10 JULY 1941, Page 12

GERMAN COMMUNIQUES Sitt,—A letter from Mr. John Carter suggests that

the German military communiqués are generally correct. This in reference to a previous statement by "Janus." Quite so. But I hope that Mr. Carter will realise that German military successes have not made necessary any over-statement. When everything is going according to plan the bare statement of fact is good propaganda. The test of the veracity of any country's war-reports is during a reverse, when well-considered and carefully-planned campaigns are suffering a set- back or have proved a failure. Possibly Mr. Carter will remember the German military communiqués during the latter part of 1917 and early 1918.

Quite unintentionally Mr. John Carter's letter is liable to mislead some of your readers who might in future take the German military communiqués as being the essence of truth—even at the expense of our own or those of our allies. Such a state of mind is dangerous to our war-effort and I hope that you will explain to your many readers the value one can place on any communiqué from Germany —whether from the German High Command or Goebbels.—Yours