Evening star., 1951-04-21
Editors
Continued From First Page.)

dangerous notion that individ-
uals in Government can judge
what the people should know"
The committee named the Com
merce and Defense Departments,
Federal Security Agency and In
ternal Revenue Bureau among
other agencies cited as examples.
1T also cited the Reconstruction
Finance Corp. stating that there
lis "a definite connection" between
recent scandals "and the barriers
to information in the bureaus and
departments affected"
The District came into the re-
port because Of the habit OF the
Commissioners Of holding closed
meetings. The committee called
this IAN inspiring example of
news control" to Washington's S
Federal officials.
The editors yesterday elected
two new members to its board CT
directors-Basil L. Walters of the
Knight Newspapers and Stanley
|P. Barnett of the Cleveland Plain
|Dealer-and are electing new off,
GERS today.
Three directors were reelected.
They are Wright. Bryan OF the
Atlanta Journal. Virginius Dab
ney of the Richmond Times-Dis-
patch and Hamilton Owens Of the
Baltimore Sunpapers.
Mr.. Bryan moved into position
Ito become the socisty's fret vice
president at the election Of on
GERS. This will place him; in turn,
in line to become president at
next years meeting il ASNE ad-
heres to its custom Of advancing
officers in a fixed succession. II
Jones in Line for President.
Officers are elected by the
board of directors. rather than
by membership vote. Alexander F.
Jones Of the Syracuse Herald
Journal, now first vice president,
lis in line to succeed the outgoing
president, Dwight Young Of the
Dayton Journal Herald.
All the directors chosen yester-
day will serve three-year terms
Except Mr.. Owens. He will COM
|plete the unexpired portion Of
the term of Mr.. Young. The
latter automatically will obtain
an ex-officio place on the board
|on his retirement from the presi-
|dency.
The information committees
blast was presented by its chair
man, James S. Pope, editor of the
Louisville Courier-Journal. The
report resulted from a study con-
Quoted during the last year. Mr..
Pope described the report as "ten-
tative.,n since the study is con-
tinuing.
In many parts Of the country.
access to important governmental
information 'is being blocked off
now by more camouflage, more
barbed wire red tape entangle-
|ments, than any army of freedom
lever encountered in the trenches, +"
said the report.
Forced Into a Cold War.
Clever screens" said the edi-
tors, are being raised between the
public and public information. I"
This has forced the country's
newspapers, the committee added,
into cold war which we are los
ing on many fronts"
But the group insisted that it
has mo fear about the outcome, !"
providing the press viii mobilize
all its dormant power" in the
battle.
Most Federal Offices. declared
the report, "are showing except
ional zeal in creating rules. regu-
lations, directives, classifications
and policies which serve to hide,
color, or channel news"
1--WE editors" the committee
stated, "have been assuming that
no one would dispute this pre-
mise: That when the people rule.
they have a right to know all their
Government does. This committee
finds appalling evidence that the
guiding credo in Washington is
becoming just the opposite: That
it is dangerous and unwise to let
information about Government
leak out in any Impressed
from"
The report listed these examples
on the Federal level:
/. A refusal of the United
States Board Of Parole to give the
Louisville Courier journal the
names Of indorsers of a parole for
q
nnamnua anA-A