The Northern Advocate Daily “NORTHLAND FIRST” Registered for transmission through the post as a Newspaper THURSDAY, FEBRUARY 22, 1940. German Propaganda Lies

Northern Advocate, 22 February 1940, Page 4

The Northern Advocate Daily “NORTHLAND FIRST” Registered for transmission through the post as a Newspaper THURSDAY, FEBRUARY 22, 1940. German Propaganda Lies

HITLER says over and over again in his book, “Mein ,Kampf” that people will believe a lie if it is a big one and is repeated sufficiently often. Apparently the German Propaganda Department has been converted to that doctrine, for the shortwave stations which operate in Berlin and other centres are continually engaged in the broadcasting of lies, small as well as big. The intention, of course, is to disturb public feeling in Allied countries, an intention which is doomed to failure, for many of the stories circulated are palpably untrue. This, however, does not deter the propagandists, for the broadcasts are continued with impudence that is remarkable. The German authorities doubtless hold that even if the great majority of listeners are not convinced, some, at least, of the seed will fall on good soil, for there is always the chance that the refutation of a lie may not be heard by those to whose ears it came in the first instance. There can be no other explanation of the extraordinary statements made by the German radio stations. A case in point is reported in today’s cable news. It has reference to the sinking of a German steamer off the Cape of Good Hope on December 2 of last year. The German radio stated that British bombers and chasers machine-gunned the passengers and crew when they took to the lifeboats after the steamer had been scuttled. That -was the German radio story, which had also been broadcast two days previously to Italy, Sweden and Greece.

The British radio was able to make a telling rejoinder. It quoted a statement made to a South African paper by the captain of the German steamer when he reached Capetown. The statement makes interesting reading. The captain described to the newspaper his preparations for scuttling the steamer. When everything was in order and there was no danger to life by abandoning the ship, he ordered the German flag (which had been hauled down) to be hoisted and the seacocks to be opened, the passengers’ accommodation being set on fire at the same time. Everybody was put in the lifeboats, in which they remained for an hour until they were picked up by a British warship. “We could not have received better treatment than we got at the hands of the British Navy,” the captain declared. What has the Nazi Propaganda Department to say to this? It is easily understood why the story of the machine-gunning of the crew and passengers was not broadcast to South Africa, where the German captain's testimony to the humanity of the British Navy was circulated over two months ago. Another instance of the impudent mendacity of the German propagandists is provided in a broadcast story that a lifeboat belonging to another German steamer had been found on the Brazilian coast riddled with machine-gun bullets. The suggestion was that the British sinker of the steamer had murdered the crew in the fashion beloved of German desperadoes. The truth, which w r as broadcast last night by Britain, is that the whole of the crew of the steamer were rescued by a British warship, there being no casualties. These stories are in keeping with the nefarious designs of Germany to distract attention from the plight to which her leaders have plunged her and to try to place Britain off-side so far as moral and military considerations are concerned. It is but a few nights since two German women held a radio broadcast in which Britain was presented as a despoiler arid ravager of weaker peoples down through the centuries. Particular stress was laid upon the relations between Britain and Ireland, the two men who were hanged at Birmingham a few days ago, in connection with the fatal bomb explosions, being pictured as martyrs. The whole purpose of the broadcast was to cause dissension between Britain and Irish people throughout the Empire. The ways of the German propagandists are subtle, but it seems to have been forgotten that only the truth will prevail. Lies are chickens which inevitably come home to roost. Two of the German chickens have surely come home this week.