NAZI ANXIETY

Wairarapa Times-Age, 29 January 1940, Page 5

NAZI ANXIETY

LISTENING TO FOREIGN BROADCASTS

WARNING TO ALL GERMANS AND NEUTRALS.

VERY SEVERE PENALTIES FOR OFFENDERS. (British Official Wireless.) RUGBY, January 27. A German radio special announcement emphasising the gravity of listening in to foreign broadcasts said the decree forbidding such a practice now included neutrals resident in Germany. They were not permitted even to listen in to their home countries and were liable to the same penalties as Germans. The ban embraced everybody in Germany, including the armed forces and Nazi Party members, who must have a special permit if their duties required them to hear broadcasts.

The penalties were very severe, it was stated. Those listening to foreign musical programmes would be sentenced to lengthy imprisonment. All offenders would be isolated and rendered harmless and in extreme cases sentenced to death. The radio also announced a more vigorous application of penalties for picking up and keeping Royal Air Force leaflets. Those passing them on were liable to be shot, including neutrals. The announcer said that because of the large number of cases before the courts it was necessary to repeat this warning. The announcement is seen in London as interesting proof that the German Government is afraid to allow its subjects to hear news even from neutral sources which no one could consider other than impartial. The speculation naturally suggested by this otherwise unaccountably severe measure is that the internal situation must be more serious than is generally realised. The warning regarding penalties by offenders in Germany was delivered by Dr Schirner and included the following passage: “It has been found that enemies of the State have actually clubbed together for listening. The penalty is death. No excuse of any sort will be accepted. Enemies of the people must be isolated and liquidated as quickly and firmly as possible. The danger to the people resulting from such crimes is so grave that no penalty would appear too severe . . . “Sentences of death will be passed in cases where a person passes on foreign brodacast news or invites other persons to listen-in to foreign broadcasts.”

The decree is regarded as an impressive indication of the anxiety felt by the Nazi leaders lest the unfavourable development of world opinion toward Germany should become known to their people. It also underlines their determination to withhold as far as possible from the German people the trend of events within Germany itself as they present themselves to neutral countries.