OFFICIAL SECRETS.

Auckland Star, Volume LXIX, Issue 165, 15 July 1938, Page 10

OFFICIAL SECRETS.

ARMY OFFICERS , BROADCAST. NO BREACH WAS INVOLVED. A correspondent, writing to the "Auckland Star," commented upon what he presumed to be a breach of the Official Secrete Act, in that three Army officers recently broadcast over the Auckland station certain information dealing with anti-aircraft equipment. The matter wae referred by an "Auckland Star" reporter to Captain H. J. Ruseell, District Publicity Officer in Auckland, who commented as follow:— "No breach of Army regulations was involved in the recent broadcast dealing with the Auckland Anti-Aircraft Battery. "The officers concerned were duly authorised to perform the broadcast by the officer commanding the Northern Military District—Colonel O. H. Mead, D.5.0., N.Z.S.C.—and the script for the broadcast was approved by Army Headquarters in Wellington and also by the Minister of Defence, the Hon. F. Jones, M.P." Captain Ruesell further stated that none of the information broadcast was either secret or confidential, and had been published in newspapers not only in New Zealand, but also in Australia, Canada and Great Britain, as well as in technical electrical journals. It was further pointed out that this broadcast waa part of the Army publicity campaign inaugurated by Army Headquarters with a view to acquainting the publio with Army developments in the Dominion and that the Press was giving widespread publicity of a similar nature. With regard to the correspondent's final statement that the officers concerned broadcast secret information concerning highly secret instruments, he could only conclude that the correspondent spoke without a full knowledge of the foregoing facts.