Show 1 I Q HH B BB Army Fears Political Snarl In Handling News for GIs Military Not Desirous of Cutting Off News From Armed Forces Dislikes Entering f 1 Possible Controversy I If B f By BAUKHAGE 1 News Nett's Analyst and Commentator 4 Service Union Trust Building Washington D. D C. C There is a great deal of talk some of Dr it sincere and from the heart some of it so dripping with sentimentality sentimentality sentimentality senti senti- mentality that it offends good taste about GI Joe and what the country owes him After a bitter battle a bill was I passed in congress following all kinds of political badminton to provide provide provide pro pro- vide means for the men and women in the armed services to vote in the coming election Then a fortnight ago came a dispatch from the correspondent correspondent correspondent cor cor- respondent of the New Y York rk Herald- Herald Tribune in Algiers which said Unless some provocative discussion discussion discussion discus discus- sion of the presidential campaign appears in the Stars Stripes the service newspaper only a small percentage of the troops will vote A little later Col Egbert White 1 I worked with him on the original Stars Stripes in Paris in the first World war was relieved of his directorship of the Mediterranean editions of the Stars Stripes and ordered to report to Washington About the same time it was revealed revealed revealed re re- that books like The liThe Republic Republic lic and similar works which have been accepted as standard textbooks are on the war departments department's prohibited prohibited prohibited pro pro- list because congress has forbidden political argument and propaganda in the armed forces Colonel White wanted to make the Stars Stripes as much like a metropolitan metropolitan met met- newspaper a as possible He wanted to send reporters to cover both the Republican and Democratic conventions He wanted to have the use of a regular news report from t the e Associated Press wire like any other newspaper instead of being limited to the army news service a digest of the news carefully I screened in New in New York Receives Legion of Merit Just how far Colonel White had gone with his ambitious plans when the pressure began I do not know f do know that when he first went wentlo to lo Africa while General Eisenhower Eisenhower Eisenhower Eisen Eisen- hower was still there the Colonels Colonel's work was apparently so satisfactory that the General made him a member member member mem mem- ber of his staff and he received the Legion of Merit award But General General General Gen Gen- eral Eisenhower departed and another another another an an- other Pharaoh came to Egypt or I should say to Algiers For a time White seemed to have a pretty freehand free freehand freehand hand but there were no great innovations innovations innovations inno inno- noticed in the papers he was publishing He did start a reprint of the Readers Reader's Digest which caused some disturbance not because of the content but because other magazines objected I believe some reprints from the Saturday Evening Post were also used Then General Surles head of army public relations and Secretary Secretary Secretary Secre Secre- tary of War Stimson both appeared in the war theaters and about that time Whites White's demission occurred He had left when President Roosevelt Roosevelt Roosevelt Roose Roose- velt agreed to run again and the GIs who read the Rome edition of the Stars Stripes learned about it in a word story given third place well down on page one under undera a two-column two head The Normandy campaign was given first play and the Russian offensive second The coverage by the Rome Stars Stars o Stripes of the Dewey and Bricker nominations was a word story halfway down the page with a box containing highlights of the conven conven- tion There were also words on bow how New York papers covered th the nominations seven paragraphs on Hoovers Hoover's speech two paragraphs on Farley The Tribune Herald-Tribune correspondent correspondent correspondent cor cor- respondent described this as meager coverage due not to the wishes of the editors but but butto to the re re- No Public Statement At this writing White has not made any public statement statement officers I cers dont don't talk Since the action occurred occurred occurred oc oc- in the Mediterranean theater theater theater the the- ater Washington army officials cannot cannot cannot can can- not comment They merely point to Title Five sponsored by Senator Taft in the soldiers soldier's vote law passed by congress This Title Five says that anyone responsible for permitting publication tion in a service organ paid for by government funds of political argument argument 1 ment ment or propaganda designed or calculated to lo affect me election o ui UA any federal officer can be put in jail for a year or fined a thousand dollars Now the military fears a political as Brer Fox feared brambles They are not particularly desirous of cutting off ofT news from the armed forces They have no objection objection objection ob ob- to having the boys get into controversy so long as it doesn't interfere in the argument with the enemy But they have a decided dislike for getting into a controversy themselves They say There is the law We dont don't intend to violate it Colonel Whites White's departure has started a discussion the end of which is not yet Will GI Joe get his political news That depends depends depends de de- on whether congress and the army simply pass the buck back and forth or whether something definite is done Senator Taft said when he sponsored sponsored sponsored spon spon- Title Five that in the first place he had no intention of banning works accepted as textbooks in in the schools The senator met with army officials members of the council on books in wartime and others in NewYork New NewYork NewYork York on July 20 to discuss this ques ques- tion Taft also said to me that he felt the law need not interfere with furnishing furnishing furnishing fur fur- the service newspapers with news generally circulated here He said if the army asked for a clarifying clarifying clari clari- amendment he would be glad to take it up with congress I have also talked with Senator Lucas coauthor of the original soldiers soldier's soldiers soldier's soldiers soldier's sol sol- diers dier's vote bill He said he considered considered con con- it a lIa little short of stupidity to deny the boys overseas or wherever they are of all the the- information in I formation that any citizen in this country can obtain He said he thought something ought to be done to liberalize the regulations on pub I I Definition Needed There is no sign at this writing I that the army will make a request for a clarifying amendment but it will be all right with them if what is considered propaganda directed to the election of a federal office officeholder officeholder I holder is clearly defined Meanwhile I why shouldn't the military want tc toe the line Their in commander-in chief a political candidate himself is a Democrat Their secretary o 0 war the venerable and party-loya party Henry Stimson is a good can What about Colonel White H Ht must have known what was of him when he tried to make the Stars Stripes a metropolitan news news paper He must remember as I verb verj well do the headaches he and I anc am the rest of the old Stars Stripe staff caused GHQ up in Chau Chaumont Chaumont Chaumont mont in the last war The Stars Stripes of World Wai Wal II appears in London Algiers Casa Casablanca Casablanca blanca blanc blanca i Oran a weekly edition fron iron Naples editions out of Cairo for the Middle East That is a publishing undertaking of no mean proportion intended to suit a real GI But if a newspaper is any good for anything it is supposed to vie with alarm and point with pride come election time It takes a rea argument to sprout a vote And thatis that thatis is what the army says congress say says the Stars Stripes must have no part in Meanwhile you dont don't expect political argument in the service publications if it is going to c cost st some honest colonel with a wife and family to support a thousand dollar dollar dollar dol dol- lar fine or a year in jail There will have to be a clarification of the law Nazi Civilian Morale A significant editorial appeared in ina ina ina a Cologne newspaper newspaper Cologne Cologne th the e home of the once happy carefree who cheerfully boasted d of German wine and German song and and one of the first cities to feel the horror of the early mass raids It is not easy to calm ones one's raging agin nerves says this newspaper newspaper newspaper news news- paper and then counsels restraint restraint restraint re re- and studied concealment of or ones one's personal feelings lest others be affected and warns against the use of sedatives This quotation is but one lin linin link linkin linkin k in a growing chain of evidence revealing revealing re reo the state of German civilian morale 1 |