PICTURESQUE LIES

Waikato Times, Volume 127, Issue 21196, 20 August 1940, Page 5

PICTURESQUE LIES

PUT OUT BY GERMANS BRITISH PRESS COMMENT United Tress Assn.—Eiec. Tel. Copyrlg-ht) LONDON. August 19 The German High Command claims to have destroyed 138 British aeroplanes on Sundaj', and says* only 34 German machines are missing. The Times says: “The Germans clearly put out picturesque lies over the week-end in order mainly to influence Japan and Spain. “The German description of ‘widespread havoc’ in London was briefly successful in America, but this was due more to the British censorship delays than to German inventiveness. “If the American correspondents in London had been able to cable their reports immediately, American readers would at least have had the truth from London simultaneously with the falsehoods from Berlin. “The haste and elation with which the German wireless culled all comment from the Spanish and Japanese newspapers showed the Germans’ eagerness to see the first fruits of their campaign. “They believe their falsehoods during the Norwegian campaign helped !•> swing Italy to war, and they hope Cor similar, although smaller, rewits from Japan and Spain through clsehoods about the British lack of resistance now.” The Daily Telegraph learns that ‘lie delay in transmitting the British M-sion of the German attacks of last r - \ iday to America was caused by a ne-hour hold-up of information by c Air Ministry in conjunction with n.c Ministry of Home Security. This •id-up resulted in American cveng newspapers going to press with ihe distorted German version of the attacks against the London suburbs.