WIDE PUBLICITY

Nelson Evening Mail, Volume LXXIII, 9 May 1939, Page 5

WIDE PUBLICITY

« DUKE OF WINDSOR S BROADCAST SPECULATION IN AMERICAN PRESS [U.P.A.—By Electric Telegraph—Copy right) ! (Received 9th May. 9.15 a.m.) NEW YORK, Bth May. The National Broadcasting Corporation is widely publicising the Duke of Windsor’s peace message to be broadcast on Monday from Verdun to America. Moderate public interest is being shown. The Press is speculating on the coincidence of the broadcast with Their Majesties’ departure from London. Cor. respondents recall the trip to America planned for the Duke of Windsor by Mr Bedaux in 1937 and express the opinion that the Duke may cancel his present plans when it is realised that the broadcast could be interpreted as untimely publicity. The N.B.C. explained that it had invited the Duke to talk “in the light of world conditions." but that the Duke 1 replied: “I prefer to deliver a peace appeal from the appropriate background of Verdun, describing the battlefields, recalling my own war experiences and by implication bringing out the horrors of war and the need for a peaceful solution of world problems.” NO RELAY BY 8.8. C. (Received 9th April, 9.55 a.m.) LONDON. Bth May. The British Broadcasting Corporation is not relaying the Duke of Windsor’s broadcast. EXPLANATION BY THE DUKE (Received 9th May. 9.55 a.m.) LONDON, Bth May. The Duke of Windsor, replying to criticism that the broadcast was ipappropriate in view of the Royal visit, issued a statement explaining that when he accepted the invitation he did so realising that criticism was likely. He was sincerely convinced, however, that a personal non-political message might be of some value at the present time. He felt that with the uncertainty of the present situation there was no time to lose. BRIEF ADDRESS PLEA FOR PEACE HARMFUL PROPAGANDA DEPLORED (Received 9th May. 1.15 p.m.) NEW YORK. Bth May. The Duke of Windsor’s address, which was brief, drew attention to his consciousness of the presence of the great company of dead at Verdun from which he was speaking. He stressed that he had abstained from public affairs in the past thirty months deliberately and still proposed to do so. He was speaking wholly for himself, simply as a soldier of the last war "whose earnest prayer is that such cruel and destructive madness shall never again overtake mankind.”

He added that he was convinced that no people want war. whether German. British, French, and appealed to all political leaders to maintain peace. The Duke of Windsor urged the discouragement of all harmful propaganda “which, from whatever source it came, tends to poison the minds of the people of the world. I personally, deplore the use of such terms as encirclement and aggression; they can only arouse just those dangerous passions it should be the aim of us all to subdue.”

The Duke drew a parallel of international relations to the relations of individuals, w’hich are harmoniously adjusted. "Otherwise modern civilisation could never have come into existence. Are we now going to destroy civilisation failing to do internationally what we learned to do individually?” The Duke of Windsor concluded : "The greatest success any Government could achieve for its own national policy would be nothing in comparison with the triumph of saving or contributing to save humanity from the terrible fate which threatens it to-day. It is not for me to put forward concrete proposals. That must be left to those who have power to guide their nations toward closer understanding. God grant they may accomplish that great task before it is too late.” The address, which was heard very clearly in the United States, was not rebroadcast by the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation, which stated: “We arc following the example of the 8.8. C. in this matter.”