882.741/4: Telegram
The Chargé in Liberia (Hibbard) to the Secretary of State
[Received 12:09 p.m.]
382. Department’s telegram 285, November 4, noon. President Barclay has promised to censor all radiograms emanating from Liberia along the lines suggested. I believe he will be willing to set up regular censorship as soon as the agreements are announced.
Murdoch will in the future submit all his cables to me and the British Legation before sending.
For the Department’s strictly confidential information. I know that the story of the presence of American troops in Liberia as announced by Reuter over BBC did not come from Liberia. Reuters already had the story from a South African journalistic source. Murdoch’s wire sent in response to a query from Reuter merely confirmed it and the Ministry of Information was made to believe the whole story came from Liberia. Murdoch’s message as repeated in my telegram 353 of October 18, 8 p.m.40 clearly shows there was censorship on the news here and that it was not for release. Reuters deliberately and knowingly broke the confidence. Lord Halifax41 has this information but I doubt that he has presented it to the Department as for reasons of internal politics in London the British wish to let this case drop.