European Stars and Stripes (Newspaper) - February 22, 1991, Darmstadt, Hesse                                Friday february 22, 1991 the stars and stripes Page <3commentary Walter Cronkite Media rules Aren t serving v with an arrogance foreign to the democratic system the . Military in saudi Arabia is trampling on the american Peoples right to know. It is doing a disservice not Only to the Home front but also to history and its own Best interests. Recent polls indicate the Public sides with the military in its so far successful Effort to control the press. A this can Only be because the press has failed to make Clear the Public a stake in the matter. It is drummed into it us and we take Pride in the fact that these Are a your boys and girls a a a your troops a a your forces in the Gulf. They Are indeed and it is our War. A a a a. A a our elected representatives Jin Congress gave our elected president permission to wage it. We had better darned Well know what they Are doing in our name. After world War ii most germans protested that they did not know what went on in the heinous nazi concentration Camps. It is just possible that they did not. I a but this claim of ignorance did not absolve them from blame they had complacently permitted Hitler to do his dirty business in the dark. They raised Little objection most even applauded when he closed their newspapers and clamped Down on free speech. Certainly our leaders Are not to be compared with Hitler but today because of onerous unnecessary rules americans Are not being permitted to Sec and hear the full Story of what their military forces Are doing in an action that will Rcv Erbe rate Long into the nations future. The military is acting on a generally discredited Pentagon myth that the Vietnam War was lost because of the uncensored press coverage. The military would do better to pattern a its or after its handling of the press in world War ii a War we won. As in world War ii there should be censorship of All dispatches film and tape leaving the Battle area. The troops Security must be protected against inadvertent disclosure about particular weaponry disposition of forces tactical plans and the like. In world War ii most press mater Iii was sent by courier Back  quarters where a designated intelligence officer cleared it for transmission Back to the communications facilities. Usually this officer was a civilian called to wartime duty. In most cases he was As concerned with the Public a right to know As the military a right to certain secrets. In All cases he was open to Appeal by correspondents who thought their stories were being held up for political reasons. A we often won those arguments usually. By making the Case that the enemy already had the information our army wanted to censor. Once in England the censor held up my report that the 8th air Force had bombed Germany through a solid Cloud cover. A Quot a a a a a a a a a a a a. This was politically sensitive. Our air staff maintained we were practising Only precision bombing on military targets. \ but the censors released my Story when i pointed out the obvious a germans on the ground and the Luftwaffe attacking our bombers knew the Clouds were there. The truth was not being withheld from germans but americans. With a rational censorship system in place the press should be free to go where it wants to see hear and photograph what it believes is in the Public in a Terest. A a the number of correspondents wandering freely behind the i lines must be controlled but this was handled in world War ii by the simple expedient of accreditation and As Long As this is applied liberally for established reporters of major organizations the Public a rights Are protected. Incidentally War correspondents should be put in uniform. Regular military gear. Without insignia and with a clearly identifiable a War correspondent badge worked Wem in world War ii. Such gear in most cases was enough to assure transportation food and shelter and to identify the holders non combatant status in Case of capture. The military also has the responsibility of giving All the information it possibly can to the press and the press has every right to the Point of insolence to demand this., the Gulf briefings Are ridiculously inadequate. Why should we not be told what Bridges have been hit done to the iraqis know material from the briefings should he subject to the same censorship As Battlefield reports. The reporters would get a much More candid appraisal of the fighting. The to coverage would be delayed but of what serious consequence is that it would be helpful if All sides agreed that live Battlefield coverage is not an  a a. A. The Promise of such coverage was nothing but science fiction despite our Early experience of seeing Baghdad Tel Aviv and Dhahran under attack live in our living rooms. V but it simply can to be. Imagine the iraqi commander monitoring american troop movements via can the greatest mistake of our military so far is its attempt to control coverage by assigning a few Pool reporters and photographers to be taken to locations determined by the military with supervising officers monitoring All their conversations with the troops in the Field. An american citizen is entitled to1 ask a what Are they trying to hide Quot the answer might be casualties from shelling collapsing morale disaffection insurrection incompetent officers poorly trained troops malfunctioning equipment widespread illness a who knows but the fact that we done to know the fact that the military apparently feels there is something it must hide can Only Lead eventually to a breakdown in Home front Confidence and the very echoes from Vietnam that the Pentagon fears the most. A Walter Cronkite the former lbs Anchor a covered War dating Back to world War ii. He wrote Thea column Quot Tor Newsweek. A a ,