Evening star., 1951-10-05
Secrets, President and Press

Secrets, President and Press
The President was irritated yesterday when
ne talked to the newspaper reporters at his
press conference about his recent security order.
He had right to be annoyed. Since he an
nounced his security order on September Is the
order itself has been the subject of considerable
Misrepresentation and criticism. His own mo-
tives have been attacked and the Republicans
In Congress have been making political hay out
Of the incident.
Being man who Is peculiarly responsive to
some OF the most normal of human reactions he
came to his press conference determined to fight
back. And he chose as his weapon an accusa-
tion that can hit the press in q very sensitive
spot-the charge that the press has revealed the
Nations secrets to enemies. He coupled the
charge with the suggestion of lack Of patriotism
But in the heat of his reprisal the President
made some statements that reveal, for one thing
an astonishing ignorance concerning the me-
chanics Of censorship. He also made some stupid
observations "off the cuff" that his press secre-
tary found necessary to clarity in formal
statement later in the day. And if his execu-
tive order on preserving the secrecy of classified
information really reflects the Presidents own
ideas OF what it is all about, the executive order
Is worse than 1t seemed in the beginning
The President was also guilty of self
contradiction that Is probably the result of
emotion rather than any premeditated attempt
to deceive the public. When he issued his execu-
tive order in September he said that it was
found necessary because Security information
occasionally involves, and must be handled by.
agencies which do not normally handle security
matters. The order requires them to protect
security matters in the same manner as they
UuoYY hn ofaI ixa -
agencies which have traditional classification
systems"
But yesterday he said that the order was
made necessary because the newspapers and
slick magazines" according to a study he said
had been made by Yale University, have re-
vealed IS per cent of our secret information.
This Yale University study is now classified as
another secret, so it is impossible to know what
It did say. But If the press has revealed 95 Der
cent OF our secrets, the secrets thus revealed
have been given to the press by responsible
authorities In Government who are supposed
to know what information involves security.
The Star has never questioned the Presi-
dents motives in issuing his executive order nor
his good faith in attempting to solve a very
difficult problem. That problem is how to pro-
tect the really vital secrets In the military and
related fields from becoming known to enemies
~AAo eV cAAS od4AC tnAC w pIcSCEN6 Tile TRQCS OF
the public to information about what Govern
ment is doing
The President has attempted what he calls
coInmonsense solution to this problem But
one Of his difficulties has been a failure or
refusal, to face the fact that what he is dealing
With is form of censorship. Politicians know
that censorship is unpopular and they are afraid
OF 1t. II censorship Is to be workable in the
public interest, however, it requires carefully
devised machinery. 1t requires, primarily. a
censor-a man with great authority and under
standing who must be able to say Eyes" or mo"
and who must decide what matters are legiti-
mate secrets, the revelation of which would be
harmful to national interests and what matters
should be revealed to the public, no matter
what personal embarrassment the revelation
might cause for Government officials
The President does not provide that sort of
machinery in his executive order. He said when
he issued it that committee of the National
Security Council would maintain a sort of con-
tinuing review of all classified material But
that review is not provided for in the executive
order. What is provided is a system for classifi-
cation of security information, to be admins
tered by hundreds of agency heads according
to their own ideas of what constitutes national
security. The Presidents pious hope that news
paper editors would do their own censoring in
security matters is equally unrealistic Expert
ence has shown time and again that an editor
who makes decision on what constitutes
security will discover that the very "secret" he
has sought to protect has been made the subject
OF speech or a Government handout by some
responsible Government official. If we are to
have censorship which we do have under the
Presidents order, the first requirement is
censor, and without one the executive order
is very apt to fail in its purpose and create
more rather than less confusion.
Mr.. Trumans formal statement at his press
conference yesterday was a good one. If he
had stuck to that formal statement he would
have been better off, One of its promises is
that If experience shows the need for changing
the order, 1t will be changed The Star believes
that experience viii shsv the need for change.