THE POLLS: GOVERNMENT INFORMATION POLICY.

This article focuses on the Harris Survey after the U.S. Department of Defense's flurry in the summer of 1971 which revealed behind-scenes decisions in the making of the Vietnam war. For example, 70 percent agreed that if there was any doubt about violating the national security in publishing documents such as the Defense department's papers on the Far East, then the documents should not be published. But obviously the revelations were not widely judged dangerous, for 58 percent simultaneously agreed that in a democracy such as ours, it is necessary to tell people the truth about how we got into the war in Vietnam, even if it means top secret documents, as long as they are not about today's situation there. And although the public has never exhibited overweaning concern for freedom of the press, Harris further reported that 45 per cent were of the opinion that if a newspaper had to get permission from the government to print inside information, then the public would not be told the truth. This collection of questions reveals some facts about presidential administrations and the historical periods they encompassed. Before Vietnam none of the phraseology was in personal terms. Wording referred to the government, officials or just news about the war or foreign relations.