| Show Results Justify Expenses y Of Overseas Propaganda r Axis Has Employed Elaborate Means to Get Its Views Across to Neutral Nations U. U S. S i f Must Use Press and Radio By BAUKHAGE News Analyst and Commentator Service Union Trust Building Washington D. D C. C The other day Elmer Davis head of ot the Office of ot War Information held heId a press conference nce He opened It with the remark that we were witnessing an Uncle Toms Tom's Cabin without the Simon Legree I didn't get the significance of the remark until Davis explained that sep Tabor who charged Mr Davis with using the Office of War Information to distribute propaganda da for a fourth term had been in invited in- in invited invited to share the conference but had other duties Obviously the purpose of the meeting was to show how the mon mon- money money money ey for the publication of propaganda was being spent and a good deal of ot time was taken up on comparative costs of British American and Axis propaganda efforts If the OWl car car- carries carries carries ries out present plans it will be spending at the rate of ot 45 millions of dollars by the end of t e year Britain with its separate ministry of information is spending much more than we are Germany are Germany probably probably ably four or five times tunes as much That's a rough estimate But the figures didn't interest me so much and Ill I'll tell you why I had come cometo cometo cometo to the meeting a little early earty and had been studying the array of lit lit- literature arranged arranged on two tables tables- the American and the Axis propaganda propaganda propaganda ganda material There were hand hand- handsome handsome handsome some publications like the German Rome Berlin magazines Signal Tokyo and Japans Japan's Nippon Signal costs 75 cents a copy to produce the produce the art work in all of them must make Esquire and For Fortune Fortune Fortune tune envious There were tiny pamphlets these pamphlets these were American American- you could slip into your hat band The OWIs OWls masterpiece is Victory which was the target of congressional congressional congressional attack attack it it isn't so bad in comparison com com- comparison comparison parison with the expensive Axis magazines but it costs only 35 cents to produce Three things struck me as a result re re- result result sult of the conference first if there is an even chance of ot obtaining the results expected the investment is not worth quibbling about second since Davis admits that material got into the Roosevelt sketch which should not have and wont won't again we either ought to take Davis' Davis judg judg- judgment judgment judgment ment or else eIse fire him Thirdly the public hasn't had a chance to know what the propaganda is all about and the criticism of one phase of it utterly distorts the general picture of the function purpose and value of the OWl effort In the first place these publications publications under consideration are not for our troops abroad or our people at home though I believe they ought to be given some circulation hero here simply so s so that their function is understood at least when it is compatible with the confidential na na- nature nature nature ture of some of the means of ot distri distri- distribution distribution distribution in enemy countries It is accepted as the duty and function unction for one political party to todo todo todo do all it can to discredit the leaders of the other party party according according to the I rules of the game of politics but politics but as as Davis David quoted q the Baltimore Sun I you rou have h ve to o exploit your mean a more ideas when you are trying to tomake tomake tomake make an impression Roosevelt can be played up as a powerful symbol to people abroad without affecting the political situation at home That was done effectively in the case of ot Woodrow Wilson in the last war his picture was worshiped all over Eu Eu- Europe Europe Europe rope as the symbol of the leader of ofa a nation coming to liberate them But when he came home he couldn't sell his program to the American people Cause I tried to find out what the ob ob- objective l of ot the OWl was whether it could show any results Purpose one is counter We know what German propaganda has lone done first in softening countries about to be b invaded second to keep neutrals leaning Nazi OWl wants to fight fire with fire The second purpose is the same as the first and more of it not it-not not merely to nullify enemy effort but sell the prospect the idea that America Amer Amer- America AmerIca ica can win and is winning the war and that American victory will be a greater selfish advantage to the prospect than a Nazi victory would be How about results That is pretty hard to reduce to statistics or even concrete statements We know some Japs have surrendered with our propaganda leaflets in their hands We know that leaflets dropped over occupied countries or pamphlets smuggled in have started people talking has reports to this ef ef- They say that this means that the idea has been spread that Amer Amer- America America America ica is in touch with the people within the occupied territory We know that some of these pam pam- pamphlets pamphlets pamphlets have been or cop cop- copied copied copied in others and given further dis dis- dis- dis It was stated that these copies or excerpts from them have even been be n circulated in prison camps We know that from four to six clandestine newspapers are made up chiefly from Allied propaganda material Of Ot course by no means all of of the OWl propaganda is spread sPI ad through publications In fact the radio broadcasts represent the greater part of the expenditure OWl is confident that this radio propaganda is not wasted as has been charged although it is admit admit- admitted admitted admitted ted that the listening audience is being cut down as wave short-wave sets are seized or wear out and the de de- depreciation depreciation depreciation is heavy On the other hand it is known that the radio broadcasts are repeated repeated repeated-by by word of mouth and in clandestine pam pam- pamphlets pamphlets pamphlets and newspapers The chief evidence that da is reaching into Germany comes from two sources first the speeches of Goebbels and other German lead lead- leaders leaders ers who warn against black listen listen- listening ing warning ing-warning warning not to believe the for for- foreign foreign foreign eign propaganda propaganda and and second the records of trials of persons arrest arrest- arrested ar e t- t ted ed for this black listening Effective In Turkey It is stated that American propaganda pr propaganda pa ganda has been effective in Turkey because Turks believe it whereas they have caught the Axis in i too many lies ties Since publications print print- printed ed in Turkish tire are re still forbidden to tobe tobe tobe be sent into Turkey the printing has to be done there or the material sent in in French or English In Spain it is said that in spite of strong handicaps that handicaps that is the power of the party which is openly pro Axis pro AxIs American prop prop- propaganda propaganda s has curtailed this power has swung many people from a pro- pro Axis to a pro-Ally pro attitude The persecution of the Catholic church in Germany has been used effectively eff in Spain Of course this isn't the whole story of propaganda All is fair in inlove inlove inlove love and war and some pretty pre pre- precarious precarious precarious carious tight rope walking is some some- sometimes sometimes sometimes times done witness done witness democracy's tete-a-tete tete with Darlan which his his- history history tory will probably disclose was less lessa a desertion of ot democratic political methods than waiving of the Queens Queens- berry rules of ot gallant combat We cant can't expect the Allies to show their hands to the enemy and there is no use disturbing the squeamish amish by revealing the possible although not entirely immaculate condition which might arise from grappling with an especially noisome enemy What Davis did not go into at this meeting was the question of ot enemy propaganda directed toward us That is a very delicate matter and sometimes governments are willing to give the enemy credit for the cir cir- circulation circulation circulation of certain sentiments ex expressed ex- ex expressed pressed by people who are just mad madat at their own public servants and andare andare andare are exercising the inherent right of grousing As I said before I am much more interested in whether the crona can can- da job we are doing is effective eff c As to getting in puffs for the party in power that is up to the party out put of power to stop but one but one off ot of the inescapable advantages of ot being an in in wartime is that you can squelch some opposition on the ground of ot patriotism On the other hand there was never an adminis adminis- administration administration administration yet that wasn't thrown out after a war so there is some com corn compensation furthermore furthermore the party of the opposition doesn't share the blame bIame for the mistakes Now that Governor Bricker has announced that he expects the Ohio delegation will support him as a favorite son candidate for the presidency presidency presidency dency politics will be raising its lovely hea in every headline |
