The Nation - News from April 24, 1985

The media’s failure to keep secret a test call-up of a combat press pool has not changed the Pentagon’s commitment to permitting media coverage of secret military operations, Pentagon spokesman Michael I. Burch said. He said military officials planned to meet with news executives. Burch praised the 10 correspondents who participated in the test, flying to Honduras to cover a military exercise. Burch said that the Pentagon acknowledged the test call-up because Washington was “on the brink of hysteria” about a possible combat action by U.S. forces. Meanwhile, the Mutual Radio Network, identified in some reports as the source of the leak, denied any wrongdoing.