The Press: Army Censorship

The U.S. press and public were pretty sure that the Army has sometimes used censorship to cover up its own mistakes. Last week the Army, pleading extenuating circumstances, admitted that it had sometimes suppressed news.

Roly-poly Roy A. Roberts, president of the American Society of Newspaper Editors, able managing editor of the Kansas City Star, had written a letter to lean, leathery Major General Alexander Day Surles, head of Army Public Relations. Roberts asked to know more about Army censorship practice. In reply, General Surles retold three long-suppressed stories: 1) the Patton soldier-slapping (TIME., Nov. 29) ; 2) the Bari disaster (TIME, Dec. 27) ; 3) the loss of 23 U.S. transport planes and 410 men to Allied guns at Gela (TIME, March 27). Wrote General Surles:

“General [Patton] was to be used in a cover plan following his operations in Sicily. . . . The theater commander was extremely desirous that his reputation should not be impaired. . . . The story from the United States that he was in disgrace and was going to be relieved struck like a bombshell in the theater . . . where, by agreement with the correspondents . . . the story was to be withheld until Patton’s operations were accomplished.”

On Bari: “The Germans tried a new method of attack to evade radar . . . blew up two ships filled with ammunition, causing great damage. . . . German reconnaissance the next day had no idea of the extent of the damage. . . . There was an immediate job to be done in harbor clearance, reorganization of radar and fighter coverage before ordinary security would allow them to know the extent of their operation.” (The U.S. press got its first news of Bari 15 days after the attack.)

On Gela: “Loss of the planes was ‘one of those things’ that will happen in a highly complicated operation . . . that could only be explained adequately by giving a blueprint of the plans. . . .” The General cited commanders’ morale: “” . . Continual harping on … error will destroy boldness. . . .” (The Gela blunder was kept in General Surles’s censorship bag for eight months, popped out only after a staff sergeant, back from the front, opened the bag.)