BROADCASTING TO THE EMPIRE
[To the Editor of THE SPECTATOR.] SIR,—It has been reported in the London evening Press that the B.B.C. is increasing the power of its Empire broadcasting stations in order that it may compete on more level terms with the German short wave stations that are today supposed to be flooding the British Dominions and Colonies with Nazi propaganda. As far as East Africa is concerned it would be very easy to magnify the danger of this propaganda, as it is so incredibly dull that I have never met a British subject who could listen to it patiently for more than two minutes at a time. The Tanganyika Germans themselves are far from satisfied with their special German programmes, and I shall never forget two Oldeani Nazis boiling with rage because at the end of a half-hour's talk on domestic science the lecturer, after inviting correspondence from his listeners, went on to say : " If any of you are unable to write ask one of your neighbours to write for you."
When the new B.B.C. stations are complete I would strongly recommend that the news bulletins be sent put in German, French and possibly in Italian. Wherever I went in Tanganyika I found that all Germans, even the most fanatical Nazis, took an intense interest in hearing the English point of view on world politics, and were eager to borrow the better type of English journals such as The Spectator, the Sunday Times, &c. Those unable to read English would get more or less garbled versions of English newspapers from those that could. The reason for this eagerness to read English papers is, of course, that every German knows very well that it is impossible for him to get• news undistorted by Nazi propaganda from his own news- papers. If, therefore, the B.B.C. were to send out a five- to seven-minute German bulletin every evening giving the British attitude on world affairs, much misunderstanding on the aims of our National Government would be cleared away.
I have reason to believe that _ the same remarks apply to French and Belgian nationals living in the Congo Basin, but I cannot speak of this part of the world from personal experience.
As for the programmes for English listeners, these could well start earlier. " The Tired Business Man " has sufficient energy to attend revues in the evening, but the tired East African settler generally goes to bed about nine o'clock. The B.B.C. programmes (transmission 4) start at 7.45 local mean time. If the programme started 6.30 L.M.T. (16.00 G.M.T.) it would be highly appreciated by most listeners
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