NAZI PROPAGANDA

Dominion, Volume 33, Issue 87, 6 January 1940, Page 11

NAZI PROPAGANDA

Misleading Statements On Athenia Inquiry CLUMSY FAILURE (British Official Wireless.) RUGBY, January 4. Vigorous attempts are. being made by the German propaganda machine to confuse opinion by anticipating the findings of the Commission now sitting in Washington to inquire into the Athenia incident. Misleading excerpts from United States statements which purport to represent intelligent forecasts of the Commission’s report, and which are made to appear favourable to well-known German ideas, aie given publicity in the obvious hope that they will be taken as the actual and final conclusions of the Commission.

The implications of much of the German propaganda on this question are that the Commission’s verdict has already been published. An example of this propaganda is the following passage in the “Berliner BorsenZeitung,” cited in the trans-ocean wireless news today: “Nothing throws more light on England’s position in the Athenia case than the fact that, faced with the results of the American investigation, it is unable to find the smallest argument in its own favour.”

In similar vein is a clumsy endeavour to throw doubt, on the integrity of the Reuter Agency. “Significant is the attempt of Reuters to weaken the Washington verdict” is a sentence wheih again implies that the report has been issued.

Official quarters in London content themselves with observing that the impartiality of the investigation in Washington will remain unaffected by the German misrepresentation, adding that the public, elsewhere than in Germany, where truth is subject to import restrictions, will <be wise to await the actual and official conclusions of the Commission.