News Behind the Headlines

Opotiki News, Volume II, Issue 254, 3 November 1939, Page 1 (Supplement)

News Behind the Headlines

. . . CENSORSHIP

steered. Noted for his sympathy for Franco, Mussolini, and other dictators, Sir Horace Wilson is often opposed in policy by the other ; Foreign Office expert, Sir Robert Vansittart, who is more Liberal in his outlook, and has favoured the Eden-Chamberlain policy of a solid friendship with France and a firm attitude towards Hitler. These opposing policies ar.e leading to a split in the British Cabinet. Watch for the “ retirement ” of Premier Chamberlain —and, even Sir Horace. There is . a suggestion that the “ appeasers ” are so used to retreat that they have forgotten the signal for advance.

is too evident for comment. The Russo - German pact was a triumph for the appeasers, but •while it protected the British masses from radical contamination it sealed the doom of millions of unfortunate Poles, who were butchered for this doubtful principle. It may also mean the lives of millions of allies—which is a very high price to pay for a fastidious objection to red shirts. Gamelin was a supporter of the Franco-Soviet Pact (which Lord Londonderry strove to dissolve), and M. Plerriot, one of its authors, has just been returned to power. Watch for an AngloFrench rapprochement with Russia. . . . KENNEDY’S PLAN An increasing sympathy for fascism has been evident with ace United States Ambassador, Patrick Kennedy. A supporter of rebel-leader Franco, despite the German bombing of Guernica, Mr. Kennedy is now getting pally with B. Mussolini, and phone calls to Rome are the order of the day at the American Embassy. In the wind are peace negotiations. Roosevelt, however, does not share Kennedy’s views. . . . ABE IN DIFFICULTY Japanese Premier Nobuyaki Abe is in “ honourable ” difficulties. Since the Russo-Ge'rman Pact Soviet help for Kai-Shek has increased substantially. Chinese armies have been victorious in a series of decisive battles, regaining much of the conquered territory in the south, and threatening to break the blockade of Hongkong. The Japanese are also facing the severest crisis for a decade at home, where a famine is threatened, and with it the possibility of revolution. Gone is the arrogance that slapped Americans and stripped Britons. Now Japan would like a peace —a peace in which to consolidate her gains in China without the trouble of fighting Kai-Shek. What Mr. Abe wants is American and British help to win his war ! . . . LEFT AND RIGHT The Hon. Unity Freeman Mitford, Lord Redesdale’s Nordic daughter, was visiting Adolf Hitler when war was declared on Germany. Like her sister, Lady Moseley (wife of would be dictator of England, Sir Oswald), Unity is a slavish admirer of A. Hitler. Her sister, Jessica, however, revolted from the fascist sympathies of the family and married leftist Esmond Romilly. . . . DIAMONDS ARE TRUMPS Every romantic youth who buys a diamond ring for his betrothed is adding to the already well-filled coffers of Sir Louis Oppenheimer, the modest horticulturist, whose £5,000,000 Diamond Corporation controls 95 per cent, of world trade in these gems. His drab offices in Hatton Garden, London, are now quiet. Buried in bank vaults all over Britain and the United States are his £12,000,000 stock of diamonds. In the vaults of his palatial country house at Maidenhead are the business records.

Last year British exports to Europe were as follows : Millions. Germany .... .... ... £56.9 Denmark .... £54.2 Eire .... .... .... £4B France .... £47 Holland £44.1 Sweden £37.4 Belgium £31.8 Finland .... £25.3 Norway .... £18.9 Poland £l7 Italy .... £13.3 Portugal .... • £11.6 Spain £9 Latvia £6.5 Greece £5.9 Lithuania .... .... £5.3 Rumania £5.2 Yugoslavia .... .... £3.8 Turkey .... £3.5 Estonia £3.2 Hungary £3.1 Bulgaria .8 This table indicates the economic ties between Britain and the Continent. For comparison see the spheres of German interest in the table that follows (for the same period): German exports for 1938 were : Millions. Holland £53.8 Britain .... £52.8 Italy .... .... .... £45.6 Sweden £44.1 Belgium £35.2 Denmark £30.7 France £29.9 Portugal £26.9 Rumania £24.1 Turkey £22.3 Yugoslavia £IB.B Norway £18.4 Hungary £18.3 Greece £17.1 Poland £16.5 Finland £14.3 Spain £14.2 Bulgaria £11.7 Latvia £7 Estonia £3.9 'Lithuania £3.4 Eire £3.3 From these figures it will be seen:—(l) That Germany has greater European trade than Britain. (2) That the best markets for both countries are the Oslo Powers —Holland, Denmark, and Sweden. These figures, of course, are only for the export of goods, and do not include trade in money or credit. They are of special interest in the light of the article “ Union Now ” on page 2.

beyond a gap in the line, would not convince a five-year-old, but it goes down with the Japs. This explanation was offered in all seriousness to the world. But if Japanese lies are crude they are prolific. It can be well said that Japanese official (Domei) despatches contain so little truth that it is better to disregard them entirely. Thus the present boasting of gains in China cover the unpleasant truth of heavy losses. Without foreign aid the Japanese could never hope to conquer China. Without the intervention of war in the West, however, it is probable that Japan would have achieved her ambitions. We in New Zealand particularly should find some comfort at this hour. The venal British interests, who were helping the invader, are no longer able to do so. Cut off also from Germany and Italy, Japan is an outcast. Aided by Russia, Kai-Shek can lead a united China to Victory in arms and victory in peace, for China, willy-nilly, is being forced to develop her industries. An industrialised China will condemn Japan to insignificance for all time.

The lack of news from Europe, as everyone knows, is due to the interference of censorship in England, and in a lesser degree New Zealand. How does this censorship work ? Officially censorship is voluntary —but anyone infringing the rules is liable to a fine, imprisonment, or suppression. You are free to say what you like—-and also free to be penalised ! For the guidance of the press a code of directions have been prepared to indicate the kind of news that is forbidden. Apart from these directions there are “ requests,” which are tantamount to commands. These usually accompany some item of news from neutral countries, which the British Government does not wish the public to know. Some such items are purely political, and there is no justification for such restraint. This is where the “ voluntary ” censorship (absolutely essential for information of a military value) begins to infringe upon the rights of the press. This infringement has serious consequences, for it establishes a precedent which may lead to a controlled ” press, as in Germany and Italy—the very tyrannical curtailment of liberty, against which we are fighting. The big London papers have the unfortunate function of pawns in party politics. At present it suits their game to stifle news and interpret the “ suggestions ” as commands. The whole system of censorship and propaganda is open to severe criticism. The wide powers of the Emergency Powers Act gives upstart officials arbitrary powers of arrest against people who even “ think contrary to their desires. Ihe filling of these important positions by political hacks, with no experience or ability, leaves opportunities for flagrant abuse of power. Old personal scores can be settled without interference bv some of these boneheads.

. . . PEACE FRONT Despite persistent rumours that “ unofficial ” negotiations for a peace are being carried on by Government officials in London it is reported that public opinion is definitely against any peace until the Nazi regime has been destroyed and there can be peace with security. Therefore the Government is not, and will not, officially undertake any such negotiations. . . . GOERING’S “ FRIENDS ” Although the Government policy regarding peace is now clear there are people who would accept peace at any price. Apparently Plitler had high hopes that these would “ influence ” the Government to accept his terms. Goering implied this in his speech on September 10. . . . MODERATES v. EXTREMISTS The old Nazi dodge of pretending that the Army leaders were moderates opposed to Hitler’s extreme measures, and thus worthy of support in. Britain, is still working. Goering js reported to be at the head of the “ Moderate ” section as opposed to Goebbels and Ribbentrop, the “ extremists.” The plot is to secure concessions for the “ moderates,” and thus strengthen their position, but experience has proved that help to Goering- is just as much help to Goebbels.

. . . HOW MUCH DO YOU KNOW ? It is said that 300 men control the world. Few of them are in Parliament, or are vested with the power of office, but theirs is a power that speaks all tongues —wealth. No matter what you do your life is in some degree controlled by them. These are the men behind the scenes, who pull the strings which animate their puppets in Parliament. You have read about them often. How many can you remember ? Here are 50 names. What industries do you associate with them ? If you can answer 20 correctly you are average; 25, fair; 30, good; 35, very good; 40, exceptional; more than 40, outstanding (if not cheating). Answers on Page 4. 1 — John D. Rockefeller 2 Alfred Nobel 3 Sir Otto Niemeyer 4 Lord Vestey. 5 Alfred P. Sloan 6 Sir Chas. Craven 7 Montagu Norman 8 — Edward Bok y—Sir Frank Bowater 10— Sir Henri Deterding 11— J. A. Bata 12— J. H. Schroeder 13 — Dr. Coljin 14— Pierre Coty 15— Lord Dulverton 16 — Pierre Du Pont 17— Andrew Carnegie 18— J. P. Morgan 19 — C. S. Gulbenkian 20— Sir Louis Oppenheimer 21— William Randolph Hearst 22 Lord Hirst 23 Don Simon Patino 24 Axel Wenner-Gren 25 Dannie Heineman 26 Fritz Thyssen 27 Otto Kreugcr 28 — Henry Ford 29 Lord Stamp 30— Sir Isadore Salmon 31— Lord Beaverbrook 32 Sir Basil Zaharoff 33 Fritz Manheimer 34 — Lord Ellerman 35 Baron Robert de Rothschild 36 — Gerard Swope 37 Barnato Joel 38— Joe Rank 39 Duke of Westminster 40 — Juan March 41— Lord Southwood 42 — Lord Trent 43 Lord Leverhulme 44 Lord MacGowan 45 Lord Cadman 46 Sir David Yule 47 Andrew Millon 48— Marshal Field 49 T. V. Soong 50— Lord Astor

'The choice of personnel could hardly have been more unsuitable. The first chief was Admiral Usborne, a pompous old ass, noted for intolerance, and scarcely familiar with the business end of a pencil. His second in charge was another partystooge, Colonel Bridge, whose masterly mind creaked into action with such amazing stunts as sending Lady Maureen Stanley to the Balkans to teach Croatian peasant women Bond Street fashions, and grant Estonian girls £250 for piano lessons in London ! The artistic climax was the importation of a troupe of Greek actors to do “ Hamlet ” in their own language at a London theatre. There is a limit to the amount of inefficiency the Government will tolerate and the worthy Admiral and Colonel have been “ promoted ” to other spheres where, no doubt, their staunch party records will assure sublime confidence. First replacement was energetic Lord Lloyd, President of the Conservative Party, who found the job too tough, and resigned after one week. His successor was a clever Scottish lawyer, Lord MacMillan, who, while having no special qualifications for the job, was at leasf, a capable and efficient career man. To get something done he purged two-thirds of the executive, who were relatives or connections of influential politicians, and appointed Lord Camrose, proprietor of the “ Daily Telegraph, chief adviser. No use has yet been made of the skilled men with journalistic, publicity and propaganda experience, but at least journalists and “ press advisers ” are treated as responsible civilians and not ordered to click their heels and salute!

.JAPAN

Although the much vaunted 2000 year lineage of the Japanese Emperor is so much baloney the shrewd strategy of deifying the aristocracy has preserved intact their feudal system. Long before Hitler’s ancestors had a name the Japanese rulers believed that if you repeated lies often enough they would be accepted as truths—especially when it was death to doubt them. This process of deliberate aggrandisement has produced the absurd mental outlook of the Japanese to-day. The upper classes have come to believe their own lies. That is why they are so childishly sensitive to criticism. They are trying to reconcile the obvious contempt of the Chinese and foreigners with their own pleasant egotism. Chinese contemptuously refer to the Japanese as monkeys. The little yellow men from Nippon have aped Chinese speech, writing, literature, art, architecture, religion and philosophy, but have never achieved the same cultural refinement. Having no culture of their own the Japanese developed a remarkable ability to assimilate foreign ideas. So it happened that when their geological position brought them in contact with Europeans they readily absorbed Western learning and industry. Socially Japan is the most backward pountry in the world. The great majority of people live on the starvation line, while a small hereditary aristocracy have accumulated immense wealth. It is not generally realised that the three wealthiest men in the world are probably Japanese. The Emperor, Hirohito, can claim title to more wealth than the Nizam of Hyderabad. With the natural increase of population there has grown up a middle class which have the outlook but not the wealth of the aristocracy. To these the psychological need for some excuse for their poverty is more pressing, so it is natural that-they should be the most iir f ■the divine

. . . OPPOSING INTERESTS Again there are powerful interests in Britain and France who wish to “ steer ” the war to avoid a total collapse of the Nazi regime—with all that it implies—— because they consider that if Naziism were overthrown in Germany Socialism or Communism might take its place, and that the menace of German arms would be a lesser evil than the example of the German masses. . . . FRENCH ARMY INTERVENES An identical situation in France has resulted in the increasing power of the Army in Parliament. It will be recalled that it was the Army and not the civil police which arrested the French journalists convicted of being paid Nazi propagandists. The French Army has the two pro-Nazi ministers in the Cabinet on the spot. Messieurs Reynaud (Finance) and Bonnet (Foreign Affairs) are finding themselves “ under pressure. Another appeaser, M. blandin, is also on the mat. The fight between the Army and Fascist sympathisers is still waging so far the Army is winning all along the line. Marshal Petain and M. Herriot have been included in the French Cabinet, M. Herriot as an “understudy” for M. Bonnet himself. (Watch for the exit of Foreign Minister Bonnet), fhe political power of the French Army and its realistic policy will have a profound effect on British policy. . . . CROMWELL AGAIN The close alliance of the - French and British Armies has already helped to strengthen the position of the British armed forces. A crisis may well see a military junta take over the Government of Britain. Meanwhile the “ appeasers ” are finding that • the growing power of «fehc- Figfetru-. itig Forces is evident inside Parliament and out. And the Anglo-French military 1 pressure is aimed at a direct reversal of foreign policy.

World output of diamonds varies from £5 million to £lO million a year. They are marketed in Antwerp or London, cut in Belgium or Germany, and sold mostly to the United States, where the vogue for diamonds is at its height. As mentioned before, the alliance between Britain and Holland, which dates from the patronage of William of Orange, now form five major world monopolies, namely:— Finance, oil, soap and margarine, diamonds and tin. Dutch Jews developed banking as we know it to-day, and still control the Bank of England and most other European banking systems. The Anglo-Dutch Shell Oil Company controls almost 60. per cent, of the world’s oil. The Lever

.... CENSORSHIP Last week we reported some of the strong criticism for the blundering inefficiency of Britain’s Propaganda and Censorship department. No\s comes news that Lord MacMillan has given orders to bring it into line on the points criticised, thereby scoring an important victory for you and I. Only information of definite military value to the enemy will be censored, criticism of the Government will not be restricted. This is indeed a concession of our democratic rights, for this week the policy of the Government comes under strong criticism even in its own ranks.

Lord MacMillan is proving an able administrator, and we may hope that fuller news will soon be available on all operations at the front. Indeed P. Goebbels may find himself challenged as the Propaganda Chief of Europe.

family have a world soap monoQppenjaeimeE family are supreme’ in dustry, and the Angdo-Dutch tin cartel regulates theAvorld price and sales of tin.

. TVffi'y t T& \ THRONE The most powerful single indithe British Empire today is Foreign Office chief, Sir Horace Wilson. ■ Sir Horace has more influence with Neville Chamberlain than “Times” proprietor, J. J. Astor, or anyone. Leader of the extreme right wing of British politics, Sir Horace has plotted the course which Mr. Chamberlain has

graph is would .b//yfi. ct 3 d 'W&BS$ or '\ a: ‘ boldest l^eiitaryr 'crisis m .; grave Feejings: . ‘ a^agon ism to the Gov- . Sweeping England 'Mm the West End Clubs to the ountry villages. There

a r i S the (emote cohnectionns of these celestial beings. This illogical outlook is responsible for the inability of the Japanese understand Western minds. Japanese lies are so crude that even Nazis laugh at them. The explanation that the train full of Japanese soldiers was lifted up by the Emperor’s divine tors and set down again 50 ya rJP"

. . . BRITISH TRADE Many of the casualties of our present economic war will not be belligerents. Finland, Denmark, and Holland all face .ruin, and belt-tightening will have to be practised in Norway and Sweden.

. . . RUSSIA AGAIN The realistic military leaders are not confused by any fear of Communism in their approach to the problem of military alliances. The value of Russia as an ally

The Inside Story of What is Happening in the World To-Day

has never been such universal public indignation since the Hoare-Laval plot was exposed. .... THE REASON Munich left an aftermath of suspicion which has grown into a dreadful certainty as the weeks of war have dragged on with unparalleled blundering and indecision. In 1914 the blundering was on the side of the Army. Today it is on the side of the Government. The crisis -found the Armed forces in readiness for instant action. True, there was an

"I , cv f' ■' , acute shortage of ce tanks, ancj munitions for increased producti way. Tli for sea, land and air i purposeful men capat a good job if given freedom. SWAPPI Defeatists and pc are niore interested i profiteering than the our Empire are camj the Government on th you cannot change 1 crossing a stream.” angry Conservative r (a) it is less dangeroi horses than to drowi mencau not only c French Government ; when the German f less than 80 miles but produced a “W mainly composed of few of whom Avere b public at all.