Uncensored

China-born Spencer Moosa had not covered the Chinese war since 1931 without learning a few things about censors. Last week the knowledge came in handy. When the first Chinese Communist shells exploded in Peiping, Associated Press Correspondent Moosa tried to tell the world. The Nationalist censor said no. So Old China Hand Moosa banged out a furious message to the A.P. explaining why he couldn't report that Peiping was under bombardment. The censor passed it--and Moosa had his beat. Excerpts:

"New, sudden grimness developed at Peiping, now in its 30th day of siege, but the form it took cannot be divulged. The censor is obdurate. He is not convinced that the facts he is trying to conceal will sooner or later leak out . . . Let the censor explain why you cannot say a shell exploded about 100 feet from the office where two Americans were working . . . Let him explain why you cannot say other shells exploded . . . Finally, let the censor answer the question, 'If the Reds shell a city, do they or don't they know it?'"

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