PEOPLE AND THINGS
By HAROLD NICOLSON
IN my article last week I drew a distinction between the aims of British and German propaganda, and suggested that, in maintaining their pre-war values, the B.B.C. were serving our purposes better than many of us supposed. Some of my readers have assumed from this that I do not regard as dangerous the commentary broadcast from Hamburg in the English language. On the contrary, I regard these broadcasts as very dangerous indeed. The technique adopted by Lord Haw-Haw has, with usual German thoroughness, been carefully studied in advance. His object is to sap the morale of this country. With this in mind he seeks, not merely to inflame grievances and to sow distrust, but to dis- integrate conviction. His aim is to raise little doubts, not only regarding the intelligence and probity of our rulers, but also regarding the righteousness of our cause. He well knows that constant vituperation or patent lies would create animosity and contempt ; his system is to conceal the poison of half-truths within the sugar-coating of a conjurer's prattle. His listeners are under the impression that they are being entertained by some comic interlude ; they swallow the poison unaware.
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