LETTERS TO THE EDITOR
[In view of the paper shortage it is essential that letters on these pages should be brief. We are anxious not to reduce the number of letters, but unless they are shorter they must be fewer. Writers are urged to study the art of compression.—Ed., " The Spectator "]
THE OVERSEAS BROADCASTS
SIR,—This is a belated attempt to bring home to those in London the very real harm that has been done, and that continues to be done, by the overseas broadcasts of the B.B.C. It may come as a shock to those at home to know that this distant, exposed, but entirely loyal British community seldom listens to London, preferring to tune-in to Shanghai, Manila or America, and in some cases even to Germany. It is reasonable to assume that if this is the attitude of the British, very few foreigners indeed must listen to our broadcasts. Why should this be? As compared with Germany our signal strength is low and our programmes are poor. These are factors that dis- incline the average man from tuning-in to London for pleasure. However, this state of affairs has obtained for some years, and we have seldom expected pleasure from our broadcasts. From Germany, on the other hand, there is almost invariably good music, well played and powerfully transmitted.
But this is no time to expect or talk of pleasure. The vital matter at issue is the news and propaganda, and it is only in relation to this that the quality of the transmissions is of importance. Our news has always been deadly dull. The tired "B.B.C." voice of the announcer has lulled us into a false sense of security. World-shaking events were treated as of no importance. However, we thought, " This is just our way of doing things," and we believed faithfully every word. And then came the tragedy of Norway. We found the German news was nearly right and ours was entirely wrong. This was a real tragedy, because. by it we lost something that stood for a great deal—faith in the news from London.
This is a big thing to have lost, but it is not all. By our news broadcasts we are also losing the sympathy of the world. These are intended to be overseas broadcasts, but they are utterly insular in character and have no appeal outside of England. To hear a man blathering away about giving chocolates to children being evacuated from London is merely sickening. No one in the whole world, except perhaps the children concerned, is interested in this. A turn of the tuning knob and we hear from America a heart-rending story of the plight of ten million French refugees. The comparison is ridiculous.
With invasion apparently a matter of days, someone gets up and states that we shall now work twenty-four hours a day and seven days a week. The only possible reaction to such a statement is, " Why on earth didn't they start that in September? " We hear that aircraft production has been doubled in three weeks. We are only furious at the thought of what an Air Force we could have had if this doubling of production had taken place earlier. Why do we have to expose to the world such tragic lack of preparation? Can we really expect others to help us when we announce publicly that we have done so little to help ourselves? World sympathy will gradually shift to the obvious efficiency of Germany, in spite of the fact that ours is the nobler cause and is freely admitted as such by most people.
Even among the British out here there is growing that dangerous feeling that things may not be so bad under the control of such an efficient organisation as Germany. Sentiments have gone a long way since September. There are still some good things on the air from London. When the King spoke it was fine and nobly inspiring, when Churchill speaks it is always good sound common sense.
Is it too late now to change the whole tone of our publicity? To tell the world in virile tones of the desperate nature of our struggle? To admit our faults and climb down from the high place that was ours and where we appear to imagine we are still standing? To appeal openly, frankly and humbly to the great nation that shares the ideals for which we are fighting, the only nation that can help us now—the United States of America?—Yours faithfully,
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