For discussion at Policy Committee July 22nd.

Jamming German Broadcasts

At the 13th Meeting of the Military Co-ordination Committee the views of His Majesty's Government were expressed on the subject of the desirability or otherwise of jamming German wireless broadcasts. It was agreed that the balance of advantage was very much against a general policy of jamming such broadcasts and this has been accepted since as the policy of the Cabinet.

2. The situation has changed considerably since those days and both Germans and Italians have indulged in jamming British broadcasts for foreign countries.

3. The question has come up again over the activities of the New British Broadcasting and the Workers’ Challenge Stations. Both of these stations are situated in Germany and are regularly disseminating propaganda to this country.

4. Part of the New British Broadcasting Station's recent propaganda has consisted of championing General Ironside at the expense of the Prime Minister on the grounds that the former, being a soldier like Marshal Petain, will know when to stop the war. This in itself cannot but be harmful though the effect is limited by the comparatively small number of listeners possessing sets suitable for receiving these particular broadcasts.

5. A new station in Germany, the Workers’ Challenge Station, has now, however, started a campaign on medium wave of frankly Communist propaganda in English. This campaign also attacks the Prime Minister.

6. Considered together, it appears that the two stations are working on a carefully co-ordinated programme, the object of which is to produce a situation of the kind which, to some extent, led to the collapse in France. On the one hand, the New British Broadcasting Station calls for support for a leading soldier who will know when to stop the war; on the other hand, the Workers’ Challenge Station raises the Communist banner which may not only excite the Communist element in this country but is calculated also to inculcate in those who fear Communism more than anything else leanings towards coming to terms with the enemy to avoid the threat of Communism before it is too late.

7. This campaign has particular dangers and, in view of the lesson of what happened in France, it is considered that the policy of refraining from jamming German broadcasts should he revised and that the Ministry of Information should he invited to consider the necessity and technical feasibility of jamming both the New British Broadcasting and the Workers’ Challenge Stations.