§ Sir WILLIAM BYLESasked the Prime Minister whether he has yet completed the arrangements which he promised on the 31st alt. for giving the public prompt information of what has happened at the front; whether the interesting survey of military operations issued from the Press Bureau and published on Monday, after ten days' silence—days in which our troops were constantly engaged in a death struggle with the enemy—is not wholly inadequate; and whether, having regard to the enormous relief brought by such messages to millions of anxious people at home, he will take what measures are necessary to furnish fuller and more frequent information to the British public?
§ Mr. McKENNAPerhaps I may be allowed to state that, at the wish of the Cabinet, I have accepted responsibility for the work of the Bureau. All information is being made public which can be given to the Press consistently with the need for secrecy as to the dispositions of the Allied Forces in the field. Additional officers have been appointed to Sir John French's Staff with the object of securing full and prompt accounts of the operations for publication here.
§ Sir WILLIAM BYLESasked the Prime Minister whether it is the fact that the cable Censors held up for four days the momentous speeches of the Foreign Secretary and of the Prime Minister on 3rd August and 6th August, and whether the Prime Minister's Guildhall speech was similarly treated; and whether he will see that the censorship of Press telegrams to our Overseas Dominions is relaxed and intelligently administered?
§ Mr. McKENNAMy attention has been called to complaints on this subject. The whole of the arrangements for the censorship of Press messages passing over the 561 cables have been reorganised within the last week, and I hope that there will be no further cause for complaint. I may add that the Prime Minister's speech on last Friday was not similarly treated.
§ Sir HENRY NORMANasked the Home Secretary if he is aware that information passed for publication by the Press Bureau and printed in the London newspapers is being largely cut down or refused transmission by the censors at the offices of the American cable companies; and whether, in view of the importance of full and accurate news reaching the United States and Canada, he will take steps to enable the correspondents of the American Press to transmit freely news passed for British publication by the Press Bureau?
§ Mr. McKENNASteps have been taken in the recent reorganisation of the cable censorship work to expedite the provision for promoting the transmission to America and the Dominions Overseas of news that has been passed by the Press Bureau for publication in this country.
§ Sir H. NORMANDoes my right hon. Friend refer to the publication of the Memorandum of the Press Bureau, No. D26; and, if so, can he tell me if anywhere in that Memorandum there is anything suggested that what has been passed by the Press Bureau should not be freely transmitted to the United States and Canada—I have a copy in my hand?
§ Mr. McKENNAI have not read the document to which my hon. Friend refers, but I can assure him that what has been passed here will, in ordinary circumstances, be considered to have passed for the whole of the world.
§ Sir J. D. REESasked whether the Government proposes to take any steps to supply neutral countries with official news, to expedite British censorship, and to counteract the effect of interested or inaccurate information published by German official agencies?
§ Mr. McKENNAI regret I have not received the notice of the hon. Gentleman.
§ Sir J. D. REESI will repeat the question?
§ Mr. McKENNAPerhaps the hon. Member will put it down for to-morrow.