Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1962-02-15
Admiral Cites
Pentagon Ban
On } Articles

FOGdT auIlllLdl WlllldIi ~
Mott testified today Pentagon
censors barred publication of
three articles in a naval law
review. although censorship of
such magazines has never
been the custom"
I'm fact" he told a special
Senate investigating subcom-
mittee. 1.-THE very purpose Of
professional journals would be
defeated If it were not possible
to read articles or arguments
in a single article on both sides
of a particular issue. It is
through such media that edu-
cation Is presented and profess
sional thought is stimulated"
Admiral Motifs statements,
in testimony prepared for the
subcommittee, did not identify
any of the rejected articles.
He said they were written by
civilian professors who had
been invited to contribute their
views to JAG Journal, pub
lished by Admiral Mott as
Judge advocate general of the
Navy.
Admiral Mott said the three
articles were rejected last April
on the sole ground of being in
disagreement with the policy
expressed" in a directive from
Secretary of Defense Nc
Namara.
Prior witnesses have testified
the directive forbade military
personnel to speak about foreign
policy at all, but that the Ian
guage was more stringent than
the Secretary had intended and
it caused confusion for a time.
Civilians Article Banned
Although such a directive
would not apply to writings by
civilians, Assistant Secretary of
Defense Arthur Sylvester had
noted in his testimony that the
JAG Journal is supported in
part by public funds. and thus
would come under the direc-
tive.
Senator Thurmond, Demo-
crat of South Carolina, who
contends that censorship has
mllzzled military men who want
to speak against communism,
has been critical of the JAG
Journals refusal to publish an
article by DR.. Oliver j. Lis
sitzyn. an international law
professor at Columbia Univer-
sity in New York, discussing
legal implications of the U-2
spy plane and the RB-47 plane
incidents.
Senator Thurmond told the
Senate last September 18 the
article was a reprint of mate
rial DR.. Lissitzyn had given as
an instructor at a Naval War
College class and that it was
significant because DR.. Lis
sitzyn is a recognized author
ity on Russian Interpretation
Of international law"
New Rules Issued
Senator Stennis, Democrat of
Mississippi, chairman of the
special Armed Services Investi-
eating Subcommittee, an
nounced yesterday that a row
stirred by having a group of
Marines fill out questionnaires
on cold war subjects had led to
iron-clad rules against unau-
thorized activities by any
aides.
The quiz was conducted by
investigators associated with
the subcommittee. Senator
Stennis and James Kendall
chief counsel of the subcom-
mittee, have denied any ad-
vance knowledge of it.
There will be no recurrence
of these Incidents" Senator
Stennis said sternly at a SUBJ
committee hearing yesterday
And, he added, use of the
QUESTIONABLE has been discon-
tinued.
The subcommittee probe
was set off by charges, mainly
by Senator Thurmond, that
the Pentagon was "muzzling'
military men who wanted tt
speak out against communism
The subcommittee yesterday
placed in evidence a letter from
former President Eisenhower
who said uninhibited policy
censoring of speeches by tor
military men is something be-
lifting demeaning."