In the Balance
TtiE article 'Yugoslavia in the Balance' in this week's Spectator reminds us that it is time for a PS to the controversy in our columns earlier this year on the BBC's Yugoslav service. It will be recalled that last March we produced a memorandum, providing evidence that the way this service was conducted laid it open to suspi- cion that it was run for the benefit of Marshal Tito, rather than for the Yugoslav people. The BBC answered, at considerable length; but though they were able to correct minor errors, their reply did nothing to refute the basic charges which we had made in our Memorandum several of which,. in fact, it did not even attempt to answer. . , A similar situation arose a few years ago, in connection with the BBC's Rnssian service. On that occasion, we were privately informed that if we were prepared to let the matter rest a while, the criticisms voiced by various writers in the Spectator (and particularly those contained in a memorandum, from Peter Wiles) would be found to have had their, effect. So it preyed: changes were made. For a variety of reasons, not all of them the fault of the ,BBC, the Russian service has not worked altogether satisfactorily since; but at least an attempt was made to do some- thing.
The same request came this time. The reason, we were told, was that the BBC is in a difficult situation vis-a-vis the Foreign Office. The BBC's members, too, are a touchy lot; they prefer. if they must set their house in order, to look as if they were doing. it by their own inspiration, and not under pressure from outside. Would we please let the matter drop for a while? In due course we could expect to find the changes ‘Ne had asked for were being made.
We now hear that no change is contemplated. Apparently there are two main reasons. One is that the Foreign Office is more anxious to appease Tito than to worry about the quality of the BBC's service. For the reasons Mr. Marcetic sets out in his article, this is a shortsighted view; but in any case, we feel that it is no part of the BBC's duty to promote the interests of a dictator- ship-even if the FO is so foolish as to feel it is desirable to do so. The other is that the BBC's Yugoslav services genuinely do not think of themselves as appeasers: they believe that they are behaving no differently from the other foreign services of the BBC.
A glance at the Spectator's original memoran- dum, in conjunction with the BBC's reply, should suffice to show this simply i not true. In any case, the matter can be simply settled. All that the BBC have to do is allow an independent investigator loose among the files, If they were prepared to allow this in the case Of the Russian service--where the evidence was far less detailed —why not in this case, too?
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