LETTERS
Curtain call
Sir: James Buchan reviewing Rolf Georg Keith's book Goebbels (Books, 13 Novem- ber) mentioned an article on 25 February 1945 in Das Reich by Hitler's propaganda chief, containing the notion of an Iron Cur- tain down the middle of Europe.
Actually, the phrase 'Iron Curtain' was first coined on 16 November 1944 in the Church Times in the sentence, 'Today the Iron Curtain of Soviet occupation cuts off Latvia and the other Baltic States from the rest of the World.'
As a matter of fact, the Church Times was the only British press publication in these tragic days which printed reports, coming from Baltic sources, about terrible atroci- ties committed by the Soviet occupants.
Of course strong protests against such reports were coming from the British Com- munist organ, the Daily Worker.
Sadly, Churchill's famous 'Iron Curtain' speech, Fulton, 5 March 1946, came much too late. In November 1944 Stalin was still `good Uncle Joe'.
1. A. Petersons 72 Queensborough Terrace, London W2
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