In seeing 10 II that
oniy iss version or Interpretation
0f the news gets out 10 the world.
In mid-Jnnnary. while / Was In
Lima. Milton Carr. head Of the
United Press Bureau. was taken
into custody. hauled into police
ard questioned ss
length about . news story which
governmental ofIsclsls
Mr.. Carr himself wns released
Rft<r cuestinninx. but his assistant,
! native Peruvian. who had
actually written the story. was