Show Merry G Go Round n Reporters Hit MArthur Arthur Censor PlanS Plan By Drew Pear Pearson on WASHINGTON Now that General MacArthur has announced announced announced an an- for the presidency it itIs itis itis is only fair that the American pub public lc know more more about about- his administration administration ad ad- m ministration of Japan After all aU MacArthur has been out of his own country for eleven years yeara and the only barometer of ot his ability to govern the United States is his ability ty to govern Japan Most people have had the Impression impression impression im im- Im- Im that whereas the U. U S. S administration of Germany was wasa a continual mess MacArthurs MacArthur's administration of ot Japan operated operated operated oper oper- with clockwork precision But what they dont don't know Is that Japan remains the one area in the world world besides besides s Russian territory where territory where effective censorship censorship censorship cen cen- still pIe prevails While a newsman can go to Germany and write anything about the U. U S. S army he wants in Japan it it is the ex exact ct opposite Not Nt only Is news censored but American American Amerlean Amer Amer- ican lean newsmen are arc subject to court they disobey Nc Newsmen Protest In fact American newsmen n nIn In Japan feeling there was little difference between MacArthurs MacArthur's news suppression and the iron curtain recently sent a protest to the American Society of Newspaper Editors Pertinent portions of it follow At a a conference with General MacArthurs MacArthur's public information officer Mr Frayne Baker in inO O October 1946 Mr I Baker stated that any material that any occupation pation or theater official chooses t to to classify is is' protected by Ty th the thc rules of ot military security and that a correspondent can be court for publishing such material under the articles of warThe warThe war The apparent Intent of this device devic has been to withhold Information in information in- in formation of an economic politIcal political poli poll tl al' al aland an and l social character character in in information formation which we believe the readers of the allied press are entitled to receive and which th the representatives of the allied press were sent lent to Japan to obtain Gag Conversations Commencing In October 1946 every conversation b bet between e t w wee e e n nS n'S S 's C c. c CA A P officials Supreme Commander Corn Com mander Allied Powers and Japanese authorities w was classified classified classi classi- fied lied as secret or higher Thus correspondents who wh subsequently subsequent subsequent- ly published or obtained such information which obviously was in the possession of the enemy were under threat of prosecution Commencing In July 1946 discussion of any S C CA A P project t which was still in the works works' was classified Th The effect of this restriction was to curtail and if it possible to prevent dIscussion discussion discus dIscus- sion slon of the thinking leading to important decisions In governmental governmental governmental govern govern- mental and economic fields and to present the peoples of the United Nations with faits fails ac- ac compiLe T This h his i s interpretation was substantiated by Mr Frayne Baker PI PIO O 0 when he explained to correspondents From now on y you u will ll get your news of the occupation from pro press I releases I Even Grime Crime Censored In this manner the shroud of security has been thrown over such subjects as Japanese crime rationing statistics dollar doUar loan negotiations the purges economic eco ceo decentralization reparations reparations reparations industrial rehabilitation plans and negotiations for wool and cotton imports Even information information Infer Infer- mation concerning attempts by the Jap Japanese nese to obstruct the occupation has been classified Information a 15 supplied u p P 1 11 1 e C d to a correspondent by one headquarters' headquarters section often is considered secret by another For example the government section actively encouraged correspondents correspondents cor cor- respondents to expose misappropriation of Japanese military supplies G l and G 4 which had classified information re relating relating re- re lating to the matter took exception exception ex cx- to the resu resulting stories and efforts at reprisal were taken against at least one correspondent correspondent cor cor- cor- cor respondent t. t As Pretext I Security in this theater has been further utilized as a a. pretext pre pre- text for seeking rem removal val or exclusion ex ex- from Japan of correspondents correspondents corre corre- who have written stories storIes' considered critical by on onor one or another er official Official let ten are known to have been sent to the employers of at least nine correspondents seeking to embarrass embarrass embarrass em em- barrass the corr correspondent spon lent in his relations with his employer and in a number of instances requesting removal of the cor cor- cor- cor respondent Conclusions various acts passed by congress last year In IndIcated Indicated Indicated In- In the state of war with Japan was ended Yet the wartime war war- tI time concept of military security continues t to prevail and has lisa been extended to embrace political po po- po- po administrative economic an anti and 1 cultural subjects totally unrelated un related to military security The protest is signed by Tom om Lambert of the Associated Press Burton Crane of the New NewYork NewYork York Times George Thomas FoIster of N NBC B C J Joseph s ph Fromm ot of World Report and Carl of ot Time and Life maga maga- zine zinc |