Evening star., 1951-10-09
Sawyer Says Federal
Officials Give Public
Too Many Facts
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security and up to that point there
should be no censorship.
Two Kinds of Rivalry.
Beyond that point the situation
changes. Every honest news
paper man and publisher knows
today that there are two kinds of
news rivalry in existence here:
one, the rivalry to get news on
the part of various types of pub
LEGATIONS: the other, rivalry among
public officials to give out some
bit of sensational information in
order to make a headline or in,
order to prove that the agency
involved is more alert and more
entitled to Congressional appro-I
priations than some competing
agency. A constructive effort toI
meet the problem presented by
these realities would be exceed
ingly timely.
I'VE are daily reminded of the
great sacrifice by our boys over
seas. We should daily remind our
selves of the increased hazards
imposed upon them by careless
treatment of security. Not ALL
newspapermen feel that informa-
tion is being improperly withheld
some of them think that tool
much is being given out. InI
February. 1948, Mr.. William Phillip
SlmmS of ScrippS- Howard REFEREED
to the United States as a spy
heaven and said this descriptionI
was made to him by Jap En-
bassy official "smilingly' just be-
fore Pearl Harbor. SimmS went
on to say that all a foreign spy
needs to do is sit comfortably in
his embassy and read American
publications; he doesn't have to
risk his life.
I'm February, 1949, a year later,
Henry McLemore said, Why any
foreign power should go to the
trouble and expense to spy on this
country is mystery to me. Given
enough time, the United States
will reveal everything but the hat
and glove sizes of the Secretary of
State. the midnight password at
Oak Ridge and the list of foods |
to which President Truman is al |
hrgic. This country goes right !
ahead blabbering and blubbering
everything it knows McLemore |
closes with the statement: The
next thing you know, the men who
are entrusted with our top secrets
will be wearing sandwich boards
announcing our very latest devel-
opments down to the last detail.
Senator Russell Quoted.
"On June 10 of this year Eric
Sevareid in an article headed
washington Talks Too Much,
quoted Senator Richard Russell as
stating. 1t is conceivable that
some unguarded release of CLASH
fed matter could involve this
country in war; Sevareid refers
to 'compulsion to give out the in
side dope and added: The psy-
Geological pressure to let others
know that you know the dope is
just about irresistible. That ap-I
plies to Congressman, military off,
GERS, diplomats, agency heads,
clerks and reporters. this one
included
In the Columbus, Ohio, speech
mentioned earlier I referred teE
the strong desire to make start
ling announcements, and then
said: SO per cent of the informa-
ton useful to our potential en-
emies comes not from spies but
from the careful examination and
collating of documents and official
statements. However, if any re-
straint is exercised on giving out
information we are Immediately
laced with the charge of censor |
ship. 1t would seem that by some
method this problem can be met |
without violating the Bill of |
Rights or its spirit
perhaps the newspaper pub
fishers can be helpful. It may not |
be too much to expect that some /
effort be made by the newspapers /
OF this country to meet the prob
lem of information in relation to
security. I can speak for many
Government officials with whom |
this matter has been discussed |
when I say that they err on the !
side of giving out information /
rather than Withholding it. be-
cause Of the inevitable criticism
that will follow the discovery that
information is being withheld. If !
the initiative and suggestion were |
to come from the press. it would, |
I am sure. make the task of the |
public official much easier
Accord On One Point.
"The Associated Press Manag-
ing Editors Association in certain
resolutions adopted last week at
San Francisco condemned the re-
cent Presidential order on Sc
curity. With some of the things
they said I disagree. but with one
thing they said I am in complete
accord: Information useful to the
enemy can be withheld without
depriving the American people of |
the information about their Gov
eminent that they must have to
preserve intact the democratic
process
Il know personally but am not
at liberty to reveal an outstandingl
example Of willingness on the part
of very successful publication toE
forego greatly enlarged circula-
ton and advertising revenues, asI
well as the thrill of giving out in
teresting information because of
the feeling that this might reveal
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~ - Il Dr..