NAZI METHODS

Waikato Times, Volume 127, Issue 21189, 12 August 1940, Page 7

NAZI METHODS

PROPAGANDA BY AIR STORY BY AMERICAN MUST PLEASE GERMANS (United Press Assn.—ELec. Tel. copyright) LONDON, Aug. 10 An American, Mr Warren Irving, who spent the first eight months of the war in Berlin engaged in broadcasting commentaries for a United States radio chain—he was one of four Americans working in Berlin—is an a visit to London, and has had some interesting things to say about the working of the German propaganda machine. These American radio commentators, he explained, were in Berlin “as neutral observers, and in all respects one our position was identical with that of foreign newspaper correspondents. The one was that while the correspondents had no censorship, we were subject to three.

“ It was not generally known that the Nazis were exercising a censorship. We were supposed to softpedal that fact, because the Nazis wanted to give the impression abroad that Germany was a country where every correspondent was free to express his honest opinion. In reality, however, not even newspaper correspondents were entirely free—if they said anything to displease the Nazis, the chances were that when next they left the country on holiday they would be refused a visa to return.

“ The Nazis had numerous other devices for bringing pressure to bear on them. A hostile correspondent was almost certain to be disciplined. When his competitors were taken on trips to the front, he would be left behind, or worse still, he would leam to his dismay that important'stories were being given to his competitors. Favourite Nazi Dodge “ The Nazis were for every trying to 4 plant ’ rumours on us. If in out commentaries we had criticised a speech of some important Nazi official, they resorted to a favourite Nazi dodge—that was, to leave all quotations from the speech intact but to delete all the criticisms. They would then withhold our script until a few minutes before speaking time and return it to us just in time for us to go on the air. On such occasions, however, we usually refused to speak.” The commentators, Mr Irving said, received most of their news at daily ‘“press conferences.” The principal feeder was the Propaganda Ministry, but increasingly the German Foreign Office was insisting on taking a larger portion. When they first arrived in Berlin soon after the start of the war, the American radio commentators were subject to only two censorships —one by the military authorities and the other by the Propaganda Ministry—but the Foreign Office decided that it too should have something to say about censorship. . Brutal and Ruthless Mr Irving expressed scepticism as to the authenticity of many Nazi feature programmes, including broadcasts “ from the front,” which in their brutal, unashamed exaltation of power and their vivid representation of mechanical and ruthless might taking toll of flesh and blood, have impressed many outside listeners as being bound to exercise a gravely demoralising effect on the German public.

“ I have always suspected that many Nazi propaganda programmes are faked,” said Mr Irving. “ I had good reason to believe some of the programmes supposed to emanate from Hasnbourg, and other stations were actually coming from Berlin, and I should not be surprised if this was also the case with some of the programmes that were supposed to be broadcast from the front, because the Nazis are past masters in the art of faking.”