22 MARCH 1940, Page 15

Let me provide an instance. The Paris correspondent of one

of our leading daily newspapers wrote a report in which the following sentence occurred: "Not since the beginning of the war has criticism of the Government and of Allied policy been so outspoken." The words " of the Govern- ment " were cut out by the French Censor. Everybody in Paris is well aware that the position of those of M. Daladier's Cabinet who have been specifically identified with the policy of appeasement has been gravely compromised. Vladimir d'Ormesson, writing in the Figaro, expressed himself as follows : " And yet the same men who, at different levels, committed all these unpardonable errors, instead of being swept from public life as one would have supposed, are retained in positions such as will enable them to commit the same mistakes again." Nor is this all. On March 12th M. Daladier made a surprisingly indiscreet declaration in the Chamber. Certain passages in that declaration were not only censored but even eliminated from the French Hansard. I cannot believe that such suppressions are wise. For although time may not be on our side, truth is certainly upon our side. There is no more fatal error that we could commit than to resort to the distortion of truth.