1420Z 07 June 1967 drafted message text from
Commander, Sixth Fleet to
Chief of Naval Information

DTG 071420Z JUN 67

FROM: COMSIXTHFLT

TO:   CHINFO

INFO: CINCUSNAVEUR/CTF60

CONFIDENTIAL

FOR RADM MILLER FM VADM MARTIN INFO ADM MCCAIN AND RADM GEIS

1. ON 5 JUNE NEWSMEN EMBARKED IN USS AMERICA BECAME PRIVY TO
CLASSIFIED INFORMATION THROUGH WHAT THEY WERE ABLE TO OBSERVE AND
OVERHEAR DURING NORMAL MOVEMENT ABOUT THE SHIP. AS A RESULT, SOME
ORIGINAL DRAFTS OF MATERIAL CONTAINED INFORMATION AT THE
CONFIDENTIAL LEVEL, AND NEWSMEN WERE ASKED TO EDIT THEIR COY PRIOR
TO FILING. THEIR COPY ALSO CONTAINED INFORMATION CONCERNING
READINESS WHICH, WHILE NOT CLASSIFIED, WAS IN EXCESS OF THE
INFORMATION CONTAINED IN A GUIDANCE STATEMENT PROMULGATED BY
CINCUSNAVEUR. AS A RESULT, COMCARDIV FOUR, EXERCISING HIS
RESPONSIBILITIES FOR SECURITY AT THE SOURCE, DELAYED FILING THE COPY
UNTIL MY STAFF PAO WAS ABLE TO HELO TO AMERICA TO ADVISE HIM. THE
COPY, WITH MINOR CHANGES FOR SECURITY REASONS WHICH WERE AGREED
TO BY THE CORRESPONDENTS, WAS THEN TRANSMITTED.

2. SUBSEQUENTLY, NEWSMEN WERE REBRIEFED BY THE FLEET PAO ON GROUND
RULES FOR SECURITY. HE EXPLAINED THAT COPY WOULD CONTINUE TO BE
TRANSMITTED VIA NAVY COMMUNICATIONS, AND THAT COPY WHICH
CONTAINED INFORMATION CONSIDERED TO BE CLASSIFIED BUT WHICH A
CORRESPONDENT CHOSE NOT TO DELETE, WOULD BE FORWARDED BY MSG OF
APPROPRIATE CLASSIFICATION TO CNO. NEWSMEN WERE TOLD THAT THEY
COULD EMPLOY NAVY COMMUNICATIONS TO INFORM THEIR EMPLOYERS THAT
A STORY HAD BEEN FILED IN THAT MANNER.

3. ALL NEWSMEN RESPONDED FAVORABLY TO THIS PROCEDURE. NONE
COMPLAINED ABOUT DELAY IN FILING EXCEPT NEIL SHEENAN OF NEW YORK
TIMES AND ROBERT HORTON OF AP WHO HAVE BOTH CONSISTENTLY FELT THAT
ANY SUGGESTED CHANGE FOR ACCURACY WAS TANTAMOUNT TO CENSORSHIP.
THIS ATTITUDE HAS RESULTED IN THEIR COPY CONTAINING SOME
INACCURACIES AND HORTON'S USAGE SOME INDIRECT QUOTATIONS OUT OF
CONTEXT.

4. UNTIL THIS OCCASION, THE RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN THE NAVY AND THE
PRESS HAS BEEN EXCELLENT, AND ALL HAVE EXPRESSED APPRECIATION FOR
INFORMATION AND BACKGROUND THEY HAVE RECEIVED ON SEAPOWER, ITS
IMPORTANCE TO THE MEDITERRANEAN AND SOUTHERN EUROPE, AND THE
SHIPS WHICH ARE REQUIRED TO MAINTAIN THAT POWER. IT IS NOT FELT THAT
THE SPIRIT OF COOPERATION HAS BEEN DAMAGED IN ANYWAY. THE
FOREGOING IS FOR YOUR INFORMATION IN CASE ANY QUERIES ARE RECEIVED
FROM EMPLOYERS.

GP-4

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