CENSORED NEWS

Otago Daily Times, Issue 23885, 12 August 1939, Page 24

CENSORED NEWS

A STORY OF THE WORLD WAR The danger of suppressing news inconvenient to the Government of the day, with the intention of sparing the public alarm, is discussed by Sir Arthur 4 - Salter in his recently-published book, “ Security,” says the Chicago Tribune. He gives an instance from his own experience as Director of Allied Shipping during the war. which shows how Government officials may come to mislead even themselves.

The Admiralty, he records, used to publish weekly statements of the losses of merchant ships by submarine attack. All was well while the losses were small. When the losses became large the figures of loss were correctly announced, but their significance was veiled by giving out at the same time a statement of the number of arrivals and departures of British ships. This number included not only the overseas ships, which were subject to submarine attack and never numbered more than 150, but also cross-Channel vessels, ships shifting ports, or small coastal craft never in serious danger from submarines. The contrasts between the figures of ships sunk and the figures of safe arrivals suggested a much smaller risk than actually existed. “ One day,” says Sir Arthur, “ I received a visit from the admiral who bore the main responsibility for the naval protection of merchant vessels, fie said he thought the weekly return should be amended, and asked me if I could supply the true figures of ships arriving and departing to and from overseas. “ I replied that I could, but that I did not think he would publish them.

“ ‘ Why not? ’ he said. ‘ What were the figures for last week? ’ “I replied (I gave the approximate figures), ‘35 losses and 140 arrivals—not 2500—a 20 per cent, loss.’ “His face blanched and for a moment he could not credit the figures. The weekly return remained unchanged. “He had become the dupe of his own dope.” j