Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1955-04-27

:. The national security PAM
{ phlet distributed by the Senate
Republican Policy Committee
was viewed by President Eisen-
hover today as a probable blum
der in revealing some security
!; information.
The President. at his news
conference, declared that at
r least he would not have disclosed
: some of the material in that
pamphlet.
His remarks on government
information in general came on
the heels Of a Defense Depart
- ment explanation to Congress
that the controversial pamphlet
contains no security violations.
: three Minor Items"
Z The department, according to
s a disclosure by Assistant Defense
Secretary Robert T. Ross at Sec
rotary Wilson'S news conference
Yesterday, has notified Congress
that the pamphlet included
three minor technical items"
not previously made public.
In reply to a specific question
as to how he felt about the
pamphlet distributed by the pol
icy committee, the President
said he had an idea that there
may have been a blunder. He
promptly made clear that he
himself would not have given
out information in the PAM
phlet.
AS for release of Government
information in general, the
President declared he is unal-
terably opposed to publication of
any technical military secrets
merely because one or another
Federal department may want
Ito be the first to announce it.
Should Be Publicized.
He could see no reason, he
said. why anything should be
made public about an airplane
that can fly straight up or CIV
ing out data disclosing that a
plane can fly. for instance, 702
instead of 207 miles an hour.
The first question put to the
President sought his opinion on
the Defense Departments new
information policy which has
drawn complaints that it is dry
ling up much legitimate military
news.
He explained that he has not
attempted to formulate any in
formation policy for any admin
/. istrative agency. But he voiced
q general rule that nothing of
a secret technical military nature
that might be of value to an I'M
friendly country should be put
out.
Intelligence Alert.
1t is a legitimate function of
highly trained intelligence sys-
TENS of other countries to OBJ
tain what technical information
they can from newspapers, mag
azines and books. But that, he
maintained, is a far different
thing than giving out explicit
data that should be kept secret
about military technical devel-
opments.
At yesterdays Pentagon press
conference Mr.. Ross read a let
ter written to Chairman Vinson
of the House Armed Services
Committee, who had asked for
an explanation of a story in The
Star on Saturday which stated
that the Pentagon had found at
least IL breaches of security in
the pamphlet.
Other developments at the
Wilson conference included
these:
/. Secretary of the Navy
Thomas denied widely publicized
allegations made in a Hoover
Commission report that the Navy
had a 60-year supply of canned
hamburger and a 36-year supply
Of timed bacon. He said that
even if the comparatively large
amount of hamburger in the
mobilization reserve stock was
counted there would be less than
a four-year supply. AS for the
bacon, referred to by the COM
mission. it has already been
eaten up.
Revamps Information Unit
2. Mr.. Wilson revealed that ito
give prompter service" he has re-
organized the Defense public in
formation program into three
units under Karl Honoman. a
new deputy assistant secretary
These divisions deal with infor-
nation media. security review
and special activities.
On the matter of the Repub-
lican pamphlet, Mr.. Ross told
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