WAR CENSORSHIP

Wairarapa Times-Age, 19 November 1942, Page 3

WAR CENSORSHIP

DEFENDED BY PRESIDENT ROOSEVELT VITAL TO KEEP FACTS FROM ENEMY. PROTEST BY ADMIRALS CITED. (By Telegraph—Press Association—Copyright) NEW YORK. November 17. Addressing the New York “HeraldTribune” Forum, President ’ Roosevelt pointed o?it that Va wartime Government obviously cannot always give the people the news because of the danger of helping those trying to destroy us. On the other hand, those persons not possessing the facts inevitably speak from guesswork and doubtful information. We must not lend our ears to the clamoui- of politics or criticism from those actuated by political motives. I made a constant effort to keep politics out of the fighting in this war, but I confess that my foot slipped once.

“About 10 days before the elections one of our aircraft-carriers was torpedoed in the south-west Pacific and was unable to make port. She was destroyed by our forces. We in Washington did not know whether the enemy was aware of the sinking. At that time a great issue was being raised in Congress and in public vehicles of information concerning the suppression of news from the fighting fronts? There was a division of opinion among responsible authorities. Here came my mistake. I yielded to the clamour, realising that if the news was given out two" or three weeks later it would be publicly charged that I suppressed the news until after the election. “Shortly thereafter protests came from the admirals in' command in the South-West Pacific and in Hawaii on the ground that the Japanese probably had no information about the sinking and handing them the information on a silver platter, although we had not revealed the name of the carrier, gave them a ipilitary advantage they otherwise would not have had. This confession illustrates the fact that in war time the conduct of war comes absolutely first. “People know that none of their inalienable rights are taken away through failure to disclose for a reasonable length of time the facts that Hitler, Mussolini and Tojo would give their eye-teeth to learn. Loose talk delays victory. Loose talk is the damp that gets in the powder. We prefer to keep our powder dry. Our battle lines stretch from Kiska to Murmansk, from Tunisia to Guadalcanal. The lines will grow longer as our forces advance. We have had an uphill fight. It will continue uphill all the way. There can be no coasting to victory. During the past fortnight we have had a great deal of good news. It would seem that a turning point in the war has at last been reached, but this is no time for exultation. There is no time for anything but fighting and, working to win.”