GERMAN RUSE

New Zealand Herald, Volume LXXVI, Issue 23482, 20 October 1939, Page 9

GERMAN RUSE

ALLEGED SUCCESSES "FISHING" FOR INFORMATION ATTITUDE OF ADMIRALTY (Received October 10, 7.5 p.m.) British Wireless LONDON, Oct. .18 It is pointed out in naval circles in London that the repeated German allegations of successful action against units of the British Navy, while intended to hearten the German people by exaggerating the success of German arms and also to mislead neutral opinion, are designed no less to elicit information on the whereabouts of vessels falsely stated to have been attacked or sunk, and so satisfy the curiosity of the German naval command about the disposition of British battleships, battle-cruisers and nircrnftcarriers. This thirst for knowledge, which would be useful to the German Navy in its war upon Britain, is observed not ! entirely without professional sympathy i by British naval men, but they have not the slightest intention of issuing it, and it is beginning to be understood by the public and the press in Britain that this very proper determination should be taken into account in criticising the reservo shown by the Admiralty in the face of repeated enemy allegations and boasts. It is realised that the Admiralty docs not propose to be drawn into more than the bare denial of these recurrent and baseless German claims, because it knows their real purpose is to seek to force it into fuller substantiation of its denials. Such substantiation would at once dispose of the Gorman stories and convince the neutrals, but whatever form it took it would risk placing in the hands of the German Naval Intelligence tlie missing pieces of the jigsaw that Germany so badly wants to complete.

WAR LABOUR COUNCIL LONDON, Oct. 3 8 It has boon agreed, subject to endorsement of the full council of the Trades Union Congress, to establish a national joint advisory council to deal with problems confronting the Government and industry in wartime. It will consist of 15 members from each side, with the Minister of Labour as chairman.