The King's Health

Radio Record, Volume II, Issue 51, 5 July 1929, Page 2

The King's Health

Interest in America WHEN the King was critically ill there was as much interest and anxiety in America as there was in this country about:the condition of His Majesty. A glance at American papers will convinte the average reader that the people in America followed the news biilietins with the gravest anxiety. The. interest in listening to 55 W, the Chelmsford shortwave broadcasting station which broadcast news of the King's illness, swamped interest in every other form of broadeastin in America for the time being, ¥. f [THE trouble was, it appears, t 5SW was. considerably interfered with, and reception of the. station’s bulletins was almost ruined because of interference by another shortwave station, which was eventually located in Chile. So great was the interest that there was an insistent demand that the United States Government should take steps to stop this interferénce. The United States Department of State was asked to make "representations" to th: Government of Chile on the matter of this interference. This, of course, from a diplomatic point of view, was a very grave step, for "representations" are seldom made by one Government to another. unless matters of vital importance are con-

cerned. In fact, representations sometimes lead to a breaking off of diplo- ™ matic relations, and that usually leads to war. However, America seemed to regard this interference as so serious, in view of the widespread importance of receiving the bulletitis broadcast by Chelmsford, that the Govérnment officials concerned made no bones about it. They did not ask the Chilean Govérnment to prevent the interferénce, théy demanded that it should cease! From the point of view of international law, it is doubtful whether America had the right to make such a demand, but nevertheless’ it is interesting to note that the Chilean Government took "immediate steps," and the interference stopped! And so American listeners were able to recéive the news of the King’s progress. via the Chelmsford broadcasting ‘station without interference.