CENSORED NEWS

Evening Star, Issue 23370, 13 September 1939, Page 7

CENSORED NEWS

A STORY OF THE WORLD WAR SERVICE The danger of suppressing news inconvenient to the Government of the dav, with the intention of sparing the public alarm, is discussed by Sir Arthur Salter in his recently-published book, ‘ Security.’ says the Chicago ‘ Tribune.’ He gives an instance from his own experience as Director of Allied Shipping during the war, which shows how Government officials may come to mislead even themselves. The Admiralty, he records, used to publish weekly statements of the losses of merchant ships by submarine attack. All was well while the losses were small. When the losses became large the figures of loss were correctly announced, but their significance was veiled by giving out at the same time a statement of the number, and arrivals and departures of British ships. The number included not only the overseas ships, which were subject to submarine attack and never numbered more than 150, but also cross-Channel vessels, ships shifting ports, or small coastal craft never in serious danger from submarines. The contrasts between the figures of ships sunk and the figures of safe arrivals suggested a much smaller risk than actually existed,