ALLEGATIONS OF REPORTERS ARE REFUTED

Grey River Argus, 18 December 1948, Page 3

ALLEGATIONS OF REPORTERS ARE REFUTED

, Official Evidence at Inquiry Into News of Ruapehu Crash WELLINGTON, Sept. 17 The inquiry into the circumstances relating to the release of information to the public about the finding of the Kaka on Mount Ruapehu and the subsequent recovery of the bodies was continued to-day before Sir Harold Johnston, K.C. ' NO DIRECTIONS FROM PRIME MINISTER’S DEPARTMENT Four witnesses for the Crown were heard to-day. One, Charles Henry Williams, assistant Information Officer in the Prime Minister’s Department, denied that there had been any direction, any instruction, or any understanding that information about the missing aircraft was to be issued through the Information Section of the Prime Minister’s Department. The other two witnesses were two police officials and a high-ranking Army officer, who had been at the scene of the rescue operations in Ohakune district. They all denied having received any instructions from the Prime Minister’s Department that information was to be withheld from the press. The hearing of the evidence from remaining witnesses for the Crown is expected to be completed on Monday, after which an adjournment will be taken to January. The inquiry is taking longer than had been originally expected. Charles Henry Williams, assistant information officer, Prime Minister’s Department, and at present in charge of the information section, said he was aware that on Friday, October 29, a message was transmitted through Air Control purporting to have the authority of the Prime Ministers Department. He was not aware' -at the time that a message had been passed. He had made a complete check of all those who could possibiv have been concerned with the origin of the message. “I am satisfi(>l that no such mesa sage originated from the Prime Minister’s Department or the Acting Prime Minister’s Department,” said witness. His inciuiries had extended to the Acting Prime Ministers’ staff and to officers of the Minister in charge of Civil Aviation. None knew anything of the message. FIRST INFORMATION The first he knew of any difficulty with the press was on the morning of Saturday, October 30. The Acting Prime Minister. Mr Nash, rang him at his home and asked for an explanation of the story in the press that morning. Mr Cleary (for the Crown) read from the story published on October 3: “Any information would be issued ■ through the publicity section of the Prime Minister’s Department.’’ Mr Cleary: Is it correct there was any direction or instruction or understanding that information would be issued through or by the information section of the Prime Minister’s Department?.—No. We had not been involved with the press at any stage. Williams said he went to Mr Nash’s office and was present when Mr Nash communicated with senior officers of the departments concerned to check on the story. Both witness and Mr Nash spoke to Mr js. A. Gibson, the director oi civil aviation, on the telephone. Mr Nash also communciated, in witness’? presence, with Mr Madden, the Acting Commissioner of Police, mid senior officers of the Am DeTO PRESS The result c.-l those various inr quiries, said Williams, was that Mr I Nash dictated to him (Williams) the | remarks he wished to make in reply, r The two of them discussed the whole I subject and witness then prepared i a malt statement which, after apr x proval, was released through the press gallery for the eevning papers. Williams said the period from about 9.20 a.m. to after mid-day was occupied by Mr Nash and himself in making inquiries. Referring to Mr Nash’s conversation with Mr Madden, witness said: “Mr Nash was very concerned at the statement in the paper and with him he discussed the possibility of its urgent rectification, concerning which he was quite clear as to the necessity. That was followed by a conversation with Mr Madden and Mr Nash instructed him to see, regardless oi what had taken place, that the pressmen were catered for from then on. Mr Nash said he would look into the other matter later. To the chairman (Sir Harold Johnston), witness said the information section was set up, firstly, to secure information for the press and the public when the ordinary communications failed, secondly to allay public alarm on such occasion, and, thirdly, to take the strains off departments such as the P. and T., Transport and police in particular, when crises developed. PRESS CO-OPERATION ~~ ' The chairman: Does the press cooperate. —No! ft is only a departmental necessity. The chairman: Have the press any rights. —No. . To Mr Cleary, Williams said tne section did not apply in this case as there was no break in communications. • • . Mr W. Leicester (for the Journalists’ Association), ret erring to Vvilhams’s statement that he had not been involved with the press at any stage of the disaster, said: "Do you mean that, other than the statement and reply on October 30, you had no messages to be given on to the Pl “ None whatever,” replied WilEDiTOR INTERVENES . * “Was it not a fact,” continued Mr Leicester, “that Mr L. K. Munro, editor of the New Zealand Hera d, had rung Mr Nash personally on the Saturday afternoon and told him that the press was unable to obtain statements from the returning search parties and that Mr Nash gave instructions at 6.10 p.m. on the Satuiday night to Horopiko that the pi ess were to be given such mforma--1 replied that he did not know what the n? essa^ was in an outer office. He did not know that Mr Nash had issued lui ther instructions. He did not do so through the witness. He did not know that on October 26 Mi Nasn had obtained an undertaking no the Director of Civil Aviation iela five to the supplying of information to the press on that day. NO INSTRUCTIONS Mr-Leicester: Is it not clear that Mr Nash may have issued instructions regarding the suppression oi news to the press, of which you knew nothing? The witness: I am quite certain that is not so. . . Mi’ Leicester: Certain people m Taumaruilui who had their radio sets , tuned into a radio transmitting from the scene of the wreck speak of official messages, stated to be from the Prime Minister’s Department, that no information was to be released to the press or public, but was to be relayed to Wellington. The witness: No such messages emanated front our department, and, in fact, we still, continued to .have nothing to do with press relations. Mr Leicester) asked Williams if he would deny thht following the find-

ing of the plane on Friday his department was in communication with tne police at Ohakune regaining tne withnofdmg of information to tne press. He would deny it, replied Williams, because the checking Mr Nash ana ne naa aone was with tne heaas of the departments in Wellington and there was no communication, otner than those already refererd to, witn Ohakune. The witness added that at no stage of the search, or later, did Mr Nash ask for or secure information through the information section. He was not aware of any arrangement for Mr Nash to broadcast from the floor of the House. His department was not involved. Mr Nasn did not insist on being advised immediately of any developments regarding the finding of the plane. “The message is quite inexplicable to. me,” said tne witness (Williams) to Mr Leicester. “I am quite satisfied it did not originate with the department and any supposition I made peyond that would be just pure theory, but it did pot originate with Mr Nash personally. I am quite certain it did not.” “GRAVELY CONCERNED”

Mr Nash, added the witness, was as gravely concerned as he was himself.

Mr Leicester: “I take it that if any document had been discovered on the body of any officer of the Airways Corporation containing information as to the cause of the crash there was no instruction from your department that was to be withheld from the press. The witness: No none at all. Mr Leicester: “Do you claim that, as far as your department was concerned there was no arrangement with the Air Department that' information was to be sent to Mr Nash before being released to the press.” The witness: “Not to my knowledge and no specific instruction was recorded concerning that.” Williams said he recalled having an interview on the Saturday afternoon with Mr Wybert, of the Evening Post staff. Asked whether, during the interview, he had used the words, “No, no. I did not mean that. All I wanted was for Mr Nash to be kept informed” while speaking on the telephone to an officer of the Air Department, the witness agreed that he had used the words.

PRESS MISUNDERSTANDING On the Saturday morning, as the result of the Press Association message which had been published, said the witness, many people, including operations room, thought that perhaps some such action should be taken. It was the misunderstanding purely caused by the Press Association message that he was clearing UP Wybert had come to him and had said that he could not get information. added the witness, io assist him, the witness had rung control room and had discovered that there they were confused by the Press Association message. His words meant that Mr Nash had at no stage wished to be a channel of information, nor had he been, but that he would be kept informed, as was the Prime Minister at all times, without any relation to the press. . . Mr Leicester asked might it be taken that if the message “on the authority of the Prime Minister s Department” were genuine, it would be the publicity section involved. Mr Cleary: The information sectlOMr Leicester: “The information section. The publicity section occurs only in November (laughter). The witness (Williams) said that if the message were genuine it could have come from any executive officer working with the Prime Minister oi from a secretary.

NO EXPLANATION To Mr Stevenson (counsel lor tne NZP.A.) the witness said that Mr Nash was very concerned about the Press Association’s message. He had had a telephone conversation with Mr Gibson on the Saturday in which the message was the gist of the conversation. This witness added that he could give no explanation at all as to why Mi - Scott should have marked down the message as originating m the Prime Minister’s Department. “Absolute nonsense” was the witness’s reply to Mr Stevenson when counsel recalled, that in evidence, Mr Scott had stated that the Prime Minister’s Department had ruled on the giving out of information by the Air Department. INFORMING RELATIVES Williams, recalling discussions which had taken place between Mr Nash, Mr Jones and the Director of Civil Aviation and the Corporation on the question of notifying the relatives before the dissemination of the news of the findin" of the aircraft, said it had been hoped that such an arrangement would be possible. It would’not be operated to the detriment of editions of papers and would be done in a working arrangement with the press and radio. To the chairman, Mr Stevenson said what the newspapers were entitled to expect was a supply of information which was in the public interest. In this case, private people were involved. Though the press was not entitled to a press relations officer, when he was appointed the press was entitled to full and fair information. Sir Harold observed that it was not in the newspapers’ own interests to have supplied reports. Mr Leicester said the source of •news for this matter of pubhc mteiest was closed at Ohakune. He told the chairman that it was a matter o discretion for one reporter to inform his colleagues of the latest reports. Sir Harold: “That is a scoop, isn t it?” WHAT POLICE TOLD PRESSMEN Senior-Sergeant F. Taylor, Taumarunui, statea he took charge of the police activities in connection with the rescue operations following the cuscoverv of the wrecked aircraft on the Friday morning. Witness saia that, at the start', tood for the rescue parties was in fairly short supply, nefore the rescue party set out foi the mountain, from thp Plateau at aaylight on tne Saturday morning, ne addressed the members of the party. He told them that, as some of them were experienced Hampers, they would prooably reach the aircraft beloie the police, and that, in that case, they were not to touch anything until the police arrived. He also told tne rescue party to give all information to him. . . iirn . Witness said that Christie of The Taranaki Daily News” had gone , witn mm, from Taiimarunui. Christie naa volunteered his services and he had sent him up the mountains with the advance party. Christie had reached the aircraft, and had done excellent work there and in bringing out the bodies. “He was one of the best workers I had,” said witness. Continuing witness said that forty of the original rescue party of eighty had had to turn back, because the conditions were too tough. About 11.15 a.m. on the Saturday morning, about ten pressmen arrived at the Plateau. One or two of them were properly dressed for the mountain, put the’ others were not. He had told the pressmen that they could go no further forward, but they could remain in the camp and get what information they liked there. He had told the pressmen that the rescue nartv was returning. There was only nn P tra<?k. He had no guides to send them. He told them that they were not equipped, and that, for their own safety and convenience, they should remain at the camp. Apart from that they had the run of the camp as far as he was concerned.. The pressmen had no food with them. They were supplied. A POLICE REPRIMAND Witness said he learnt from Sergeant Carlyon that he had reprimand-

ed a press photographer, a Mr Hill, for taxing a photograph. He agreed with the course that tne sergeant nau taken. He (witness) saw a body that Hill had photographed, and witness thought it better left unphotographed. He had told Hill not to break camp again, as he had done so in going further forward than he was entitled to do. No other photographer made that break. Witness said that at about 2.30 p.m. on the Saturday, witness called for volunteers for reliefs for the rescue party. But, although the pressmen were there, none of them volunteered. Mr Leicester: “But you said they were not equipped. ' Witness: “They were equipped to go as far as the snowline.” Continuing his evidence the witness said that, at no time at the Plateau, or while engaged in the search, had he received • any instructions restricting the release of information to the press. Before leaving Taumarunui, he had sent word to reporters he knew were at Te Awamutu, to hurry and get down to Ohakune. Witness stated that he had received an unsolicited letter from the Managing-Editor of “The Taranaki Daily News” expressing appreciation of the co-operation the help that the members of the staff of that paper had received from him in obtaining information about discovery of the wreckage and the recovery of the bodies.

To Mr Leicester, witness said that the Inspector of Air Accidents, Wing Commander Kean had made a request that he should not allow anyone to go near the aircraft until the arrival of Wing Commander Khan or the police. Wing Commander Kean was very much against the pressmen. Witness said that no member of the rescue party was forbidden to give information to the press under threat of arrest; nor was any instruction given by him to constables at Ohakune that they were not to give information to the press. Wing Commander Kean was emphatic that no information should reach the press as to the times shown on passengers’ watches. He had always found the press reasonable. Mr Leicester: “Don’t you think you did the press a disservice in refusing them access to rescue parties?” Witness: “They did not need to see them, for they knew no more than I did.”

sergeant A. Carlyon, of Wanganui, statea he assisted with rescue operations. He said that, when the first body was brought down to the Plateau, he observed the Auckland “Star” reporter interviewing one of tne stretcher-bearers. He told him that he had better get his information through Senior-Sergeant Taylor, and he said to the stretcher-bearer that, if he brought any information from the aircraft, he should give it to the Senior-Seregant. He had not told the reporter that he would be sent away if he asked any questions. None of the pressmen had approached him, or asked him lor food.

As the party, with the first adult body, was approaching the camp, said witness, there was a general movement of the press men and of others to the body. He said they were to stay where they were, and not to photograph the body. He then went up the track to direct the party, and he found a photographer there. The witness asked him if he had a photograph, and, when he said that he had, the witness told him that he had better submit it for approval, before publication. He took the name and address of the photographer. He did not see the photograph taken, and that was all that occurred. Witness intervened because men, who had returned to the camp asking for relief, had informed him that the bodies were' badly mutilated and he was also afraid that the photographs might disclose the injuries and the circumstances under which the bodies were being carried out, which were, of necessity, rather crude. Witness stated that he had received no instructions, other than the general instruction given by Senior-Ser-geant Taylor. Mr .Leicester: “Did you see the National Film Unit taking a film of bodies coming down the mountain.” Witness: “No.” “Was any censorship exercised on photographs taken by the National Film Unit?” Witness: “There was no censorship of photographs after the bodies were straightened out and were wrapped.’’ ARMY FAVOURED CONTROL Colonel C. L. Pleasants, Camp Commandant, Waiouru, gave details oi army assistance offered to the police and accepted following discovery oi the wrecKage. On the evening the day the aircraft was round, he visited Cowen's Mill. He had a discussion with oCnstable Roscoe and a transport official about the pcopie going up Horopito track, it was considered. that, with the week-end there would be a large number oi sightseers and that there would oe tne danger of them going up the mountain, and that they would possibly be lost n the weather turned bad; and that, to prevent that, some form of control should be adapted. Authority was ootained for a picketing scheme at Cowen’s Mill. A sentry was told to turn away anyone who had not a pass from the’ Ohakune police. Two men who, he was informed, were pressmen, were listening near the radio van, and he had had to ask them to move away. When he asked them to leave the area, they 'questioned his authority and he informed them that he had been given the authority to control the area, as he understood, from the Prime Minister’s Department; but that, if they went to the Ohakqne police ’ they would decide whether they should come into that area and would give them passes to do so. A restriction was that pressmen were asked not to interview soldiers. RADIO DECISION Colonel Pleasants stated that the decision to withhold the information that passed about the crash, through the military radio link, was his. He considered that this information would affect a Court of Inquiry, ana, therefore could not be discussed by anyone until that had to take piace. There were no other restrictions on the giving of information to the press. Mr Leicester: “If reporters could not get information from returning rescue parties or your radio van, there was no avenue ol getting it. The witness; “But tney could get it from the returning parties. “Did you have any instruction from the Prime Minister’s Department oi from Mr Nash about the interviewing of civilians?” Witness: No. . The inquiry was then adjourned until Monday.