Phony

German propaganda landed another sneak punch last week, in its long and skillful fight to shatter Allied unity.

U.S. troops on the western front, thinking they were listening to a BBC broadcast, bristled when the commentator gave the British full credit for stopping the German offensive in the Ardennes. Field Marshal Montgomery, he said, "found no defense lines, the Americans somewhat bewildered . . . took over the scattered American forces . . . stopped the German drive."

The broadcast was promptly reported in the U.S. press. Manhattan's tabloid Daily Mirror headlined it: MONTY GETS THE GLORY, YANKS GET THE BRUSHOFF.

The troops had actually been listening to a Nazi commentator, subtly cut into a genuine BBC program. For some time now the Germans have been relaying BBC shows up to the point where a news broadcast is announced; then the German station cuts BBC off, substitutes its own version of the "news" without any apparent break in the program--and switches back to BBC after unloading its propaganda. Only radio experts can detect the changeovers.

By such stratagems, and by sending whole programs from a fictitious British radio station, the Germans have long been hacking away at Allied unity. British-sounding Nazi broadcasters have spoken indignantly of "Soviet contempt for Britain," of a "U.S. campaign of calumny," of "Yankee impudence." Last week one German commentator desperately got down to cases. ""Right at the beginning we must tell you," said he in his best BBC accent, "that it is a great mistake to put the cause of Allied unity above our own interest. There can be no greater error. . . . It is not necessary to make any sacrifices. . . . We might as well realize that idealism has spread its wings and taken flight and that so far as mere power politics are concerned, we have more to gain by making peace than by allowing ourselves to be bled white. . . ."

Too often, Allied listeners swallow the bait.

This file is automatically generated by a robot program, so reader's discretion is required.