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MINISTRY OF INFORMATION
Weekly Report by Home Intelligence - No. 45
Copy No. 32

(From Wednesday, 6th August to Wednesday, 13th August, 1941)

In reading this report, it is important to bear in mind that it is not meant to be a record of facts, except in so far as public opinion is itself a fact. It is a statement and reflection of the public's views and feelings about the war in general. Therefore, in matters on which public opinion is ill-informed, prejudiced or inconsistent, the report does not imply any endorsement of the views which are expressed in it.

582 586 5 587 6 589 8

HOME INTELLIGENCE WEEKLY REPORT

No. 45 - August 6th to August 13th, 1941

Note : The figures in brackets refer to sources of information, a list of which is given at the end of this report.

I. GENERAL COMMENTS .

1 General state of confidence and reaction to news .

Although public confidence remains high, and there are still reports of “a dangerous degree of complacency in some quarters”, the feeling of optimism recorded last week has undergone some modification. The main influence on the opinion of the majority is still Russia's resistance; the sinister manoeuvres of Japan seem, as yet, to have touched no more than the surface of the public's imagination. The general attitude towards Russia is one of “great admiration tempered by some doubt”. It is beginning to be pointed out that “people know that despite enormous losses, the Germans have not been hurled back”; and so many divergent stories have appeared in the newspapers that “people are sceptical, and there is a desire for more precise information”. This new nervousness, slight as it is over the country as a whole, seems partly due to an impression that the B.B.C. bulletins have been less cheerful lately, “especially since a statement that the Russian counter-attacks were only local, and that the initiative has not passed out of enemy hands.” This is interpreted by some as “a preparation for bad news to come”. It is realised that “if Germany eliminates Russia from the war, the results will be extremely grave for Britain.” On the whole, however, the expectation remains that Russia will be able “to offer resistance successfully throughout the autumn, so that the German High Command will be faced with the grim prospect of a war on Russian territory, with winter as a new foe”.

The significance of Japan's activities is only slightly less blurred than it was last week. There seems to be a disability - or disinclination - to focus the situation correctly, and it is the more immediate threat to Thailand, rather than to our own possessions in the Far East, which arouses comment. It is still widely assumed that “America will look after Japan” so far as the Allies' interests in the Pacific are concerned, and confidence is felt in the power as well as the determination of the United States to do so.

The slight decrease in optimism (mainly to be found among the more responsible sections of the public) seems to be accompanied by a growing apathy towards the whole war effort, particularly on the part of less intelligent and wishful-thinking people. Many reports have spoken of “growing indifference to war news”, and comments from several R.I.Os. show that the drift towards complacency continues. “There are disturbing signs that the man in the street seems entirely to have forgotten the words ‘war effort’”. One manifestation of this indifference is that more open expression is being given to the view that even “if Hitler managed to conquer this country, it wouldn't matter very much”. Another and much commoner symptom of the spread of wishful-thinking, is the belief that the war is nearly over, and that “the Allies are bound to win before Christmas”. “Recent hopeful forecasts in the Sunday papers (notably the ‘People’) are helping to spread this Peace-by-Christmas view”. Astrologers are frequently mentioned as having started this idea, and their prophecies are said to be treated with growing respect. The V Campaign seems also to have bolstered up the extreme forms of this belief: “It makes you feel the day is not far off when we shall be victorious; on all the doors and shops we have the letter V, so we simply can't lose, can we?” [Text Missing]. Three R.I.Os. have mentioned that Mr. Churchill's reference to 1st September in connection with invasion was taken by some people to indicate an invasion of the Continent by us on that date, “since he could not now have meant an invasion here”.

The opinion that “we are treating the Italians too gently”, and that with more vigorous attack they would capitulate, “freeing us of one menace in the Mediterranean” has been voiced in connection with the public desire for a land invasion somewhere on the Continent. “Hatred and contempt of Vichy has strengthened since the proof, in Indo-China, that she will give in to the Japanese, having resisted her former ally in Syria”. It is evident that the public would welcome stronger measures against both Italy and Vichy-France as one of the longed-for signs that the initiative is passing to our side.

Factors making for cheerfulness are much the same as those of last week, mainly:

Influences tending to lessen confidence are:

(1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 12, 13, 15, 20 Cambridge, Cardiff P. C.'s 21, 22, 29)

2. Industry

There is no evidence that any satisfaction has been given to the desire, reflected in previous reports, that industrial workers should be given explanations when they have to be “stood-off”, or are paid but given no work to do. There is a rising stream of anxious complaints on this score, both from the workers themselves, who are said to be “fed-up with hanging about”, and from the general public who have heard “too many alarming stories of inefficiency and deliberately encouraged slacking to feel that we are doing anything like our maximum in the way of production.” The cost-plus-percentage method of paying factory managements is vigorously criticised on the grounds that it puts a premium on incompetent organisation and is “an appalling encouragement to wastefulness in time and material”. One report speaks of “a feeling of deep resentment among a large number of war workers at the repeated appeals which have been made to them to increase output and stay at their jobs. There is no question of their wanting to slack, but shortage of material and bad internal organisation make it impossible for them to do otherwise”.

(2, 4, 7, 9, 20 Manchester, Glasgow P.C.'s)

3 Expectation of raids

The end of double-summer-time seems to have increased the public's expectation of raids by focusing attention on earlier darkness, blackout problems, and so on. It is anticipated that the German public will certainly demand reprisals for the damage wrought by the R.A.F., and though the Russians' bombing of Berlin has been heartily welcomed by most people, there is some apprehension that “our own towns will have to pay for it this winter,” if the Luftwaffe are unable to operate over Russia. There is much speculation about “secret devices” which are thought to explain Moscow's success in bringing down night-bombers, and it is hoped that these will be made available to us. On the whole, it is thought that “our improved defences and methods of interception will mitigate the ferocity of air attack”, but occasionally the view is met that “enemy onslaughts will be of a new and, terrifying, character, especially if they are in the nature of a last throw”.

(1, 2, 4, 6, 7, 8, 12, 13, 22, 29)

4 Broadcasting

Considerable faith is still placed in the power and efficiency of Russian propaganda. There has been much favourable comment on the personal message broadcast to a German soldier's wife, who wrote to her husband on the Eastern Front suggesting that he should bring her back a fur coat. The only effort considered comparable on our side was Quentin Reynolds' Postscript last Sunday, which was described as “a tonic”, “as good as was expected”, and “just the sort of propaganda we need”.

(2, 4, 5, 7, 9, 12, 32)

5 Rumour

There is a certain family likeness between some of this week's rumours. A good many of them are about our invasion of the Continent. In various places all army leave is said to have been stopped because this is imminent. France is reported as already having been invaded several times on a considerable scale. An elaboration of this theme is that Canadian troops have passed through Surrey en route for Paris. Men on embarkation leave “have received special equipment” preparatory to their invasion of Holland or Norway; and Crete is “about to be retaken”.

In another family group are the “end-of-the-war” rumours, in which natural history is blended with the occult. Thus, the last time broad beans grew upside down was in 1918, at a time when the Allied cause looked black; yet the war ended that year. In 1941 they are observed to be doing the same thing. This pattern has even more variants than the projected invasion story.

There is a rumour that miners are not being released from the Army because the War Office has secret plans for using them as the “dinamiteros” were used in Spain; and another, that we are in close communication with the civil population of Norway by special secret methods.

There have also been rumours of the sinking of the aircraft carrier, H.M.S. Furious, and of “a noted Liverpool liner.”

(5, 7, 10, 12, 22)

II. SPECIAL COMMENTS

6 Registration of women

The registration of women for industry is exciting much discussion, a good deal of which is unfavourable. That “the scheme has proved abortive”, and that “the Government is only tinkering with the problem” seems to be widely believed. Confusion is reported about Written Directions, and the exact degree of compulsion which may legally be imposed. Employers are said to be very reluctant to release such women as they still retain, and both employers and women are of the opinion that “no powers can be used, and no woman can be withdrawn from her present employment, unless her employer is willing”. There is said to be considerable difficulty in “persuading” unwilling women to transfer to war work. The general attitude being: “We'll go when we are made to”. It is urged that interviewing officers of the Ministry of Labour would gain considerable moral support if wider publicity could be given to the fact that National Service Officers have the power to issue Written Directions.

The public seems definitely to be in favour of compulsion, but of a more open and unmistakable kind: many are said to have been disgusted when they found that enrolment is not “full-blooded conscription”. This desire for outright compulsion seems to be shared by many of the women themselves, provided it is applied indiscriminately. There is, however, general agreement that mothers with babies should be exempt.

There is a feeling that young women engaged in clerical work in Government offices should be transferred to more active war work, and that older women (who, incidentally, often find it very difficult to get employment) should take their places. There are still strong suspicions that “women of the leisured classes” are “sheltering behind voluntary work of a semi-benevolent nature:” in particular, some of the W.V.S. offices are said to be very over staffed.

(1, 2, 3, 5, 7, 9, 10, 12, 20. Inverness, Glasgow P.C. 32)

7 Wages and Income Tax

“The whole question of high wages for relatively unskilled workers continues to be discussed with a good deal of warmth”. Cases are still being reported where “juvenile delinquency has been attributed to excess pocket money, spent unwisely”; it is urged that serious consideration should be given to this question, and also “to the training of juveniles in vocations which will be essential after the war”. In many cases, where income tax is not deducted from wages, no attempt is made to save for it because an impression exists that “if a man hasn't got the money he can't be made to pay”. The case is quoted of a boy earning between £4 and £6 a week who said he never had a penny left at the end of the week, and that when he was called up, he reckoned he would owe the Government £46 for income tax. “What's the use of working overtime and going without holidays, to make good money, when we have to pay it back in income tax?” is a feeling which still exists. A National Savings Committee staff speaker says that miners and tin-plate workers in Wales spoke quite frankly to him in this strain, and several other cases are mentioned.

8 Auction of Wages

From one industrial area a case has been reported of workmen auctioning their wages. A kind of raffle is conducted at the beginning of the week; the winner receives whatever the man happens to earn that week, a sum which varies according to the amount of overtime he does. The winner gets this sum for the outlay of a shilling, while the worker will often net as much as £20.

(4, 5, 20, Special P.C., 32)

9 Service Pay and Allowances

There is reported to be a certain amount of “underlying bitterness among soldiers' wives who are in difficult circumstances owing to the smallness of their allowances”, especially in cases where there are older children to feed. It is thought to be particularly hard when, on account of the fees which can no longer be afforded, children have to be transferred from secondary to elementary schools. Bad-feelings are still evident between neighbours, where “those in reserved occupations and war factories, who have doubled or trebled their wages”, are living next to women who are living on Army allowances. This feeling is given typical expression by a woman whose husband has just been called up, and who writes: “What a pity he was not a munition worker! [Text Missing] He would have kept his life and been fabulously paid”.

Citizens' Advice Bureaux are receiving many applications for the form (M.S.A.C.21), which has to be completed in order to claim a supplementary allowance. This form should be obtained from the Paymaster, but soldiers complain that they cannot get the form when joining the Army, and can only get it afterwards with some difficulty.

There are still complaints of delay in receiving dependants' allowances. One case is mentioned of a man in the R.A.S.C., who was awarded proficiency pay on February 4th, but whose wife was still without any payment in July; in answer to her enquiries she was told that the Paymaster was “still without instructions to deal with the matter”.

(5, 12, 13, 20)

10. Coal Miners

A M.O.I. staff speaker recently working among the pit population of the coalfields in the Forest of Dean, reports that the miners there are “dissatisfied, suspicious and cynical”. It is this last feature which the speaker, who has a long-standing connection with miners, finds most disquieting. He maintains that they have “lost faith in everything.” even in their own leaders, and that they are derisive at the suggestion that they should help in getting ex-miners back to the pits. Their two principal grievances are:-

1. Insufficient food. They complained of having “to tackle the coal-face on bread and lettuce”.

2. The absentee clause in the bonus arrangement, by which, if they lose a day during the week, they lose the week's bonus. They mind less about the money than the fact that theirs is the only industry to which such a stipulation has been applied; and it is the “infliction of an indignity that weighs with them”. The fact that this arrangement was accepted by their leaders without referring the matter to the rank and file has made them “more bitter still”. There is also an added feeling of resentment that other workers are “advertised with all sorts of heroics and glamour, with opportunities to earn high wages, and with such amenities as canteens, films, and ‘music while you work’”, yet the miners are merely given a bonus conditional on their good behaviour.

Though the Forest of Dean produces only a fraction of the total coal output for the whole country, similar feelings are said to exist in many other coalfields.

(14, South Western, 15)

11. A.R.P.

Fire-watching : Reports of difficulties have been rather more frequent. There is said to be some uncertainty about the appropriate authority to approve local fire-prevention schemes; and there are instances of “compulsory” members of a fire-fighting group refusing to go on duty, with the result that the voluntary members threaten to resign. It appears that out of 30,000 people in Plymouth who registered for fire-watching under the Compulsory Order, 27,000 were exempt, and there is some apprehension of what may happen if there are again serious raids on the town. In this, as in many aspects of the war effort, a definite policy is awaited not altogether patiently. “The announcement by the Minister of Home Security of an extension of the Compulsory Enrolment Order has been regarded as overdue, and, with the ‘nationalisation of the Fire Services’, is considered as evidence that the Government has at last seen the folly of half-measures in dealing with the menace of fire”.

Civil Defence Workers : There are still reports of grievances about low pay (as compared with that of industrial workers), and lack of privileges (as compared with those in the Army). There is a feeling that the soldier at least gets a little extra pay when he gets his stripes, and that some form of promotion should be introduced for civil defence. Lethargy and poor spirits are also alleged, as a result of having nothing to do, and of being forced to spend long idle hours in surroundings which are usually uncomfortable, sometimes unhealthy and often underground.

(4, 5, 7, 10, 12)

12. Constant complaints

(a) Transport for war workers : Workers and business people are reported to be feeling very bitter about transport difficulties, particularly as shoppers seem to be ignoring requests not to travel during rush hours. There is a demand that “the authorities should take stronger action”; and the “lack of co-operation between private car drivers with vacant seats and people requiring lifts” is particularly deplored.

There is considerable support for a suggestion that “regular passengers travelling to and fro on important war work should have priority in public vehicles”, and that special cards should be issued for this purpose.

(2, 3, 4, 6, 7, 32)

(b) Queues : There are still reports that queues are causing dissatisfaction in many parts of the country. Some are described as “hotbeds of grumbling and careless talk”; in the London Region, however, the question seems to be exciting rather less comment. Considerable approval has been expressed for the system introduced by Carshalton shopkeepers: numbered cards are issued to regular customers, so that one week people with cards numbered 1 - 100 may get biscuits, while those with cards numbered 200 - 300 may get tinned salmon, and so on. The result is that, over a period, all registered customers have the chance of getting a variety of foods without queueing for them.

(1, 3, 5, 7, 9, 20 P.C. Manchester)

(c) Eggs Although there is less criticism on the subject of food this week, there is said to be “little diminution in the volume of complaints about the egg situation”, both in regard to scarcity, and “doubtful quality”.

(2, 5, 6, 9, 10, 20 P.C. Manchester, 22)

(d) Food Distribution : “The shortage of unrationed foods in towns which have had a large increase in population causes continued grumbling”.

(1, 4, 6)

(e) Food for Manual Workers : There is still a feeling that in many cases heavy workers are not getting enough food, particularly in agricultural areas, where shopping is difficult, and in cases where workers have to take packed lunches with them.

(1, 5, 14)

(f) Milk : “Free milk is reported to be thrown away by some people, while others cannot get enough”. There is criticism of the Milk Marketing Board, on the grounds that its attitude is “unhelpful”, and that it is having a “ruinous effect” on the dairy business

(g) Beer, Tobacco and Cigarettes : Scarcity of these enjoyments continues to cause many complaints.

(1, 7, 9)

(h) Trade : Resentment is still expressed against the order limiting the supply of rationed goods to shops with not less than 25 registered customers. The complaint is repeated about large shops being favoured at the expense of the small ones.

(3, 29)

(i) Salvage : There are still comments on the failure to collect salvage, and on the metal which is left.

(3, 4, 9)

(j) Clothes Rationing : Hardships are still alleged in the case of growing children and of miners, whose clothes suffer a great deal of wear and tear.

(2, 7)

590

REFERENCES