The mainstay of the campaign is unquestionably the Press. Foremost in the plan as a whole must be:-
A ceaseless stream of carefully-worded feature articles by the country's most popular writers written on lines arrived at in consultation with a small committee of trained publicity experts appointed from the staff of the Ministry.
This is a plan of enormous propaganda possibilities and although never yet done on the lines envisaged, presents no problems which good sense and an appreciation of the national importance of the scheme cannot easily surmount.
It is an attempt to take full advantage for the first time of the remarkable fact that in this country of forty-five million people an enormous amount of the power of influencing opinion rests in the hands of twenty or thirty famous journalists who between them command a readership of over twenty million a week. They are the famous press writers such as:
Lord Castlerosse
A.G. Gardiner
Godfrey Winn
Edward Hulton
Beverley Baxter
Lord Donegall
“Scrutator”
“Cassandra”
Hannen Swaffer
Peter Howard
William Hickey
William Barkley
to whom may be added regular press contributors such as:
J.B. Priestley
Pamela Frankau
S.P.B. Mais
A.P. Herbert
John Hilton
Ellen Wilkinson
This would not be, in the slightest degree, an attempt to “dictate” what these writers should say. It would call for no sacrifice of independence from them - only willingness to lend their powerful pens - as and when they conscientiously felt able - in the most important mobilisation of public opinion ever undertaken. Very close liaison between the Ministry's small expert publicity committee and these writers, on such points as the balanced treatment of anger in relation to fear, for example, would be essential. Most of these influential writers, whose patriotism and enthusiasm is beyond all question, would welcome eagerly the opportunity to put their pens to constructive national work and the knowledge that the voluntary timing and co-ordination of their work in line with the Government's own policy was helping to win the war.
It might well be that preliminary conferences with
Press Proprietors
should first be held and also that
Editors-in-Chief
should be invited to co-operate in the same way as above. In some cases the approach would best be made through the professional Associations, once the Ministry has a clear-cut plan of action on which to call for “volunteers”. It should be perfectly possible to draw up for discussion a
detailed programme of suggested subjects for two or three hundred signed and unsigned Press Articles
(syndicated wherever possible) covering a period of three or four months in national papers appealing to readers of every social class.
The following suggestions are intended simply as examples. In each case there must be a broad “mass” or emotional appeal
197
- 14 -for popular consumption (A), reinforced by more restrained and factual evidence for the sophisticated or educated classes (B). The groups cover the main sources of war-anger already discussed.
The German Character
(A) EUROPE'S GANGSTERS RAMPANT
THE RECURRING MADNESS OF THE GERMAN PEOPLE
HUNS, GOTHS AND VANDALS.
GERMAN LUST FOR WORLD-DOMINATION
1870 - 1914 - 1939.
“THEY DO NOT CHANGE”
BLOWS ARE ALL THEY UNDERSTAND.
FREDERICK - BISMARCK -WILHELM - HITLER
THEY SHALL NOT PASS.
WHY THE KAISER CALLED THEM “HUNS”
THE ROUT OF THE GERMANS IN 1918.
THE GERMAN IS
NOT
INVINCIBLE.
THESE BULLIES CAN BE BEATEN
THE LESSON OF THE AIR FORCES.
INFERIORITY COMPLEX - THE ROOT OF GERMAN AGGRESSION.
(B) The fundamental “rotten-ness” of the German character - historical analysis.
German writers on the German bully complex - Nietzsche, Treitschke, etc.
Detailed instances where Germans have crumpled up.
German underlying weaknesses.
Germany's “Case” torn to shreds - refutation of Versailles Treaty attacks etc.
Events since the war have utterly confuted the weak-kneed apologists for Hitler. His “lebensraum” is the whole world. His “culture” the death of every other race.
What they threaten
(A) DON'T BELIEVE “IT CAN'T HAPPEN HERE”. IT WILL UNLESS---
HOW HITLER WOULD RUN BRITAIN.
REPRINTS OF GERMAN PLANS AND BOASTS ABOUT THE SUBJUGATION OF BRITAIN.
“DESTROY THE ENGLISH” - GOEBBELS.
YOURSELF A SLAVE - YOUR CHILDREN LITTLE NAZIS
YOUR FUTURE IF GERMANY WINS (SERIES)
THE CHURCH AND NAZISM
(B) The German Destruction of Social Life, Education, etc.
The German Slave State.
The End of Civilisation.
Annoyance with War Strains
(A) THIS WAR IS ENTIRELY GERMANY'S FAULT.
EVERY INCONVENIENCE YOU SUFFER YOU OWE TO HITLER AND HIS HUNS.
GERMAN APOLOGISTS ARE TRAITORS AND SABOTEURS
(B) Social Progress - “better houses, schools, etc. - interrupted by German aggression.
Cruelty and Treachery
(A) GERMAN CRUELTY CALLS FOR VENGEANCE.
“FOR WHAT YE HAVE DONE UNTO THE LEAST OF THESE-”
THEY DID IT ALL BEFORE.
THE BRYCE REPORT ON ATROCITIES, 1918.
LOUVAIN, BRUGES, ETC.
SUBMISSION IS NO SAFEGUARD.
TREATMENT OF POLAND, NORWAY, CZECHOSLOVAKIA.
REPORTS OF CONCENTRATION CAMPS, SLAVERY ETC.
THE GERMAN BULLIES CAN'T “TAKE” IT.
MACHINE-GUNNING CIVILIANS ONE MINUTE - RUNNING AWAY FROM OUR FIGHTERS THE NEXT - PICTURES, STORIES.
STORIES OF INDIVIDUAL ALLIED HEROISM IN LONELY FARM-HOUSES, ETC.
“THE SNAKE IS YELLOW” CONTEMPTIBLE GERMAN TREACHERY IS MEASURE OF THEIR REAL COURAGE.
GERMAN FRENZY BASED ON FEAR.
KEEP COOL AND “SHOOT IT OUT” - MESSAGE.
“KAMERAD” - THEY'RE SAYING IT AGAIN.
(B) German Prisoners’ Confessions.
Germany's Bluff in Norway, etc.
Outraging of Ideals
(A) WORLD CHAOS WITHOUT END UNLESS THE ALLIES WIN.
“GIVE, FIGHT, WORK - THE ALTERNATIVE IS WORSE THAN DEATH.”
(B) Every ideal of Christianity and decency utterly doomed if.......
The Future
(A) “THIS TIME WE
FINISH
IT”
“OUR CHILDREN SHALL NOT SUFFER THIS AGAIN.
(B) Examination of the practicability of stopping future German aggression (but no declaration of war aims yet)
Other Subjects
(A) HITLER - LIKE MASTER LIKE MAN.
THE MURDER OF STRESSER AND ROHM.
HITLER'S “SUCCESSES” EXAMINED: STREICHER -GOEBBELS - HIMMLER.
(B) Hitler - a pathological study.
The Nazi Reign of Terror
How individualism is crushed.
Perversion of Youth - the Nazis’ Greatest Crime,
(A) LET'S LOOK AT THIS BOGEY - THE NAZI BULLY EXPOSED.
(B) The Nazi Psychology of Fear Examined.
Free men will always beat Slaves, etc.
(A) HOW THE GERMANS HATE US: “WE FLY AGAINST ENGLAND” THE NEW HYMNS OF HATE.
(B) German misreading of British Character.
German ideas of British Decadence, etc.
A complementary theme to stimulate the British amour propre.
We are the heart of the greatest Empire the world has seen, built by our own hands; our ancestors were Nelson and Drake, Wellington and Marlborough; we have dealt with gangsters before, we can deal with them now.
In developing these themes the whole message should be interlaced with a rising note of confidence, enthusiasm and action.
