A, PLEA FOR REALISM
Ste,—This is no time to cry " I told you so." The magnificent de- monstration of self-restraint shown in this respect by the Prime Minister is in itself sufficient to render unpardonable the use of that seldom accurate and still less seldom justifiable phrase. But the time has come to put an end for once and all to the unceasing stream of soothing words that have lulled us to a security of immense falsehood. Now, as before, when the spring of hope gives place to the winter of our discontent the tone abruptly changes; and where there were promises there are forebodings and where day-dreams, nightmares. Thus it was in the time of Poland, Norway, France, Greece, Crete and now Russia. Two separate sources are clearly responsible for this evil spate of false optimism.
First the Ministry of Information, with its sly half-sneers at enemy successes, at the_ inaccuracy of enemy supreme command announce- ments of military events, with its half-truths—for such is the only Phrase to describe a statement like " it is by no means certain that all the encircled troops will be forced to surrender," when the possi- bility of any troops whatever being encircled has been ridiculed on the previous day: with studied emphasis upon the almost divine accuracy that must be placed upon the communiqués of any friendly military headquarters, when what has not been said in those com- muniques leaps to the blindest eye as more important than what has.
Secondly, the "military, correspondents" with a technique of folly and obtuseness all their own The German troops were reported to be digging themselves in in front of Smolensk. To the military writers this could mean nothing but the enemy's strategic and tactical failure and the compelling of the enemy to winter in open, snow- covered trenches two hundred miles from Moscow. Hundreds of thousands of Russians are encircled by the enemy. Excellent, say the military correspondents, they will bring the Panzer divisions to the dust by acting as guerrillas. Sancta Simplicitas!
Compare the news-messages printed—allowed to be printed—by the newspapers, together with the comments of the military corre-. spondents, with the solemn almost sombre tone of the editorials. The difference is so great as to be ridiculous. The reason is only too obvious. We have been misled by comfortable words for the first fateful years of this grim struggle, but now that its awful gravity has bell made clear-to us let us not turn away again from the vision of things as they are. There is no disloyalty to our fighting forces in this, for the courage of our men neeas no bush. The battle is not lost, he would be a fool who said it was, but a knave thrice damned who endeavotired-to obscure for us the perspective the last few weeks have given. The battle is not lost, but the time is short if it is to be
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