DIEPPE SURVIVORS

Evening Star, Issue 24327, 16 October 1942, Page 3

DIEPPE SURVIVORS

READY TO FINISH JOB (Rec. 12.40 p.m.) MONTREAL, October 15. With His arm in a sling and the D.S.O. ribbon on his chest, Lieutenantcolonel Dollard Menard, leading 17 Dieppe survivors, shyly faced 50 newsmen and described tne bloody fight at Dieppe as an enlightening and necessary preliminary to the forthcoming permanent landing. Menard and others declared that the German prisoners were treated honorably, and the wounded with great kindness. The security precautions were excellent, and the raid accomplished its object. Our tanks, planes, and naval craft timed the operations effectively. The men were ready to return to-mor-row and finish the job. BELATED NEWS LGSS OF THREE U.S, CRUISERS NEW YORK PRESS CRITICAL (Rec. 12.40 p.m.l NEW YORK, October IS. The newspapers strongly criticise the 65day delay in announcing the loss of three United States cruisers sunk in the_ Solomons. They were lost on August 9 in the same engagement as the Canberra which los» was announced in Australia 10 days later. “ The delayed announcement raises tha whole question of the wisdom of our war censorship and' information policy,” says the ‘ New York Times,’ which declares that a fuller statement on the naval losses at Pearl Harbour is now long overdue. There is strong reason to doubt that a delay of such length in announcing the loss of three cruisers is justified. The accounts make it seem probable that the Japanese had a fair notion of the damage they had done. Although their claims that day were extravagant, they specifically included as sunk two heavy cruisers of the Astoria class and two more cruisers of the Australia class. Mr Curtin waited only 10. days before admitting the loss of the Canberra. The United States pavy declared that its own statement would be delayed until replacements were sent. The fact that the belated admission of the lossea came just a day before the announcement of the sinking of a Japanese cruiser and four destroyers will lead many to conclude —however unjustly—that the bad news wa» held up in this case until there was good news to offset .it.” The New York ‘ Daily News’ says: “Tha news from the Solomons is so slow in coming through that we cannot help wondering why it was not until 65 days after the event that the American people are notified of tjie loss of three big cruisers.”