CHAPTER VII

CIVILIANS IN THE TRAIN OF AN ARMY

[Sidenote: “Followers.”]

In the train of an army it is usual to find, temporarily or permanently, a mass of civilians who are indispensable to the satisfaction of the wants of officers and soldiers or to the connection of the army with the native population. To this category belong all kinds of contractors, carriers of charitable gifts, artists, and the like, and, above all, newspaper correspondents whether native or foreign. If they fall into the hands of the enemy, they have the right, should their detention appear desirable, to be treated as prisoners of war, assuming that they are in possession of an adequate authorization.

For all these individuals, therefore, the possession of a pass issued by the military authorities concerned, in accordance with the forms required by international intercourse, is an indispensable necessity, in order that in the case of a brush with the enemy, or of their being taken captive they may be recognized as occupying a passive position and may not be treated as spies.[75]

In the grant of these authorizations the utmost circumspection should be shown by the military authorities; this privilege should only be extended to those whose position, character, and intentions are fully known, or for whom trustworthy persons will act as sureties.

[Sidenote: The War Correspondent: his importance. His presence is desirable.]

This circumspection must be observed most scrupulously in the case of newspaper correspondents whether native or foreign. Since the component parts of a modern army are drawn from all grades of the population, the intervention of the Press for the purpose of intellectual intercourse between the army and the population at home can no longer be dispensed with. The army also derives great advantages from this intellectual intercourse; it has had to thank the stimulus of the Press in recent campaigns for an unbroken chain of benefits, quite apart from the fact that news of the war in the newspapers is a necessity for every soldier. The importance of this intervention, and on the other hand the dangers and disadvantages which may arise from its misuse, make it obviously necessary that the military authorities should control the whole of the Press when in the field. In what follows we shall briefly indicate the chief rules which are customary, in the modern usages of war, as regards giving permission to newspaper correspondents.

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[Sidenote: The ideal War Correspondent.]

The first thing necessary in a war correspondent is a sense of honor; in other words, he must be trustworthy. Only a man who is known to be absolutely trustworthy, or who can produce a most precise official certificate or references from unimpeachable persons, can be granted permission to attach himself to headquarters.

An honorable correspondent will be anxious to adhere closely to the duties he owes to his paper on the one hand, and the demands of the army whose hospitality he enjoys on the other. To do both is not always easy, and in many cases tact and refinement on the part of the correspondent can alone indicate the right course; a censorship is proved by experience to be of little use; the certificates and recommendations required must therefore be explicit as to the possession of these qualities by the applicant; and according as he possesses them or not his personal position at headquarters and the degree of support extended to him in the discharge of his duties will be decided.

It is therefore undoubtedly in the interest of the army as of the Press, that the latter shall only despatch such representatives as really are equal to the high demands which the profession of correspondent requires.

[Sidenote: The Etiquette of the War Correspondent.]

The correspondent admitted on the strength of satisfactory pledges has therefore to promise on his word of honor to abide by the following obligations:

1. To spread no news as to the disposition, numbers, or movements of troops, and, moreover, the intentions and plans of the staff, unless he has permission to publish them. (This concerns principally correspondents of foreign newspapers since one’s own newspapers are already subject to a prohibition of this kind by the Imperial Press Law of April 7th, 1874.)

2. To report himself on arrival at the headquarters of a division immediately to the commanding officer, and to ask his permission to stay, and to remove himself immediately and without making difficulties if the o.c. deems his presence inexpedient on military grounds.

3. To carry with him always, and to produce on demand, his authorization (certificate, armlet, photograph) and his pass for horses, transport, and servants.

4. To take care that his correspondence and articles are submitted at headquarters.

5. To carry out all instructions of the officers at headquarters who supervise the press.

Contraventions of the orders from headquarters, indiscretions, and tactlessness, are punished in less serious cases with a caution, in grave cases by expulsion; where the behavior of the correspondent or his correspondence has not amounted to a military offense, and is therefore not punishable by martial law.

A journalist who has been expelled not only loses his privileges but also his passive character; and if he disregards his exclusion he will be held responsible.

Foreign journalists are subject to the same obligations; they must expressly recognize their authority and in case of punishment cannot claim any personal immunity.[76]

Journalists who accompany the army without the permission of the staff, and whose reports therefore cannot be subject to military control, are to be proceeded against with inexorable severity. They are to be expelled ruthlessly as dangerous, since they only get in the way of the troops and devour their subsistence, and may under the mask of friendship do harm to the army.