MERE SCRATCHES.

Auckland Star, Volume LXXI, Issue 216, 11 September 1940, Page 7

MERE SCRATCHES.

NEUTRAL OPINION. Swiss Correspondent's Tour Of London Area. British Official Wireless. (Reed. 10.30 a.m.) RUGBY, Sept. 10. The unshakable calm, the increased spirit of determination aroused and the amazing speed with which the wreckage was cleared away, are features of the public reaction to the London air raids which have most impressed foreign Press observers who have been given complete freedom to visit the scenes of destruction. The London correspondent of the "Neue Zurcher Zeitung," who visited three dock areas which suffered most severely, confirms, according to a Press dispatch from Zurich, that it is civilian property and not military objectives that have principally suffered. Although a war of terror has been started against London, he adds, the results, so far are mere scratches on the giant frame of Britain's capital. The opinion was expressed in informed circles to-day that until a means of dealing adequately with night bombing has been evolved —a problem occupying the attention of German as well as British experts —civilian morale is the most important single factor in the war to-day. Judgment, even by neutral journalists, of the German morale is difficult, perhaps impossible, as fear of the cruel Gestapo effectively prevents expression. In Britain very different conditions prevail. Views are propounded freely and the reaction to the recent experiences is easy to assess.