A FREE PRESS IN COLD WAR TIME

• Document Type: CREST
• Collection: General CIA Records
• Document Number (FOIA) /ESDN (CREST): CIA-RDP67-00318R000100780080-5
• Release Decision: RIFPUB
• Original Classification: K
• Document Page Count: 1
• Document Creation Date: December 23, 2016
• Document Release Date: May 17, 2013
• Sequence Number: 80
• Publication Date: April 29, 1961
• Content Type: OPEN SOURCE

_ _ _ Declassified and Approved For Release 2013/05/17: CIA-RDP67-00318R000100780080-5
WILMINGTON (Del.) AN 2 9 1961
JUUKN i.-
EVERY VENING
Circ.: 70,988
' Front Edit Other
' Paqe Page Page
Date:
APR 2 91961
7 in Cold War Time W
A Free 1P RESIDENT Kennedy's request 'that Annertcan people?.,
the nation's press practice self-cen- Certainly the reaction is not one of
sorship during this "time of peace and surprise that our government had a hand
peril whioh''knowsno; preceddr tin our in this. adventure; and if there is shock,
- history" 'till' get thoughtful attrition it grows out of the catastrophe itself.
from editors4ross the land. There will Not many. Americans are critical of the
be few toj ' i' it any threat of govern= decisionto intervene in Cuba in this way i
anent-impbked suppression. We do not. -they are critical because blunders were
For thxe problem Mr. Kennedy. dis- 'made; because the lives objective was not 'because cussed before the Bureau of Advertising achieved,
e
of the American Newspaper' Publishers A%~7Ay to the little or 'purposege cause
Association is'obviously grave.Our way both
of life is indeed "under..*:ttck"-of a UnittellStates
es dentre bably. right and
kind never met before-and the threat Ti Rt will not.vanish overnight or next month the nation is prepay ?.o. in Corn- }
or next ye4r,1 It is true that "Those who munism with xts . own a o
L I?? make themselves our enemy are ad. "`cold and secret war." , If so, what is the
vancing around the globe." It is true "responsibility of the press? Mr. Kennedy
'that in, more than one area "The sur- suggest ththat it e prtsi did during World
vival of our friends is in danger.!', . Oip,
. The President had every right to farce II, and we have no doubt that responsible
these grim facts on the attention of the editors will ask themselves, when they
American people. For there . must be a come upon information iis han mtheight h l p I whether decision, stated . or tacit, oh how the the enemy,
danger is to be met. In his mind, evi- interest to print it.
dently, the decision has already been But to ask this question is not to an-,
taken.. Coverp attack must be met by swer 'it. In the light' of what we know
covert defense and, counter-attack. The now, it' m' tit hav censor-
problem is how defense and counter- mews appr tha c .r~.}f_
attack cdn be covert in a country where ship is ' (LuWn
the press is free. debacle ad p a bknew.
avoi
Is the nation prepared to 'fight Jhe -The hat isas
cases might
one bs contending
kind , of undec r d~wa the President i
described? An episode in such a war- that disclosures in the press were respon-
the war over Cuba-is just behind us. sable:for the fiasco:,
We knoig. ADvv. hat t e government of. The press will 'try tQ meet its diffi-
the United States, throu h the Central ? cult duty. The ovowever, and
Intelligenc ~.~Agen~ an wi coopena- it to
tion ' rom defense forces, had a large must'be 'a''s open as it can.
-soHere lve are
part n:maunting and contracting the the principles-for beginning to
landings that ended in almost utter fail-. problem. Let us recognise that no per-
feet solution will be found.
h
e
use. And what is. the reaction of t
Declassified and Approved For Release 2013/05/17: CIA-RDP67-00318R000100780080-5