CENSORSHIP ENDS

New Zealand Herald, Volume 82, Issue 25217, 1 June 1945, Page 8

CENSORSHIP ENDS

WESTERN EUROPE AREA ARMY MOVENT EXCEPTED PROTEST MADE EARLIER (Reed. 6.85 p.m.) LONDON, May 30 Supreme Headquarters announces that its press censorship in the Western European theatre has been discontinued, except in the case of troop movements, details connected with them, "and such other matters of high military importance as may require reference to the Supreme Commander." An earlier message says protest against the censorship has been made by the war correspondents accredited to the British Second Army. Correspondents passed the following resolution: "The war correspondents attached to the Second Army call the attention of the press and the public to the follow-, ing facts:— "(1) The end of the war in Europe has not led to the hoped-for diminution of censorship. We, instead, find the censorship not only maintained _ without reasons of military security to justify it, but in certain circumstances it has been intensified. "(2) We feel that the present policy is keeping back news of general interest to the public. "(3) Unnecessary restrictions have been placed on correspondents obtaining news about Nazi war criminals and reporting adequately events inside Germany. In recent weeks correspondents have had reports censored, only to find the censored information officially released elsewhere. "(4) The latest instance of unnecessary interference with the right to report events in occupied Germany is the case of. William Joyce. Correspondents found their reports restricted for reasons which had nothing to do with military security. "(5) Correspondents feel that, the entire present policy of news control and censorship must be reviewed." FOUR MISSING PLANES BRITISH AIRBORNE TROOPS BELIEVED LOSS OFF NORWAY (Rocd. 5.85 p.m.) LONDON, May 80 Four British planes with airborne troops have not been heard of since they left England for Norway on May 9, reports an Oslo correspondent. They carried 75 men in'all and one passenger was Air Vice-Marshal J. R. Scarlett-Streatfield. No trace has been found" of'the planes and it is believed the planes crashed into the sea near the mountainous Norwegian coast. DR SOONG'S NEW POST CHINESE POLITICAL CHANGE (Reed. 9.30 p.m.) CHUNGKING, May 31 Marshal Chiang Kai-shek has resigned the presidency of the Executive Yuan. He is succeeded by Dr T. V. Soong, whose eleration soon to full Prime Ministership has raised the possibility that he might attend the impending meeting of the Big Five. It would also give him greater face if he makes his expected visit to - Moscow on his way back to China from the San Francisco Conf©r©nc© Mr Wong Weh-hao, Minister of Economic Affairs and head of China's War Production Board, has been appointed vice-premier, succeeding Mr H, H. Kung. The appointment is probably a reward for his labours as head of the Chinese War Production Board.

AIRMEN PRISONERS MOST AMERICANS SURVIVE (Reed.,.8.30 p.m.) SAN FRANCISCO. May 30 The report that Hitler ordered the execution in March of imprisoned British and American fliers as a reprisal for air attacks and German army commanders refused to carry out the order could not be corroborated, according to the American Red Cross. The Red Cross report said 99 per cent of the .American prisoners survived and were on their way home. PARIS STORE INVADED ANGRY WAR PRISONERS (Reed. 5.35 p.m.) PARIS. May 30 Five thousand liberated French prisoners of war, after demonstrating in a noisy but orderly manner in the heart of Paris, marched into the big store of Au Printemps, dressed in their striped prison clothes, seized clothing and told the salesmen to send the bill to the Minister for Prisoners. The crowd supported the prisoners, who made off with the clothes. The demonstration was protesting against an announcement that only those who had lost all their possessions were entitled to a free suit, or clothes. After the demonstrations the Government sent out trucks to requisition clothing from retailers, wholesalers and factories. SECRET NAVAL BASES AMERICANS IN ENGLAND (Reed. 6.10 p.m.) LONDON, May 31 Most of the United States naval bases along the south coast of England have been closed. Of the 15 used by the Americans on D Day and up to V-E Day, only four are still in commission. The exact whereabouts of these invasion bases • was one of the most closely guarded secrets of the European war. They stretched from Land's End to the London docks and included several ancient harbours and smugglers' coves. More than 2400 American , ships and landing craft sailed from them on the night before B Bay to rendezvous, with British forces in the greatest amphibious operation of all time. More than 500,000 fighting troops and 200,000 vehicles were handled by one of these bases alone, BALLOONS CARRY BOMpS FROM JAPAN TO AMERICA LONDON, May 30 A United States Government official says that the bomb-carrying balloons that have been reaching the United States are launched from the Japanese homo islands. In a radio interview, the chief of the Forestry Service said they are made of five layers of oiled paper and are 35ft in diameter. When filled with hydrogen they rise to between 25,000 and ,'35,000 ft, where there are air currents constantly travelling from west to east, Facli time a balloon descends from loss of gas, a barometric pressure switch. drops a sandbag, causing the balloon to rise again. After the last sandbag has dropped, and this is timed to occur over American territory, a second automatic switch controlling the bombs takes over. Each time the balloon drops to 27,000 ft a bomb is released. This procedure goes on as it travels across the country. The balloons take between three and five days to reach the United States. WOMAN TRAITOR SHOT LONDON, May 30 A Brussels message says the first woman to be executed in Belgium in this war on a charge of treason was shot at Bruges today. She was a Flemish peasant who was found guilty of denouncing patriots to the Germans. Three of those she denounced were shot at sight, and four were executed later.