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The New International, December 1942


Wartime Censorship

 

From New International, Vol. VIII No. 11, December 1942, p. 322.
Transcribed & marked up by Einde O’Callaghan for ETOL.

 

On Saturday, December 19, the Labor Action Publishing Co. was informed by the postal authorities that the December 21 issue of Labor Action was ordered held up from mailing until Washington officials examined its contents and decided upon its mailability. Since then the paper was released for mailing, but officials have informed the publishers that all forthcoming issues of the paper will be held up for similar examination and that the second class mailing privileges of Labor Action were dependent upon a weekly examination of the paper by the postal authorities in Washington.

The purpose of the Post Office action is to destroy the effectiveness of a weekly newspaper, since the delays necessitated by such examinations last anywhere from three to ten days. Mailing of the paper following such examinations means that a weekly newspaper reaches its readers from one to two weeks late.

The decision taken against Labor Action is not an isolated instance. It follows closely on the heels of similar action against The Militant and the Fourth International. The foregoing procedure has been in effect against The Militant many weeks; only last week we were informed that the same decision was taken with the Fourth International.

These events are a serious symptom of the rising tide of censorship and threat to the right of free press. If allowed to go unnoticed a series of suppressions may take place which will deal a serious blow to the labor and workers’ political movement. Once the ball of censorship and suppression gets rolling there is no limit to its direction. It will first strike the smaller papers and magazines and then widen its terrain to take in all non-conformist periodicals. Special interest groups, reactionaries of every variety, snoopers of every sort, will enjoy a hey-day if these symptomatic actions against Labor Action, The Militant and the Fourth International go unnoticed and unprotested.

 
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