Salt Lake Tribune | 1917-03-18 | Page 2 | Wishes of the Government to be Respected

WISHES DP THE ! GOVERNMENT TO EE RESPECTED Representatives of Leading Press Associations Promise Prom-ise to Suppress News of Value to Enemy. WASIIT.VGTOX, March J7. Aftfir a con tVrone.f! tony botweon Secretary ;iiiif!s anrl rriprfsont at.i vrs of the leading lead-ing American press aHSoeiationa, the overnniunt Ijouii preparation of defi-n defi-n it o regulations to puido tho press in voluntary Hiippression of information which might be of value to an enemy. The press associations have assured (Secretary )aniels of their desire to cooperate, co-operate, and in the absence of authority author-ity for imposing a legal censorship will he bound by the government's requests. Before the regulations are approved they will he submitted both to the associations as-sociations and to managing editors of newspapers. Mr. Daniels informed the press generally gen-erally that his recent request that movement of American ships be withheld with-held from publication did not mean that arrivals of such ships in American or European ports should not be reported. re-ported. " 8uch arrivals," the secretary said, "could not easily afford any information informa-tion that might jeopardize lite and such news would to of the deepest interest to the public and should be published." pub-lished." Would Print Disaster News. Air. Daniels also gave assurances that no effort would be made to suppress the news if American ships should be Bunk. " Tf there shonld be any disaster, of course, the information would he furnished," fur-nished," he said, "and it would be expected ex-pected that the papers would print the ' facts." The department's statement regarding regard-ing the conference, follows: "The representatives of the press associations as-sociations stated that they would willingly will-ingly and gladly and voluntarily subject sub-ject themselves without law to the same censorship which might be imposed by law. They desired to be informed of the wishes of the government so that there would be no doubt of the character charac-ter of the news which ought not to be printed. "It was decided that Major McAr-thur McAr-thur of the war department. Commander Comman-der Belknap of the navy department, and a representative of "the state de partment would draw up tentative mips and rL'iilntions of censorship and when completed thev would be submitted to the representatives of tho news associations asso-ciations and managing editors for consideration con-sideration and criticism. After the exchange ex-change of vii-wH, the rules and regulations regula-tions will be passed upon and -promulgated h v the throe depart incuts which are charged with international and mi!it;trv dut.ies. ' ' Major McArthnr and Commander Bel-knap,' Bel-knap,' who will represent the war and navv departments. respectively, in forming the regulations, have, been acting act-ing as fensors of the departments in advising the pecretaries what military information should be made public.