THE CANDID FRIEND

Gisborne Herald, Volume LXXII, Issue 21601, 2 January 1945, Page 4

THE CANDID FRIEND

Events on the political as well as on the military fronts have brought some consolation to the Nazis, watching anxiously for any sign of trouble in the Allied camp. Not only has the current of the Greek political tragedy carried flotsam and jetsam suggesting wreckage of one Allied friendship; but the reaction in the United States and in the United Kingdom to the partial success of Field-Marshal von Rundstedt’s western counter-offensive must have been greater than the Nazis could have hoped for.

Exchanges of notes between representative statesmen are the formal channels through which the opinions of Governments are communicated. Public statements made presumably for home consumption, but carefully phrased to secure the right effect abroad, provided another well-recog-nised channel of information. These have been exploited fairly elaborately in the past few weeks, as between the major allies, and some of the official and semi-official communications between Britain and America have been slightly tart.

A much more serious aspect of British-American relations is revealed in a message received overnight from New York. A correspondent in London has telegraphed his New York editor that frigid coolness towards the United States is beginning to show itself in the publication of articles and features in British newspapers, magazines and other literary media. This is reported to be a form of retaliation against American writing-down of the British share in the war, representative of which was a New York' World-Telegram article comparing the British and United States commitments on the Western Front. That article, in turn, was described as an answer to British criticism of the American Supreme Command arising out of the early success of von Rundstedt’s drive.

The situation provoked by the German counter-offensive was a splendid opportunity for the Nazi propaganda organisation, which wasted no time in reporting suggestions that Field-Mar-shal Montgomery was to be attached to Supreme Allied Headquarters as adviser to General Eisenhower. The effect of such statements on American public opinion, more especially in view of earlier nettling on the question of the respective ranks of British and United States service leaders, was obviously likely to be bad for Allied co-operation—and therefore good for the Nazis.

Those who take upon themselves the role of candid friends are too often moved by malice, even if gentle malice. The press of the Allied countries has a great responsibility in the maintenance of public relations on a plane which will not blunt the weapon poised for destruction of Nazidom,