Pentagon Unhappy With Initial Test of Media Pool

The first test of a new pool arrangement for the news media to cover surprise military actions became known here Sunday, hours after the Pentagon secretly flew a group of reporters to Honduras to observe U.S.-Honduran military exercises.

A Pentagon spokesman, Col. Robert O’Brien, publicly acknowledged the beginning Sunday of a test of the pool arrangement, set up after news organizations complained that they had been excluded from the Grenada invasion in October, 1983. He said the spread of the word of the pool among news organizations “gives a great sense of unease to the military-operations people.”

O’Brien said that, within hours after the 10-person pool was told Saturday evening to be ready to move out, one television network called, asking for details, followed by several other organizations he declined to name.

The Defense Department felt compelled to break its rules of secrecy to head off “speculative stories.” It informed the organizations that the pool was not going on a wartime mission.

Defense Secretary Caspar W. Weinberger agreed in principle last year to organize a pool of reporters quickly to accompany U.S. invasion forces anywhere. In exchange, the Pentagon obtained assurances from major news organizations and press associations to keep any pool coverage a secret until fighting began.

Agreement Tested

O’Brien said defense officials had decided to test the agreement by establishing a pool to cover a large, previously announced military exercise in Honduras, Universal Trek ‘85, scheduled for this week.

O’Brien questioned whether the system is workable, given the competitive nature of U.S. news organizations and their intense scrutiny of U.S. military activities.

“We’re trying to run a realistic exercise of the pool idea to make sure we can serve the media’s needs and to make sure that the security of the mission is maintained,” he said. “I think we have an answer to that. The net result is that security was breached.”

The Pentagon said the organizations in the pool included United Press International, Associated Press, Cable News Network, Mutual Radio, Newsweek magazine, the New York Times, Copley Newspapers and Dow Jones.