Once Again, Pentagon Delays Pool Dispatch From Persian Gulf Convoy

The Pentagon on Thursday released the latest media pool dispatch from the U.S. Navy-escorted tanker convoy in the Persian Gulf about 10 hours after the report was written aboard the cruiser Fox.

The Pentagon was criticized Wednesday for delaying the release of the dispatches written by a pool of American journalists traveling with the naval escort. The Defense Department withheld the release of media pool dispatches for more than 24 hours in some cases to avoid premature disclosure of information that it said might jeopardize the operation.

One of Thursday’s newspaper pool reports was filed aboard the Fox at 1:04 p.m. PDT Wednesday and released by the Pentagon at 10:50 p.m. PDT. The report, by Mark Thompson of Knight-Ridder Newspapers and James M. Dorsey of the Washington Times, described the safe passage through the Strait of Hormuz by two newly reflagged Kuwaiti tankers.

Thirteen wire service, newspaper, magazine and radio dispatches from reporters aboard the Fox and the guided missile destroyer Kidd in the Gulf of Oman were released at the Pentagon by midday Wednesday, but some of the material was dated Monday and contained outdated information. At least one pool report filed Sunday was not made available until Wednesday.