Minute from Director, American Division to D.G. dated 22.1.40.
1. All evidence available confirms the wisdom of continuing the policy of no overt propaganda in the United States of America.
2. “No Propaganda” in the United States involves us in all the greater effort over here to make sure that every agency working in the field of American publicity is adequately supplied with material for publication in the United States.
3. It also involves the use of every British organisation, with American contacts, economic, religious, academic, artistic, etc., for the purpose of informing the American public regarding the war effort and aim of Great Britain.
4. I do not propose here to give a complete record of past activities in these directions. They have been continuous and of great variety; and, judging by the net result in the United States over the past eighteen weeks, they have achieved a considerable measure of success.
5. On one specific point, to which the Minister, like the American Division, attaches importance, the following evidence is pertinent. In the early stage of the war Germany outdistanced Great Britain in pictorial publicity in the United States to such an extent that it appeared to the American public that Britain was doing nothing. Since then, a careful record has been taken of the publication in a large number of representative American newspapers of war photographs from Europe. The result of this examination shows that British and Allied pictorial publicity, though still inadequate, is now much more widely distributed than the German (see Appendix “I”). The figures quoted in this Appendix show that the common impression in the minds of many Anglophile Americans and Britishers, especially on the Atlantic coast, “that we are doing nothing”, is not supported by the evidence. Nor is there any corroboration of the implication that we have forfeited any available advantage by our prudence.
6. The following testimony of seven competent witnesses (only one of which was British) is pertinent:-
(a)
Chicago Daily News. 27th October:
“Britain needs no propaganda in this country. Hitler has been the pluperfect British propagandist in America”;
(b)
San Francisco Chronicle, 1st November:
“It seems that even under war censorship Britain allows more freedom of expression than is permitted by the Dictators in time of peace”;
(c)
The Christian Science Monitor, 8th November
; “It is remarkable evidence of Britain's retention of her democratic attitude that though news about military matters and foreign policy is obstinately censored, there is no restraint whatsoever on general comment, except that imposed by critics on themselves”;
(d)
Worcester Telegram. 15th November
: “In a number of ways England's democratic spirit is more noticeable since the war than it was before. England still maintains her reputation for free speech and at a time when its curtailment could probably pass without general outcry”;
(e)
The Youngstown Vindicator, Ohio, 22nd December
: “The ratio of truth in the British communiqués has been strikingly higher compared with the German announcements“;
(f) In a letter written by Mr. James G. Grey, Editor of
The New York Sun
(dated November 20th, 1939), to Mr. Fletcher, Director of the British Library of Information, New York, after careful survey of the question, the following passages occur:-
(i) “I am expressing the reasoned opinion of the Editorial Staff of The Sun when I say that so far what is called “British Propaganda” has been prudently, but efficiently done ....... Propaganda in the former war was overdone and Americans resent it ...... It is the feeling in this office that the instruction of America be left to the American Correspondents abroad. Broadcasts from London and Paris are effective, and it is my belief that nothing better is being done than by the men in London, Paris and Berlin, who represent the Columbia Broadcasting System.
(ii) The solicitude felt by certain Members of Parliament for more propaganda here is based on ignorance and possibly on letters from certain British and American ladies whose zeal outruns their discretion..... I cannot honestly see any need for worry; leave us alone and we can do our own job.”
(g)
The British Consul-General
in New York, in a memorandum dated December 4th on the same subject, said that his experience is “an argument for going along as we are doing and letting well alone”, but he adds:-
(i) “perhaps we are not giving America enough facts”;
(ii) “the stumbling block to Anglo-American relations is to be found, not here, but in England, where prejudice against Americans in general is based on nothing more than ignorance.
7. The two last statements made by the British Consul exactly tally with our view of the question. In saying that perhaps we are not giving enough facts he emphasises the distinction between Propaganda and genuine Publicity. And in pointing to British
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- 3 -ignorance as a stumbling block in Anglo-American relations, he lays his finger on one feature of the situation which is a matter of concern to the American Division.
8. To meet his first point, and to develop further our present programme, the American Division suggest:-
(a) that it may be necessary for The Minister to impress on the War Cabinet and on the Heads of the Service Departments the vital importance of speedy and accurate service of war news, especially including pictures and news-reels, carrying with it the consequent necessity of giving greater importance to the Press Officers both in London and in the various Headquarters of the three Fighting Services;
(b) this in turn requires (as suggested for instance in Mr. Eckersley's memorandum passed to The Minister on December 19th) more opportunities of all kinds for the American Press and Radio representatives in London, which can only be secured if the three Fighting Services are given the most explicit instructions to co-operate in publicity;
(c) in the matter of photographs, what is required is not only official photographs, some of which have been very good but most of them inappropriate for American publicity, but special opportunities for the skilled photographers of such American magazines as “LIFE” to be present on occasions of dramatic interest;
(d) in view of the publicity value of the films produced by “MARCH OF TIME” we should like to have special facilities for them. We have made certain progress in arrangements to promote the “MARCH OF TIME” war programme, but there is no doubt that we shall have to apply further pressure to the War Department to get what is needed;
(e) to satisfy the needs of what is called “Counter-propaganda” in the United States the main requirement is to give prompt answers to German misstatements, and allegations this requires the instant co-operation of all Government Departments, but especially of the Admiralty;
(f) the American Division lay particular insistence on the need for further naval publicity, especially regarding the continuous and dangerous service of the Little Ships engaged in convoy, mine-sweeping, etc., around the British coast there is already on its way to the Minister a Note on this subject;
(g) owing to lack of staff the American Division have not been able to cultivate those numerous British firms with commercial contacts in America. They believe that these contacts offer a valuable reinforcement of ordinary publicity through the Press and Radio.
