Secrets of Victory: The Office of Censorship and the American Press and Radio in World War II

Rating:
Summary: A Victory At Home
Review: "Censorship" is a truly ugly idea, repellant to anyone who values First Amendment rights. And yet, few would argue that in wartime is unnecessary. _Secrets of Victory: The Office of Censorship and The American Press and Radio In World War II_ (University of North Carolina) by Michael S. Sweeney tells a previously untold story. Sweeney has assembled what is surprisingly an inspiring tale on what could have been a dismal subject. The censors did their patriotic duty, and in almost every case, did it well, staying to a middle course that got the job done but was not unduly repressive.

There's a hero in this often dramatic book, a hero who helped win the war not with firepower but with persuasion, common sense, and patriotism. Byron Price was a newsman nominated by Roosevelt to be director of the Office of Censorship shortly after Pearl Harbor. Price had huge amounts of authority and responsibility, but the miracle is that Price got all that power and chose to run a voluntary system whereby the nation's journalists would become their own censors. All Americans wanted to do their part in winning the war, and journalists were no different; Price enlisted them in a cooperative effort. He issued a code of voluntary censorship, and enlisted the help from newspapers and radio stations in following it. Essentially, the code spelled out details of a rule of thumb: "Is this information I would like to have if I were the enemy?" Violations, and there were hundreds of them, got confidential letters from Price's office, detailing the mistakes and asking for more circumspection. There were few serious complaints about the self-censorship program. Sensible rules included that opinions could not be censored, nor could stories that had been publicized in other countries. Even the ACLU approved of the way the censors had done their job.

Sweeney's description of how censorship was applied is fascinating. Even descriptions of sporting events had to contain no mention of the weather, and "lost dog" ads and requests for a certain song dedication were curtailed, for they could contain coded information. There are wonderful details on censoring (or failing to censor) such things as the Manhattan Project, General Patton's slapping of combat stress victims, and the threat of incendiary balloons floated over from Japan. It goes into detail on censoring the movement of the President, who sometimes unfairly hit the road so that political dialogue would be stilled by his silence. This is a fascinating book about an aspect of the war not generally appreciated, but which turned out to be well waged at home. The admirable Price was quite eager to be put out of a job, hounding President Truman before the surrender papers were officially signed to end all censorship. He had an admirable distaste for a job he had executed in an exemplary fashion; he wrote, "It should be understood that no one who does not dislike censorship should ever be permitted to exercise censorship."

Rating:
Summary: A Victory At Home
Review: "Censorship" is a truly ugly idea, repellant to anyone who values First Amendment rights. And yet, few would argue that in wartime is unnecessary. _Secrets of Victory: The Office of Censorship and The American Press and Radio In World War II_ (University of North Carolina) by Michael S. Sweeney tells a previously untold story. Sweeney has assembled what is surprisingly an inspiring tale on what could have been a dismal subject. The censors did their patriotic duty, and in almost every case, did it well, staying to a middle course that got the job done but was not unduly repressive.

There's a hero in this often dramatic book, a hero who helped win the war not with firepower but with persuasion, common sense, and patriotism. Byron Price was a newsman nominated by Roosevelt to be director of the Office of Censorship shortly after Pearl Harbor. Price had huge amounts of authority and responsibility, but the miracle is that Price got all that power and chose to run a voluntary system whereby the nation's journalists would become their own censors. All Americans wanted to do their part in winning the war, and journalists were no different; Price enlisted them in a cooperative effort. He issued a code of voluntary censorship, and enlisted the help from newspapers and radio stations in following it. Essentially, the code spelled out details of a rule of thumb: "Is this information I would like to have if I were the enemy?" Violations, and there were hundreds of them, got confidential letters from Price's office, detailing the mistakes and asking for more circumspection. There were few serious complaints about the self-censorship program. Sensible rules included that opinions could not be censored, nor could stories that had been publicized in other countries. Even the ACLU approved of the way the censors had done their job.

Sweeney's description of how censorship was applied is fascinating. Even descriptions of sporting events had to contain no mention of the weather, and "lost dog" ads and requests for a certain song dedication were curtailed, for they could contain coded information. There are wonderful details on censoring (or failing to censor) such things as the Manhattan Project, General Patton's slapping of combat stress victims, and the threat of incendiary balloons floated over from Japan. It goes into detail on censoring the movement of the President, who sometimes unfairly hit the road so that political dialogue would be stilled by his silence. This is a fascinating book about an aspect of the war not generally appreciated, but which turned out to be well waged at home. The admirable Price was quite eager to be put out of a job, hounding President Truman before the surrender papers were officially signed to end all censorship. He had an admirable distaste for a job he had executed in an exemplary fashion; he wrote, "It should be understood that no one who does not dislike censorship should ever be permitted to exercise censorship."