Newspaper Article from Syracuse Post Standard, "The Rumor Clinic: Let's Use Our Heads"

The Rumor Clinic Let's Use Our Heads DIVISION OF PRESS INTELLIGENCE TODAY'S COLUMN IN CHARGE OF PROF. ROBERT F. STEADMAN R EADERS of this column may well have been amazed at the petty 1526-14th St., N. W. or trivial nature of some of the rumors which have received wide circulation and sober consideration in this area. Frankly, the Clinic has been amazed, also. NO. Some other rumors are so obviously silly that it is hard to believe that adults would accept them or pass them on. Just a moment's SYMBOL thought, just a little logic, would prove them to be absurd. Yet, in- credible as it is, grown people do spread such rumors. You know Hitler said that the bigger the lie and the more absurd it is, the more likely it is to be believed. Circulation of such "tripe" is all the more surprising to the Clinic Post Standard (R) in view of the undoubted fact that there are weaknesses and inef- ficiencies in our war effort. To face such weaknesses, to verify such Syracuse, N. Y. facts, to present the truth calmly, to devise and propose constructive remedies-these are the responsibilities of an alert public opinion in a democracy even in wartime. Especially in wartime. Here are a few questions which may help you to distinguish DATE healthy, helpful criticism from the unhealthy, subversive variety. Ask them of the next person you hear criticizing, in order to determine which type of criticism it is. p. Rec'd 3/5/43 Question 1: Have you verified this alleged fact? Did you see it yourself, or are you depending on someone's word for it? If the latter, what ax did your informant have to grind? FEB 28 1943 Question 2: How do you propose to do it better? Are there no weaknesses in your specific alternative? Question 3: Just how serious is this alleged fact, if true? How much inconvenience, how much hardship does it involve? How much actual suffering, if any? To what extent are you, personally, injured? Question 4: How well are we doing, on the whole, in terms of a broad perspective? How far does this war effort to date compare with our first year in World War 1? The Civil War? Revolutionary War? All things considered, are we achieving little or much? Wars are always wasteful, destructive, disrupting. This is the more true when peace-loving, unprepared nations are involved. This is the first global war. We never had to fight before on all the oceans and all the continents at once. It is our first total war. We never had to use ration books before. The Axis nations have been preparing for this struggle feverishly for a generation On the whole. we should be 1 proud of the progress made by our fighting forces, our war industry, and our civilian co-operation. d e This Week's Rumors it RUMOR: "The bus company is going to take out all of the seats in the d city buses SO that they can 'pack them in' and thus haul more d people. There will be lots of accidents." e FACT: Inquiries of the local transportation authorities show that this rumor is absolutely without foundation. In order for a change of this sort to be made, it would have to have the ap- proval of the Office of Defense Transportation. All transit corporations in New York state are under the control of the public service commission of the state-in all matters of public safety. The public service commission several months ago per- mitted buses to carry more standees for the duration of the war than it had before permitted, but it has given no authoriza- tion for the elimination of seats from the buses, SOURCES: Mr. M. J. Sargis, Assistant Superintendent of the Syracuse Transit Corporation, and Charles L. Raper, administralor of the war trans- portalion committee of Syracuse and Onondaga county. COMMENT: The Rumor Clinic asks the citizens of Syracuse to help it in strengthening the morale/of those few among our number who may belong to the "Can't-Take-It" class. Citizens in general know they can take whatever incon- veniences may be necessary in order to win this war. But there is no sense whatever in becoming jittery" about unpleasant possibilities for which we have at present ab- solutely no evidence. Calmress and steadfastness in con- sidering the future are essential parts of the quality of courage; and courage is needed by the average citizen as well by our troops at the front. RUMOR: Six kegs of nails left over after the building of Pine Camp were 'plowed under.' RUMOR: "Kegs of unused nails have been plowed up at Pine Camp." FACT: At the request of the Rumor Clinic an investigation was made at Pine Camp by the authorities. Here is the gist of their re- port: No large quantities of nails were either plowed under" (wasted) or "plowed up" (found) at Pine Camp, but a small amount of nails was lost by the contractor during construction operations. These nails were not salvaged because of the cost involved. This was in 1940-41 before any shortage of metals developed. "All further unused materials have been used, transferred to another project or turned over to the Post Salvage Officer." SOURCE: Office of the commanding officer, Pine Camp, N. Y. A WEDGE-DRIVER BETWEEN ALLIES RUMOR: "The United States sent a shipload of oleo to Russia. That nation was so angry that they sent it back. This is a great Preservat waste of shipping space."