864.918/10–1545: Telegram
The Representative in Hungary (Schoenfeld) to the Secretary of State
[Received October 16—11:40 a.m.]
764. Goldberg of AP19 and five other US accredited correspondents have petitioned me to have US Govt intercede in question of censorship of press copy now being submitted to Hungarian Post Office for relay via Mackay. Their letter states they have given Soviet authorities a week’s chance to reduce time for so called scrutiny but that censorship has in effect been caused by inordinate delay in passing copy. Correspondents request representations by your govt at Moscow with collateral action by British Govt.
General Key put correspondents complaints before ACC (Allied Control Commission) meeting Oct 10. Voroshilov stated reason for delay was volume of material and since correspondents some times do not write accurately it must be checked. General Key asked Marshal to inform him when censorship was necessary. Marshal indicated that censorship would hold up correspondents copy should they submit erroneous reports concerning conditions in Hungary.
General Key informed correspondents that under article 16 of armistice agreement with Hungary, Soviet authorities had privilege of censorship but indicated willingness to permit limited number of news despatches over Army radio under requested authority Adjutant [Page 890] General War Dept since use of Army radio might be construed by Russians as attempt to evade threat of censorship.20 Key states Russians have approved 36 correspondents for entry which they feel is exorbitant number.
In view of Potsdam Agreement that representatives of Allied press are to enjoy full freedom to report developments in Hungary, Dept may wish to clarify whether Soviet right of censorship under article 16 overrides Potsdam understanding on press.21 Correspondents besides requesting that our govt take official action evidently have intention of making news story of prevailing press censorship.
Rptd to Moscow as 91.
- Abraham Goldberg, correspondent for the Associated Press.↩
- Telegram 785, October 18, from Budapest, reported that General Key had received instructions from the War Department that military communications facilities could not be used by correspondents to evade censorship (864.918/10–1845).↩
- Reference here is to section X of the Report on the Tripartite Conference of Berlin, released to the press on August 2, 1945. For text, see Conference of Berlin (Potsdam), vol. ii, p. 1499.↩