Crown Witnesses Deny Receiving Direction to Withhold Information

Otago Daily Times, Issue 26958, 18 December 1948, Page 8

Crown Witnesses Deny Receiving Direction to Withhold Information

Ruapehu Disaster

PA WELLINGTON, Dec. 17. Four witnesses for the Crown were heard at the sitting to-day of the Commission of Inquiry which is investigating the circumstances relating to the release of information to the public about the finding of the Electra aircraft which crashed on Mount Ruapehu on October 23 thd the subsequent recovery of- the bodies of the passengers and crew. One of the witnesses, Charles Henry Williams, assistant information officer in the Prime Minister’s Department, denied that there had been any direction, instruction or 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 the 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 evidence from the remaining witnesses for the Crown is expected to be completed on Monday, after which an adjournment will be taken to January as the inquiry is taking longer than had been originally anticipated. « ■ ; The commission consists of Sir Harold Johnston, K.C. Mr T. P. Cleary is appearing, for the Crown, Mr W. E. Leicester for the Journalists’ Association, and Mr J. F. B. Stevenson for the Newspaper Proprietors’ Association. Message Transmitted Williams, in evidence, said he was aware that on Friday, October 29. a message was transmitted through Air Control purporting to have the authority of the Prime Minister’s Department. He was not aware at the time that a message had been passed. He had made a complete check of all thbse who could possibly have been concerned with the originating of the message. “I am satisfied that no such message originated from the Prime Minister’s Department dr the Acting Prime Minister’s Department,” said witness. His inquiries had extended to the Acting Prime Minister’s staff and to officers of the Minister m Charge of Civil Aviation. The first he knew of any difficulty with the press was the morning of Saturday, October 30. Mr Nash rang him at his home and asked for an explanation of a story- in the press that morning. ’ Mr Cleary read the story published on October 30: “Any information would be issued through the publicity section of the Prime Minister’s Department” Mr Cleary: Is it correct that there •was any direction, instruction or understanding that the 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 E. A. Gibson, director of civil aviation, on the telephone. Mr Nash also communicated, in witness’s presence, with the Acting Commisr sipner of ■ Police and with senior officers of the Air Department. As a result of those various inquires Mr Nash dictated to Williams the remarks he wished to make in reply Information Section / To Sir Harold witness said the information section' was set up—first, to secure information for the press and public when ordinary communications failed; secondly, to allay public alarm oh such occasions; and thirdly, to take the strain off departments such as the Post and Telegraph, Transport, and the police in particular. , The chairman: Does the press cooperate?—No, it is only a departmental necessity. The chairman; Have the press any rights?—No. . Mr Leicester, referring to Williams 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 press?— “None whatever,” replied Williams. “Was it not a fact,” continued Mr Leicester, “that Mr L. K. Munro, editor of the New Zealand Herald, had rung Mr Nash personally on the Saturday afternoon and told him the press was unable to obtain statements from returning search parties and that Mr Nash gave instructions at 6.10 p.m. on the Saturday to Horopiko that the press were to be given such information? ” Williams replied that he did not know what the message was. He was in the outer office. He did not know Mr Nash had issued further instructions. He did not do so through witness. He did not know that on October 26 Mr Nash had obtained an undertaking from the Director of Civil Aviation conceiving the supplying of information to the press on that day. Mr Leicester: Is it not clear that Mr Nash may have issued instructions regarding the suppression of news to the press of which you knew nothing?— I am quite certain that is not so. Mr Leicester; Certain people in

Mr Leicester; Certain people in Taumarunui who had their radio sets tuned in to the announcer transmitting from the scerie 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.

i About 2.30 p.m. on the Saturday he i 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—They were equipped to go as far as the snowline. No Instructions Witness said that at no time at the plateau or while engaged in the search ' had he received any instruction re- • stricting the release of information to the press. Witness said that the inspector of ! air accidents, Wing Commander Kean, l had made a request that he should ' not allow anyone to go near the air- ! craft until the arrival of Wing Commander Kean or the police. Wing 1 Commander Kean was very much against pressmen. No member of the rescue party was forbidden to give information to the press under threat 1 of arrest, nor was any instruction ; given by him to the constables at ; Ohakune that they were not to give ' information to the press. Wing Com- ! mander Kean was emphatic that no • information should reach the press as to times shown on the 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 the rescue parties? —They did not need to see them for they knew no more than I did. Sergeant A. Carlyon, of Wanganui, who assisted with the rescue operations, said that when the first body was brought down to the plateau he observed a reporter interviewing , one of the stretcher bearers. He told . him he had better ge.t his information through Senior Sergeant Taylor, and he said to the stretcher bearer that i if he brought any information from the aircraft he should give it to the senior sergeant. He had not told a reporter he would be sent , away if he asked any questions. None of the pressmen had approached him or asked him for food. As the party with the first adult body was approaching the camp there was a general movement of the pressmen and 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 found a photographer Witness asked him if he had a photograph, and when he said he had, witness told him he had better submit it for approval before publication. Mr Leicester: Did you see the National Film Unit taking a film of the bodies. coming down the mountain? No. Was any censorship exercised on photographs taken by the National Film Unit?—There was no censorship of photographs after the bodies were wrapped. Army Control Colonel C. L. Pleasants, camp, commandant at Waiouru, gave details of army assistance offered to the police and accepted following the discovery of the wreckage. On the evening of the day the aircraft was found he visited Cowern’s Mill. He had discussion with Constable Roscoe and a transport official about people going up the -Horopito track. It was considered that with the week-end there would be a large number of sightseers and that there would be a danger of them going up the mountain and that they would possibly be lost if the weather turned bad, and that to prevent that, some form of control should be adopted. Authority was obtained for a picketing scheme at Cowern’s Mill. The sentry was told to turn anyone away vmo 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 he had been given authority tc control the area, as he understood , from the Prime Minister’s Department, but that if they went to the Ohakune police they would decide whether they should come into the area and would give them passes to do so. A restriction was ‘ that the pressmen were asked not to interview soldiere.

Williams: No such messages emanated from our department and in fact we still dontinued to have nothing to do with press delations. Mr Leicester asked Williams if he would deny that following the finding of'-the plane on Friday his department was in communication with the police at Ohakune regarding the withholding of information to the press. He would deny it, replied Williams, because the checking Mr Nash and he had done was with' the heads of departments in Wellington. To the chairman, Mr Stevenson (for the Newspaper Proprietors’ Association) 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 public interest was closed at Ohakune. Police Evidence

Senior Sergent F. Taylor, of Taumarunui, who took charge of police activities in connection with the rescue operations following the discovery of the wrecked aircraft on the Friday morning, said that about 11-.15 on the Saturday morning about 10 pressmen arrived at the plateau. One or two of them were properly dressed for the mountain, but the. others were not. He had told pressmen that they couid go no further forward, but could remain in the camp and get what information they liked there. He had told the pressmen that the rescue party was returning. There was only one track and he had no guides to send with, them, they were not equipped, arid 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. They had no food with them, but were supplied. Witness said he learnt from Sergeant Carlyori that he had reprimanded a press photographer, a Mr Hill, for taking a photograph, He agreed with the course the sergeant had taken. He saw a body he had photographed and 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.

The decision to withhold information that passed about the crash through the military radio link was his. He considered that this was information which would affect the court of inquiry and therefore could not be discussed by anyone until that had taken place.