Berlin Laughs Last

What kind of program would fetch U. S. listeners? The question agitated the Propaganda Ministry in Berlin. Then one of Dr. Paul Joseph Goebbels' henchmen had a bright idea. Forthwith to the U. S. via short wave last week went the news that Germany would pay toll on cabled requests for Nazi radio talks on desired subjects. Quick to publicize the German offer was the U. S. press. The Manhattan tabloid PM, which mortally hates & fears Adolf Hitler only a little more than it does Henry Ford and Charles Lindbergh, exhorted its readers to take advantage of the Nazis by insulting them collect.

In the spate of messages addressed to Berlin, some were earnest, some were elfin. A couple of Harvard professors wanted to know what Hitler's peace terms would be and what guarantee Germany would give to insure just distribution of food sent to Belgium. Many demanded to hear a description of Hitler's funeral, and gibes at Nazi racial laws grew tedious with repetition. Sample whimsies: "God save the King--and God help you," "We are all pure-bred Aryans here. Please let us have some more Japanese music," "Why is Goering so fat and the rest of the Germans so thin?" While wags had a field day with the cables, R. C. A. offices reported a land-office business. But at week's end the Nazis acknowledged the receipt of only 5,000 telegrams, at which point their offer was "temporarily" withdrawn.

Claiming to be pleased with most responses, Berlin admitted a few had been critical. Cracked a Nazi commentator on a short-wave show: "The boys around the New York clothing district, as well as up in The Bronx, cabled us a delightful assortment of colloquial messages, which were more fun than a traveling circus. Some of their cables contained a rather amazing mixture of good American slang, fairly bad German and excellent Yiddish.

The last laugh was not wholly on the Nazis. For a piddling $10,000, they doubtless increased their U. S. listening public. Beginning March 4, they will answer some of the serious requests.

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