WAR TIME RADIO

Wairarapa Times-Age, 8 February 1941, Page 3

WAR TIME RADIO

CONTRAST IN METHODS NAZI DISSEMINATION OT LIES. BRITISH RELIANCE ON FACTS. (Brili<li Onteh! Wireless.) RUGBY. February 6. Professor Ogilvie, Director-General of the British Broadcasting Corporation, in a speech said broadcasting was. in effect, a new form of mechanised warfare, powerfully affecting the course of military events. How far. he asked, was the collapse of France due to what, had been called the German "advance occupation by radio'.’" Comparing the British and German methods of using broadcasting. Professor Ogilvie said; "British broadcasting at the present time is used, unlike the German, for the purpose of the people. In war time it is used, like the German, ns an instrument of war. but its methods differ from the German methods at almost every point.

"The German technique is laid amazingly bare in the pages of' ‘.Mein Kampf.’ It depends upon lies most especially, as Hitler says it should—ours depends on facts. Theirs in accordance with ‘Mein Kampf.' is based upon appeals to the lower Instincts, greed, brutality, malice and vanity—ours is not. Dtcirs regards ordinary people as masses of sheep, as Hiller describes them—ouis knows them to be men Theirs tries to prevent people from thinking-ours is designed to help them to think, and think freely. Theirs would dragon them as slaves —ours would embolden them to act as free men.

"And. more titan that, ours arc the only methods which in the long rim are effective. Lies and the inflaming

of brutal passions, these may -have; their success for a time, but the effect : of them wears off and revolution fol- •' lows with unpleasant consequences for those who turned the power of pro- ' paganda to evil purposes." Professor Ogilvie gave interesting i facts relating to the 8.8. C. services j when he revealed that a world service, in English occupied 21 hours a day. while the main European service which carried broadcasts in German, French. Italian. Dutch and the Central European languages occupied 20 hours each day.

Evidence, he said, that the British broadcasts were listened to in Ger- j many and Italy was proved by the i fact that the enemy found it increas- , ingly necessary io attack the British ; broadcasts in addressing home listen- i crs. In the occupied territories the [ people were not merely listening at-, tentivcly but were being helped to ac- ■ lion by the British broadcasts.