DANGEROUS LETTERS

Auckland Star, Volume LXXIII, Issue 125, 29 May 1942, Page 3

DANGEROUS LETTERS

INFORMATION FOR ENEMY

The censorship regulations are designed to protect this country while it is at war, and are not merelv restrictions placed on the people thoughtlessly," declared a censorship authority, in urging the heavv responsibility that rests on all citizens against writing anything that might be of military value to the enemy. There had been lately a marked improvement in this regard, but there were still too many correspondents who could not resist the temptation to pass on news which should not be passed on. With large Japanese naval forces within striking distance of the sea routes the chances of a ship carrying mails were not remote, and mails, in the hands of expert intelligence officers, could yield a rich harvest of military and political facts. He pointed out that while there was no ban- on political opinions, it should be remembered that in the hands of a clever propagandist such views might be so twisted as to shake the iaith of millions of our silont supporters in neutral or occupied countries. It was the responsibility oi every writer to see that dangerous information concerning miiitarv movements, military establishments, the movement of ships or anything else that might be of value to the enemy was .left out.