PORT ORFORD, OREGON. POST
GENERAL Test Television for Help in Battle
HUGH S.
U. S. Official Denies Plan
For Censorship^ Press
Presidential Assistant Mellett Opposed to
Any Type of Central News Bureau
Or Propaganda Drive.
By BAUKHAGE
National Furm and Home Hour Commentator.
WNU Service, 1395 National Press
Bldg., Washington, D. C.
WASHINGTON.—If you want to
■tart a heated argument among the
members of that Washington in
stitution which is often called "the
third house of congress,” but whose
official name is the National Press
club, just mention "government
censorship.’’
Those are fighting words to the
men of press and radio and—well,
did you ever try to put a muzzle on
a real healthy airedale?
Just to keep the fun going, I
dropped in the other day to have a
chat with the man whose name has
been more closely associated with
censorship of late than any other in
the capital—and how he hates it!
He is soft-spoken, gray-haired
Lowell Mellett, a keen-minded, mid
dle-aged newspaper acquaintance of
mine over many years and one of the
best-liked and most highly respected
of all of those who have now desert
ed the fourth estate to work for the
New Deal.
Mellett left the Washington Daily
News to become head of the Na
tional Emergency council in 1938.
(The "emergency” in this sense re
fers to the 1933 variety and not the
•’limited" one we are enjoying at
present.) The NEC, as the council
appeared in the New Deal "alpha
bet” in those days, has since be
come the office of Government Re
ports, a less pretentious institution.
Mr. Mellett is its head and is also
one of the President’s administra
tive assistants. These latter are the
men who, according to official pro
nouncement, must have a "passion
for anonymity.” The functions of
these assistants differ widely as
does the degree of their intimacy
with the President, but of all his ad
visers, Lowell Mellett is one of those
in whom the President places his
deepest confidence.
There is a reason why this former
newspaper man’s name has been as
sociated with a possible censorship
of news. When the President asked
congress recently for funds to make
the office on government reports per
manent, the house of • epresenta-
tives committee on appropriations
called Mellett before ,t to ask him,
among other things, what, if any,
plans the administration has for cur
tailing or regulating what should
and should not be printed about de
fense or other matters, according to
the government’s way of thinking.
Mellett told the congressmen that
the administration has no such plan
at all.
The word “plan” is used in the
concrete sense for it is well known
that several specific programs for
regulating what would or would not
be permitted to be made public by
press and radio have been drawn
up by various officials, who would
like to tie a muzzle on the news
hounds in case of war or even in
case a full emergency is officially
proclaimed, or perhaps even before.
Mellett’s answer satisfied the
committee and the lower house
agreed to the measure.
Nevertheless, the rumor lingers
on that a man with scissors is lurk
ing behind the White House hedge
ready to clip the reporters’ wings
the moment they spread them too
widely.
I called upon Mr. Mellett in his
businesslike office in a building in
"downtown" Washington. Although
he had no official statement for me
(which I didn’t want anyhow) we
had a frank, friendly, informal chat.
As a result, I can confirm what he
has told me before concerning his
sentiments on censorship, senti
ments which I believe it is safe to
say are those of the President, too,
at this writing. This is the way Mr.
Mellett expresses himself on the
subject:
"Even in case of war I don’t be
lieve in a propaganda drive,” he
said to me, referring to any artificial
effort to mold public opinion in
favor of government policy.
“I
have constantly opposed a central
press bureau when I have heard it
discussed, because it is impractical.
It is impossible to get the news of
government through one bottleneck.
“My idea,” he went on, "is simply
to see to it that the press informa
tion bureau of the army and the
navy and possibly the defense agen
cies, which now exist, are made as
efficient as possible.”
To the newsman, this means that
these bureaus would have at their
fingertips information which the
press ordinarily obtains from indi
vidual officials. In an emergency,
war and navy chiefs feel these in
dividuals might inadvertently re
veal information which should be
kept confidential.
"If this method doesn’t work," Mr.
Mellett declared, “my idea would be
to have representatives of the press
and radio come here to Washington
and offer their own plan for han
dling emergency news. They wouldn't
offer a plan which the government
could refuse. They want the news
and the government wants to get it
out.”
He explained that what he meant
was that he believed the newsmen
would agree on what was sheer good
sense and patriotism to print. Such
facts would be given out which did
not injure national defense or give
aid and comfort to the enemy, and
the papers would be left perfectly
free, as he put it, to raise the devil
with the way things were being done
and to criticize the government.
Finally, I reminded Mr. Mellett
that in the last war there was criti
cism of the Creel committee on pub
lic information because it not only
withheld much news that the pub
lic had a right to have, but also it
gave out information that was pure
propaganda. Therefore, I asked,
wasn’t it natural to expect that any
restriction on government news
might be looked upon with suspicion
by the press, radio and public?
Mr. Mellett came back to his
original thesis. He reiterated that
he did not believe in a propaganda
drive—such a drive as the Creel
committee indulged in. Secondly, he
said, if the information bureaus of
the various government agencies
were efficient, the facts would be
available. It was because the Creel
committee was a central, news bu
reau (which he opposes) that it be
came a bottleneck, holding back
facts that could have been made
available to the press and radio
even in war time.
• • •
Statue Troubles
In Nation’s Capitol
It is easier to revise a statute in
Washington than to move a statue.
That is why Sixteenth street, the
avenue that runs almost up to the
front door of the White House, is
torn up these days. The excavating
is taking place at Scott circle.
Washington is full of circles, most
of them with their historic statues.
They make for beauty and also traf
fic jams. Recently certain new
comers to the city suggested re
moving the statues instead of build
ing million dollar underpasses such
as the one now being constructed
under the proud figure of General
Winfield Scott. But these newcom
ers just didn’t know Washington
tradition.
One man who tried to break that
tradition got into a terrific mess.
It was John Russell Young, then a
newspaper reporter, now District
Commissioner Young, one of the
three "mayors” of the city. It was
in Harding's administration when
public buildings and grounds were
in charge of the engineer aide to the
President, Colonel Sherril.
Mr. Young conceived the idea that
the statue of George Washington,
located in a somewhat shabby
neighborhood several blocks from
the White House, ought to be in front
of it where General Jackson sits
astride his famous rearing charger
in Lafayette park.
He persuaded
Colonel Sherril to switch the two fig
ures and proceeded to write a story
of what was to happen.
Then came the deluge. President
Harding was almost drowned in an
avalanche of angry telegrams from
ardent Jacksonians all over the
country. The state of Tennessee not
only legislated its fury over this in
sult to its famous son but announced
it was sending a delegation to the
President. It was reported that the
Old Hickory Marching club, once
a historically potent political organi
zation, was to be brought to life to
descend on the capital, possibly
with their old long rifles loaded for
more than bear.
Only a speedy denial of his inten
tion to force General Jackson to
trade places with General Washing
ton saved Mr. Harding's scalp.
No, we don’t disturb our sculp
tured great in Washington. If we
can't get around them we go under
them.
B R IE F S . . .
reeks Washington reporters
find out the total airplane
ion of the United States. But
w the figures were not avail-
national defense offices. It
t that the information was
red exactly confidential, but
ch of the defense news, as-
g the details involved the
different government agen
B y Baukhage
cies, different divisions of the same
agency. Officials fearing to embar
rass another division or department,
have become close-mouthed.
But one reporter did get the plane
figures. He got them at a cocktail
party, along with a detailed break
down. He published the totals but
withheld the details for fear of
embarrassing his source.
-----------
*-----------------------------------------
the nation’s electric generating
capacity was 42,000,000 kilowatts,
while the nation was using only
28.000.000 kilowatts. By 1942. he said,
the capacity will have been in
creased to 47.000,000 kilowatts to
UniUd F-I—
W
NU Sv-M»
PHILADELPHIA.-The magic of provide a huge reserve for any de
Washington, D. C.
television soon may be harnessed to fense emergency which may devel
REVOLT UNDER HITLER
flash running picture stories of troop op.
Napoleon conquered a large part movements and actual battles from
At another meeting, delegates
of Europe. Because he had some observation planes to general staff were told of a new invention which
idea of a sort of United States of headquarters, the American Insti would protect America's power sup
that continent, semi-sovereign states tute of Electrical Engineers was ply if high voltage lines were de
united in a loose league, he allowed told here.
stroyed by lightning or bombing. It
the conquered countries a good deal
“We do not have to let the imagi is a new type of circuit breaker, and
of leeway. Ferhaps his further idea nation run wild to picture the possi it not only automatically switches
of putting his own people, family bility of an airplane equipped with off power in the damaged lines, but
or fellow soldiers, on the thrones of television flying over the battlefields also blows out fires that often break
several of these states had some while the troop commander and his out.
thing to do with his liberality.
general staff gather about the view
The breaker can store air for
Whatever the reason, he didn’t ex ing screen at general headquarters
ercise a close enough control to and have instantaneous and accu years until such an emergency
keep some of them conquered. In rate information of events in the arises and then blast out the flames
Prussia, Scharnhorst and Stein ef front line,” said Dean Joseph W. with a 1,000-mile-an-tiour puff of
fectually evaded his disarmament Barker of Columbia university wind. The speakers were Robert C.
Dickinson and P. H. Nau of the
decrees by using the permitted school of engineering.
Westinghouse Electric and Manufac
small Prussian army in a new con
“That is all 1 can say, because
cept, not as a fixed regular estab the war and navy departments for turing company, who have worked
lishment but as a military training bid me to discuss the possibilities in 10 years on the invention.
school through which they rushed any detail," he concluded.
yearly classes of recruits as rapid
It was learned from authoritative
ly as possible. In this way, they sources among the 2,000 electrical
forged the forces which finally sent engineers, who convened here for
Napoleon first to Elba and later, their annual five-day meeting, that
after Waterloo, to St. Helena. the nation’s foremost authorities on
Napoleon just wasn’t tough enough. television were developing the sys
< H S J lQ t t e s e s e l e s e
We do a good deal of talking about tem for America’s armed forces.
our great liberal free union of semi
SAMMY
WISHES HE HADN’T
Aid in Defense,
sovereign states, the United States
BEEN SO HASTY
Experimental television broad-
of America. But we frequently for
get that, so far as the States of the ca-ts from airplanes to land stations Never be like Sammy Jay.
old Southern Confederacy are con ha' e been made successfully, they Because, you know, it doesn't pay.
cerned, there was nothing free or said, although the screen pictures Go ask him if it isn't true.
liberal about it. We forced them are not as clear as those produced And hear what Samm y'll say to you.
to remain in the Union at the points in studio broadcasts.
ITH all his might Sammy Jay
Dr. Barker discussed the new de
of bayonets.
wished that he hadn’t been so
It is worth remembering because, velopment in television at a round hasty in making up his mind that
after the Treaty of Versailles, the table forum. He explained that he Old Man Coyote had gone away,
Allies, especially England and was not free to say more about it and especially that he hadn't been
France, made exactly the same because he had been enlisted in na in such a hurry to tell everybody.
mistake that Napoleon had made tional defense research and training He felt that he didn’t want to meet
and made it with exactly the same projects.
anyone now, for everyone knew by
warlike people, the Germans.
Leading engineers attending the this time that Old Man Coyote hadn't
There was never a time, up to 1936 session pointed out that with the gone away. Either they would laugh
at least, when with the controls at aid of television, the commanding at him for being so easily fooled or
their command, they couldn’t have general would know instantly not else they would think that he had
stopped Hitler, as Winston Churchill only what his own troops were do told a wrong story purposely, and
continuously urged that they should ing, but also what the enemy was you know Sammy hasn't the best
do. They didn’t. As Napoleon had doing. He could flash orders to the name in the world, anyway.
done earlier, and as the North did front to strike at weaknesses devel
So he sat in a big hemlock tree
not do after the Civil war, they per oping in the enemy’s lines or rush in the Green Forest, not knowing
mitted the conquered country to reinforcements to points in his own what to do with himself, until at
build up an overwhelming military lines which were cracking.
last he grew so hungry that he just
superiority, under their very noses.
Electric Power Cited.
had to go out to look for something
Now the situation is reversed.
During the same forum, N. E. to eat. Sammy, like the rest of the
Hitler sits astride most of Europe.
little feathered people, cannot go
He has disarmed it and made its Funk, vice president of the Phila very long without food. Hardly had
vast military booty part of his own delphia Electric company, said that he started forth when he saw Chat
forces. He, like Napoleon, also con
terer the Red Squirrel. He tried to
templates some kind of compul
dodge out of sight, but Chatterer’s
sory United States of Europe. Some ♦ ♦ ♦ ♦ ♦ ♦ ♦ ♦ ♦ ♦ ♦ ♦ ♦ ♦ ♦ ♦ ♦ ♦ ♦ ♦ ♦ ♦ ♦ ♦ eyes are very bright and quick. He
observers, reverting to the Napole
saw Sammy almost as soon as Sam
onic failure, say that it can’t be
my saw him.
done—that his conquest will collapse
“Ho! ho! ho!” shouted Chatterer.
through counter-revolution caused
"If Old Man Coyote has gone away
by a combination of interior strains
why didn’t he take his voice with
and stresses with outside pressure.
him? Tell me that, Sammy Jay.”
Will it? Napoleon, himself, fre
Sammy didn’t say a word. He
quently said that all empires of con
couldn't, because he hadn’t anything
quest die of indigestion from over
to say. He just hurried on. As he
eating and referred to the crackups
passed the corner of the Old Or
of the empires of Alexander, the
chard who should spy him but John
Romans, Ghengis Khan, Charle
ny Chuck.
magne and the Caliphates of Bagh
“What did Old Man Coyote prom
dad and Cordova.
ise you to tell us that he had gone
On all the evidence to date, Hitler
away?” shrilled Johnny angrily.
is not likely to repeat the blunders
“He didn’t promise me anything.
of Napoleon and the Allies through
I made a mistake, that's all!”
any lack of toughness, efficiency or
snapped Sammy, and hurried on.
cold-blooded cruelty. Let’s not kid
Pretty soon Peter Rabbit caught
ourselves too far from realism.
sight of him.
• • •
"Story teller! Story teller!” called
COLUMN AND NOSTALGIA
Peter.
This column has been accused by
"I’m not either!” screamed Sam
some of its best customers of nos
my. ”1 really thought that Old Man
talgia or too much yearning toward
Coyote had gone.”
World war precedents and experi
“Better know and not merely think
UST because you prefer a brisk
ences in mobilizing American in
shower instead of a tub bath next time,” advised Peter.
dustry and man-power for defense.
Danny Meadow Mouse was the
Sometimes from the hostiles this occasionally, don't give up using
criticism takes the angle that the your pet bath oil. Pour a bit of the next to see him, but Sammy didn’t
“nostalgia” is for a government job scented oil into your palm. Slosh it wait to hear what Danny had to
on the defense front.
More fre soothingly over your skin. Then say. It was just as well. He wouldn't
quently it is from sincere and un stand under your warm spray and have felt any more comfortable if
he had. You see, Danny is one of
derstanding personal friends, and is enjoy the delicious fragrance.
that too much emphasis is put on (Released by Western Newspaper Union.) the very little people who has to al-
mobilization principles and experi
ences 23 years old and that, like "a
quail a day for 30 days,” it gets too
monotonous for the readers’ relish.
No, this column is not in rebuttal
of any of these criticisms about nos
talgia. It is just to talk some of
them over.
As to nostalgia for a job. That
isn’t good sense. Any man would
like again to have some active part
in a great national effort in a crisis,
but that natural wish was aban
doned long ago. Quite understand
ably, this administration would not
seek out a critic for any more im
portant job than janitor in its dog
house. It is not to be blamed for
that. Any other course would be bad.
It wouldn’t make for harmony.
On the other hand, the adminis
tration has shown great considera
tion and restraint. This column
could have been silenced any day,
without justifiable criticism from
any source, by simply calling its
conductor to active service as a re
serve officer—a course which would
also have put him in a considerable
financial crimp and could have re
The International D og Sled derby held In February, near Quebec City,
sulted in no more interesting em
ployment than counting coconuts ! Canada, recalled travel in the Icy wastes of the Far North. A team Is
shown racing at full speed across a snow covered field.
at San Juan de Bac Bac.
• • •
As to nostalgia for World war
methods of mobilization, they were
adopted for manpower. For indus- )
SEATTLE.—The Boeing Aircraft paring space for more than 15,000
trial mobilization, the President is
reported to have said ot the war company, builders of the world's workers who will be on the job by
department’s plan (which followed first four-motored bombing planes, summer. The Boeing company em
our World war model) that we need the army air corps’ famous ’’flying ployed less than 3,000 men two years
a 1940 mobilization and not a 1918 fortresses," has entered its most ago.
The plant operates 24 hours a day
blue print That isn't what the Ger- I significant year In the quarter-cen
tury history of the company. It is and turns out one "flying fortress"
mans said. They are on record as rapidly expanding its vast facilities every two days. The production
having modeled their whole indus to meet demands of America's de rate was one every four days a year
trial effort on the war industries fense program.
ago. By the latter part of the year
board plan so far as it was applies
With employment at a record lev Boeing hopes to be delivering five
el of 9,000 men, the company Is pre or six bombers a day.
ble.
JOHNSON
Jour:
A rm y Trains Radio Operators
Army Figures Possibilities
For Directing Soldiers
In Warfare.
¡
Fully cognizant of the importance of rapid communication, the U. S.
army is training radio operators for the tasks before them. Here is a.
line of student operators at Ft. Monmouth, N. J., as they listen to the
automatic code signals. A graduate operator must be able to send and
receive 35 words a minute.
ITey Let Coeds Knit;
Why? Keeps ’Em Quiet
Au T hornton W Burcfess
W
IMinuteMake-ÚpsI
By v.v. |
J
Dog Sled Derby
s * * ^ • .. * e * . o *
ways be on the watch to keep out ot
the way of Old Man Coyote, and
something very terrible might have
happened to him as a result of Sam
my’s story the day before. Down in
his heart Sammy was glad that noth
ing had happened.
When he visited the Smiling Pool
no one would have anything to do
with him. They just turned their
backs on him and pretended not to
see him at all. So it was wherever
he went. Sammy spent a miserable
day. It wasn't of the least bit of
use to try to explain. No one be
lieved him. He flew sadly to the
Green Forest to hide in, the thick
CHATTANOOGA, TENN.—Knit
ting needles click in classes at
the University of Chattanooga.
The coeds are knitting war re
lief garments and besides, says
Dr. Frank Prescott, head of the
department of government:
"I would much rather have the
girls knitting than talking—or
criticizing my lecture.'!
don't take Mif-
WORD fct. Hl
=
FRANK COLBY
ssss
INQUIRY
Noun. A question; a query; in-
vestigation.
“Story teller! story teller!” cried
Peter.
hemlock tree where he had his
home. And as he sat there thinking
it all over he sighed. He was wish
ing that he had not so often given
his neighbors cause to think ill of
him. Then quite suddenly he thought
of a way to regain his lost place in
the regard of his friends. None of
them knew that Farmer Brown’s
Boy had taken up his traps which
he had set for Old Man Coyote. To
morrow he would go over to the
Smiling Pool and tell how he had
seen Farmer Brown’s Boy throw
those cruel traps into a corner as if
he didn’t mean ever to use them
again. Then Jerry Muskrat and Bil
ly Mink and Little Joe Otter would
be so glad that they would no longer
turn their backs on him. Sammy
brightened up wonderfully at the
thought and tucked his head under
his wing in very good spirits.
Inqulry is the Surprise Word of
the Week.
The prevalent American pronon
ciation—”IN-queer-ee"—is not to be
found in any of these accepted die*
tionaries: Funk and Wagnall's, Cen
tury, Macmillan’s, Winston’s, Ox
ford, Hempl, JOnes, Wyld. However,
it does appear as second choice in
the New Webster’s.
The correct pronunciation, with
the accent on the second syllable,
and with the "i” long as in quite
and quire, is not a '‘new’’ pronun
ciation by any means, but has been
well established by generations of
speech authorities.
To pronounce inquiry correctly,
simply place an "ee” sound at tho
end of the word Inquire. Do not ac
cent the first syllable. Correct Pro
nunciation: in-KWY-ree.
(Capitals indicate syllables to be
accented.)
(Bell Syndicate— WNU Service.)
CheMi the Pup
By GEORGE O HALLORAN
»
(Associated Newspapers—WNU Service.)
Paris Gowns Now Made
Of Wood and Vegetables
PARIS.—Paris gowns, which once
set the world’s fashions, now are be
ing made of ersatz cloth, much of it
produced in Normandy and contain
ing 40 per cent vegetable matter and
60 per cent wood.
Commenting on the new material,
the newspaper Le Matin said, “Our
forests clothe us.” It is claimed
that the ersatz tissues “look exactly
like pure wool—they are soft and
steady.”
Clothes are not yet rationed but
it is predicted that they will be soon,
starting with shoes.
“National
shoes,” partly of wood, are being
made in large quantities.
Students Quiz Selves
And 8 Per Cent Flunk
PROVIDENCE, R. I —The Rev.
Paul C. Perrotta, O. P., professor
of logic at Providence college, can
hardly be criticized by those pupils
who flunked their mid-year exams.
Father Perrotta permitted the stu
dents to make up their own ques
tions as well as the answers.
Many of the students must have
given themselves "the works," be
cause 8 per cent failed to pass.
LARA puts on her gym suit ear
C
ly every morning and turns on
the radio, and some klunkeroo ex
plains just how to roll around the
floor and keep fit to music. This
morning Pebblepuss thought he’d
try a few calisthenics. He said that
these exercises that Clara was do
ing were Just kindergarten stuff.
Nothing like he used to do in col
lege when he ran five miles every
morning before breakfast, after
which he walked around the block
twice on his hands and then chinned
himself 100 times. But cither Clara's
been doing them all wrong or else
he doesn't understand English. The
music started and the count began
and by that time Pebblepuss had
thrown both knees out of joint and
got himself all wound up with his
legs around bis neck. He couldn’t
untangle himself so Clara rolled him
into the bedroom and called a doc
tor to come up and unscramble him.
IReleased by Weetern Newspaper Union.)
ONE ‘FLYING FORTRESS’ COMPLETED EVERY TWO DAYS
The plant soon will start deliver
ing smaller twin-engine bombers for
under a license agreement with the
Douglas Aircraft company of Loa
Angeles.
To effect the production increase
plant expansion has been under way
almost continually the last seven
months. A year ago plant 2 had a
total floor space of 166.000 square
feet. Early last fall thia was In
creased to 632,000. Still too small,
it will be Increased to more than
1,000.000 square feet this spring. The
total floor space of three plants will
then comprise nearly 2,500.000
square feet.
The enlarged plant 2 will be a
continuous structure approximately
one-fourth of a mile long and one-
fifth of a mile wide, making It one
of the most impressive production
layouts of any manufacturing in
dustry In the United States.