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9.16.1 Voluntariness of the Activities. The Detaining Power should seek to encouragethe POWs in engaging in these activities, while respecting their individual preferences. Forexample, it would be prohibited to compel POWs to listen to propaganda or to punish them ifthey do not participate. 299On the other hand, as reflected in U.S. practice, censoring educational or intellectualmaterials for security reasons or to refrain from providing POWs with anti-democratic politicalpropaganda would be permissible. 300 Such censorship would be consistent with the generalauthority of the Detaining Power to censor POW correspondence and shipments with a viewtowards deleting or confiscating matter prejudicial to its military security. 3019.16.2 Education. The GPW does not provide specifically for the Detaining Power togrant facilities for POWs to continue their studies or to take up new subjects as the GC does forinternees. 302 Nonetheless, as the duration of detention increases, the Detaining Power shouldmake an effort to do so as part of its general obligation to encourage intellectual and educationalpursuits among POWs. 303299 GPW COMMENTARY 237 (“[W]here propaganda involves inhuman treatment, it is ipso facto contrary to theConventions, since such treatment is expressly prohibited. Where no inhuman treatment is involved, propaganda isnevertheless usually dangerous for prisoners of war and contrary to the Conventions, since it may be inconsistentwith equality of treatment, respect for honour and, in particular, the present provision which affirms the right ofprisoners to use their leisure time according to their own preferences.”). For example, The Secretary of Defense’sAdvisory Committee on Prisoners of War, POW The Fight Continues After The Battle: The Report of the Secretaryof Defense’s Advisory Committee on Prisoners of War 10-11 (Aug. 1955) (“[T]he enemy had established a systemof indoctrination courses. The prisoner might start the hard way—and be punished by restricted rations and otherprivations. If he began to show the ‘proper spirit’—to cooperate with his captors—he was lectured and handedCommunist literature. A docile prisoner who read the literature and listened politely to the lectures, was graduatedto a better class. Finally he might be sent to ‘Peaceful Valley.’ In this lenient camp the food was relatively good.Prisoners might even have tobacco. And here they were given all sorts of Marxian propaganda. The graduates from‘Peaceful Valley’ and others who accepted Communist schooling were called ‘Progressives.’ Prisoners who refusedto go along with the program often remained in tougher circumstances. They were considered ‘Reactionaries.’”).300 For example, Office of the Provost Marshal General, World War II - A Brief History 443 (1946) (“Libraries andreading rooms were permitted to be maintained by prisoners, subject to censorship of the reading material. Thiscensorship was exercised largely at the camp level. As time went on, however, increasing staff supervision wasexercised by the Office of The Provost Marshal General, since quantities of reading material were available fromwelfare agencies and other sources, and censorship at the camp level was often impractical. Supervision wasexercised by directives, correspondence with camps, and extensive liaison with welfare agencies and the Office ofCensorship. Publications which related to military matters or which contained anti-democratic political propagandawere excluded.”).301 Refer to § 9.20.6 (Censorship and Security Review of POW Correspondence and Shipments).302 Refer to § 10.16.2 (Education).303 For example, Office of the Provost Marshal General, World War II - A Brief History 443 (1946) (“The need ofeducating prisoners became, progressively, of increasing importance and was reflected in additional coverage in theofficial regulations and directives. Opportunities developed for prisoners to receive further education, subject tocertain limitations which were required because of the prisoners’ status. At the beginning the prisoners themselvestook the initiative, aided by relief societies. Once launched, their efforts were given all necessary aid from the WarDepartment, whether the courses were at elementary, secondary, or collegiate level.”).552