FOREIGN BPOADCASTS

Hawke's Bay Herald-Tribune, Volume 81, Issue 32, 1 November 1937, Page 7

FOREIGN BPOADCASTS

(British Officiai Wireless.)

British Press Approves BBC Plans

(Received 1, 8.45 a.m.) RUGBY, Oct. 30. Commenting on the British Govern- ; ment's deeision to broadcast in foreign j languages, The Times xecalls that there have been frequent complaints of antiBritish propaganda broadcast regularly from Cairo in Arabic and other languages of the Near and Middle East, as well as in some of the languages of lndia. At one time the Government seemed to think that this attempt to poison the atmospheXe would be safely treated with contempt," adds The Times. Latterly, however, they have taken a less complacent view of the possible effect of this kind of propaganda. It may be taken for granted that no attempt will be made to answer the •propaganda by eounter propaganda. The object of the service is not 'to play 'tit for tat,' but so supply straight news. The Daily Telegraph says that not all programmes now being broadcast in foreign languages are necessarily propaganda, or at any rate propaganda of an uffdesirable kind, but a £i'eat many Of them are scandalously subversive, and the British Empire has been aniong the worst sufferers from this subtle species of peace-time aggression. The Daily -Herald says: "The tradition of impartiality the BBC has already established should be helpful here. If Daventry establishes that kind of reputation iu the international world of listeners it will be doing the irind of work which the British people wants to see it do." The Manchester Guardian says that no one would wjsh to see Britain adding to the world' s difficulties . by wireless attacks on her neighbours, but the British service that utilises some of tho other most widely-spoken of the world's languages to put foi'ward accurately and dispassionately the Britisff attitude should, when it is perfected, be of much yaluo.