Actually, nations on both sides of WW1, including the United States censored news about the flu to keep up morale - both in their armies and in their citizenry. It's called the Spanish Flu simply because Spain - a country at peacetime during WW1 - reported the news publicly first, after their King fell ill when it swept through their nation in the Spring of 1918.
Spanish media continued reporting on it while the United States and other nations involved in the war censored news about its spread, going so far as to declare the whole thing over in July of that year, a month before the second wave killed millions. A second wave that, perhaps, people could've been prepared for.
Sure, we can get into semantics of whether hiding the truth is considered lying. I don't think it is, but it's equally as bad.
Aureumterra wrote:and arrest doctors to prevent bad image
There was a shortage of physicians in America at the time, due to the war, and after the hospitals filled up, makeshift hospitals were staffed by medical students, not doctors. If we wanted to arrest Doctors, we'd have to hunt them down lol.
History -- Smithsonian