CHICAGO TRIBUNE

Otago Daily Times, Issue 25173, 13 March 1943, Page 5

CHICAGO TRIBUNE

APOLOGY TO DOMINION BASELESS CHARGES (Hec. 7 p.m.) NEW YORK, Mar. 11. In publishing a letter from the New Zealand Minister to Washington, Mr Walter Nash, replying to the editorial “ Hello Suckers! ” the Chicago Tribune explains that its comments were based on the testimony of Mr Melvin Maas, who went to New Zealand as an officer of the Marine Corps, and it was presumed that he had first-hand knowledge. Mr Maas, however, had not replied to the denial made by the chairman of the House Foreign Affairs Committee, Mr Sol Bloom, and it must be assumed that his statements were erroneous. The Tribune accordingly apologised to New Zealand for the comment, which was based on inaccurate information.

Mr Nash in his letter said the Tribune editorial was completely untrue, was in bad taste, and cast an uncalled-for slur on New Zealand’s reputation. He added that New Zealand was profoundly grateful for everything the United States had done in the Pacific.

In the course of its editorial the Chicago Tribune said: “ There is a strong air of the fantastic about the New Zealand airports which Mr Melvin Maas described to Congress. Some of them are of no military use. The New Zealanders spized the opportunity of building every field they could possibly put to peace-time use, the entire cost, whether useful to American troops or not, being charged to the United States under reverse lend-lease. The fields are not being used by American commercial airlines, but are being used by a British airline furnished with American planes and American gasoline through lend-lease. This in itself is a circumstance requiring investigation.”