Wairarapa Times-Age THURSDAY, OCTOBER 12, 1939. SHUTTING OUT THE TRUTH.

Wairarapa Times-Age, 12 October 1939, Page 6

Wairarapa Times-Age THURSDAY, OCTOBER 12, 1939. SHUTTING OUT THE TRUTH.

ACCORDING to “The Times” correspondent at Rotterdam, .opinion in Berlin on the chances of peace is entirely optimistic. “The man in the street (he reports) talks as if peace were certain in the near future because England and France have no hope of winning and says that, Mr Chamberlain and M. Daladier will soon be ready to negotiate or will be forced to resign by the English and French peoples. This the correspondent observes, demonstrates the strength ol the German propaganda. Obviously, however, it demonstrates also the weakness of the German position.

With 'the Allied nations declaring unitedly that the Fuehrer’ has opened no door on peace and that it would be worse than useless to enter into negotiations with ITitlei and his gang, and many neutral nations expressing similar. opinions, a triumph of propagandist efficiency no doubt is implied in the fact, that the German people have been deceived and deluded with false hopes. Herr Hitler obviously was trading upon this state of affairs in the speech of which passages were reported yesterday.

Much of what the Fuehrer has to say was palpably untrue and he must have known that its untruth would be perceived at once by many millions of people outside the Reich and presumably by not a few within its borders. Apparently, however, he is able still to count upon the truth being concealed from a considerable proportion of the German people. That implies a rather remarkable achievement of its unworthy kind, but it is an achievement that manifestly invites in itself a day of reckoning. What is to happen when the mere passage of time, not to speak of what may occur in that time, demonstrates that the German people have been fed with lies and induced to indulge in false hopes? Perhaps the Nazi propagandists will then have thought of some new way of catching the popular attention and diverting it from reality, but as weeks and‘months go by the structure of falsehood raised in this way must become increasingly top-heavy, and in the end it must fall.

Even in the outlook of those who deliberately set aside all moral considerations, deceptive propaganda can yield results at an ultimate view only if it helps to tide over a period of emergency and to open the way to tangible success. There is every likelihood, however, that the more or less successful efforts now being made by the German dictators to withhold the truth from people and encourage them with falsehoods can lead up to nothing else than a painful and disconcerting awakening. The damaging effect of the exposure that is ultimately inevitable will be measured by Ihe success meantime achieved in deception.

The Nazi tactics of falsehood and suppression of fact may for the moment serve their purpose, as they are said to have done in the case of the peace offensive and its reception in Allied countries. At the most direct view, however, these, tactics lay Germany open to exceedingly damaging attack in being bombarded with the truth. The Nazi dictators can make no effective reply to ap onslaught like that of the British aeroplanes which have showered on German territory millions of leafleis bearing home truths for the information of the German people. Tn a conflict of this kind those who trade in lies and are endeavouring to cover up the truth are thrown back on a negative and failing defensive.

Even neutral countries are taking some part, by means of radio broadcasts, in the attack on the Nazi stronghold of falsehood and deception. For instance, President Roosevelt’s peace message to the King, of Italy, prior to the outbreak of war. was broadcast by short wikve from America to Germany and Italy, both textually and with comment, ft is difficult to measure the effects in Germany of broadcasts of this nature owing to the dangers attending those who are caught listening in to short wave programmes from abroad. A writei- in the “Christian Science Monitor” stated recently, however, that:—

It is generally felt in Washington that highly placed personages in Berlin, notably in the High Command, have been deeply affected by this form of propaganda. Americans in Germany report that despite the severe penalties for listening in to foreign broadcasts the Berlin Government has not been able to check the practice or the spread of the reports so conveyed.

In their resort to falsehood and deception, the Nazis have exposed themselves to attack with the weapon of the truth, not only by their present enemies, but by enlightened humanity throughout the world.