835.918/6–645
The Ambassador in Argentina (Braden) to the Secretary of State
[Received June 18.]
Sir: I have the honor to transmit the texts of two dispatches received by the Associated Press dated June 1 and June 27 which were not allowed to be released to local newspapers by the Censorship Division of the Argentine Post Office (Oficina Centralizadora de Control).
Employees of the Post Office are assigned to both the Associated Press and the United Press in the city throughout the hours that wireless messages are received from the United States. They review each incoming dispatch as it is received and immediately report any passage or detail which they consider unfavorable to the Argentine Government. Certain passages are ordered deleted almost every day, and a number of complete dispatches have been held up each week, for months past. The order is usually received from the Post Office by telephone, only a few minutes after the dispatch has been received. In cases of unusual importance the newspapers are notified separately that they must not print a certain item, if it should be received. This order is usually given by telephone also.
Both the A.P. and the U.P. state that they were bothered less frequently by such “censorship” during the week or ten days following Ambassador Warren’s visit,8 but that the situation is worse now than at any previous time.
Respectfully yours,
Counselor of Embassy