FUN IN NAZI FALSEHOODS.

Bay of Plenty Beacon, Volume 2, Issue 239, 18 November 1940, Page 3

FUN IN NAZI FALSEHOODS.

GOEBBEL'S ingenuity

ENGLAND IN NAZI EYES No proof is needed to convince the average Briton that Goebbcls has organised the, greatest lie-mach-ine in history. Still, that does not stop his machine going on turning out its stream of falsehoods, and as Goebbels, whatever he may be, is not a fool, it must be assumed that somewhere the lies are scoring points for the Nazis. The British Ministry of Information has just issued a booklet, "More Gems of German Propaganda." Since the collapse of France, Ger man propaganda has concentrated on England. Little effort is now made to find justification for German policy. The doctrine of force is at last openly preached and military might,, it is said, is to be the arbiter of Eux'ope. In consequence the weakness of England is the main theme of German propaganda, and most of the items in this collection are designed to depict the British people in a state of blind panic. The quaint absurdities cf German propaganda may be amusing, but they are also instructive. Those who live in Britain cannot recognise themselves in the ludicrous picture painted by German -.propaganda, but the extravagances selected represent a fair selection of the news items daily served up to Germans and to those neutrals unable to check the facts for themselves. Needless to say, none of these items appear in the German broadcasts* in Engiish. Here are* the samples selected:— l Good Times for Beauty Parlours. "The fear in Britain of German planes is indeed terrific. To take an instance: One of the best proofs of this fear in Britain is that'the Jews are having their hair bleached and their noses straightened. But the danger in Britain is even more proved by the fact that millions are quitting Britain." — (Deiitchland■sender., July 8, 1940). Man-hunting in England After Midnight. "Almost nightly after midnight a regular organised chase is made after all foreigners still at large."— (Transocean Gable Service, July 7. 1940). Every Man's House a Fortress. "Some people have already gone so far as to provide themselves with private machine gun nests."—(Deut schlandsender, July 3, 1940). Demon Drink. ' 4 Men and women feel the urge to raise their courage by resorting to tlrink.."—(Deutschlandsender July 7, 1940). "Never were there so many drunken people seen in London as now. These little men and women compete with each other in drinking themselves into a state of cool* realistic foresight and courage. London has become a paradise for dirty rabble." —Deutschlandsender, July 8, 1940). "Londoners, according to news from Britain, are v becoming more and more panic-stricken as the time of settling accounts approaches. Londoners are drunk every night. They are holding competitions for the capacity of drinking, and alcoholic poisoning lias increased by leaps and bounds of late."-—(Zeesen July 17, 1940). Plutocratic Panic-mongers. "The Consulates of Panama, Nica ragua, Liberia, etc.., are crowded with English who endeavour to exchange their passports for those of these small states, in order to be able to escape before the German invasion. Obscure agents and lawyers are experiencing a boom. If all means of obtaining a passport from these consulates fail, people are satisfied with a false passport, the most expensive being a U.S.A. passport. Unmarried women, yes, and ladies, endeavour to go through a form of marriage with a foreigner in order to secure foreign nationality. Rich ladies even marry dock workers for this purpose." Seo.ct Weapon. "English women armed with umbrellas: 'Nya Dsglit Allelianda's describes the creation in England of a women's auxiliary corps for surveillance duties. This corps will not carry rifles, but will be armed with stout umbrellas. Nevertheless, they will wear uniform."—(Luxembourg. July 19, 1910).

Forced Labour. "London cinemas are losing their audiences. No one feels like going to the cinema any more since they must always expect that at any moment the lights may go up and a demand be made for volunteers to dig trenches in the streets of London."— (Deutschlandsender,. July 17, 1940). Astrologers Besieged. "Crowds gather from the early morning before the premises of London astrologers to gain information as to England's fate."—(Zeesen. July 17, 1940). Cricket "Blitzkrieg" "Reports from London tell of a revolt of the plutocratic cricketers in Kent. People tried to destroy the playing fields by digging it up at night. This has led to a state of war between the population and English sports clubs."—(Deuischlandsendcr, July 0, 1940). Salt Food. "In order to redress the increased shortage of various goods, the English want to attempt to raise the cargoes of sunken ships."—(Deutschlandsender, July 7, 1940). But Merchant Navy is Funk-hole.

"A good many well-meaning sons of British parents of wealth are looking for ways and means to avoid, military service. According to the British law, any able-bodied seaman is exempt from military service. Hence millionaire parents are willing to pay any amount to see their spoilt boys accepted by British shipping companies and saved. No wonder shipping company officials are highly pleased with developments. Contrary to old maritime traditions they receive advance payments for hiring their crews, instead of having to hand out their pay on pay days as usual. Also they figure that the talcing of these children of wealth is a first-rate advertising stunt. Just imagine, the names of dock hands stokers and busy stewards appearing in ship*s rolls and quoted from 'Who's Who' or any other British social register. What a good joke—passengers will book the companies' boats to capacity."—(Zeesen, July 14,. 1940). , Only Horse-flesh to Eat. "The food situation becomes more difficult every day and the stocks of meat are being completely exhausted. They are being replenished by horse-tlesh, for which ail horses in Britain are being slaughtered. The Government is of the opinion that this meat scarcity has an excellent effect, since it forces men to volunteer for military service." —(Zeesen, July 12, 1940). Plutocratic Prices. "Potatoes in England cost 3s 6d per lb. The present price of a pound of standard tea is £2 sterling."—* Transocean Gable Service, July 11., 1940). The Kin/dly Invader. "Hitler, this paternal, simple man, who conquered Holland, Belgium and Norway and brought France to her knees."'' —(Deutschlandsender, July 6, 1940). Invasion of England. "William of Orange succeeded in landing in England with his troops and in subjugating the island.- • (Deutschlandsender, July 21, 1940). Discovery of Africa by Germans. "I'f somewhere there is a God-for-saken spot of earth where nothing but adventure is to be gained, only Germans are found there. Africa, for instance, was discovered practically exclusively by Germans, and yet the fruits were gathered by Rhodes, Livingstone and Stanley." —(Deutschlandsander, May 8, 1940). It All Depends Where the Traitor's Sympathies Lie. "I now introduce a Dutch citizen named Hickcma, who was arrested in Belgium and whose sole crime was his -sympathy with Germany." —(Deutschlandsander, July 4, 1940). No Safety for British Convoys. "Gradually, however, even the English people will understand what is happening. The latest success of German air and sea warfare must make It plain that England cannot withstand for long this kind of warfare, which has not yet reach cd its full intensity. One hundred thousand tons of shipping, was sunk yesterday. To-day 65,000 tons. London is silent about the fact that German dive-bombers and speedboats attack, break up or destroy even the most strongly protected convoys." — (Deutschlandsender. July 27, 1940).