1952-03-29 — Page 11

THE CHINA MAIL, SATURDAY, MARCH 29, 1952.

The Unseen Audience THE SQUIRE of

F

Behind The Curtain

ROM

London

Bush House, hendatuur-

terk of the B.B.C.'s radio services 10 the Iron Curtain countries, it is about 1,600 miles to Moscow, Three times a day the Voice of Britain spans the Baltic and White Russia to close the gap.

By JACK THOMAS

44፥1lllllll

Kot

B.B.C.

useful, which times the most convenient for them to listen.

Sometimes volunteers wolk Into the B.B.C.'s Borlin office.

And two East German youths alipped over from the Coinmun- ist Youth Festival to say: "We are fed up with heuring nothing but Eaat Zone agitatore."

Marne-la-Coquette

A soldier and his wife settle down among the prefabs. The EISENHOWER name is.

From Sam White.

AMONG

the These they are the kinds of habitants of the village volee which answer the Voice of | of Marne-La-Coquette, nestl- London-weak and, innrticulate open thank you to the B.B.C.

But the volces emphasise that the B.B.C. V-signul still mouns to sa meny freedom,

"When we entered the darke London of Communist radio room I thought at first some stations, which, usually reveal meeting was in progress. The which, brandcasts have room was crowded. We stood through by replying to uncertainly near the door, but bulletins. nobody even looked at us. Then

Rofurces tend to exaggerate, Back from Russia and we heard the speuker's volco an, but i la certain from their know voices which can rarely give an ing in the Seine valley 10

nouncing "Tu Mowl Londyn' the satellites trickle about. This is London). So the people ledge of Western affairs and the 100 lettera a mouth to say had gathered in its room simply names of commentators that they the Voice is heard and be to listen to the boom....boom do, in fact, listen. loved. But none beurs the....boom of the B.B.C." postmarks of Eastern Europe.

They Journey through the frontiers inside the wallets of commercial travellers, in the ragged parks of refugees, to be posted in freedom.

Found in the post-liox of

The writer quickly pointed out that in Poland anyone can listen to foreign broadcasts "if he hap- pens to like it.""

Refugees Tell

Tron but

IS is true in it the Curtain

countries, refugees have said that impri # British reading-room comment often follows discussion "Somewhere in Free

of B.C. news in public, Europe" was this note sign- Clearly the listener panels ed by five Russian sokliers: which tell the B.B.C. how many people in Free Europe tune in to in London: London cannot be organised be- We are goldiers of the Soviet hind The Tron Curtain. Army. We like when you speak

So research of the Eastern in our language. We wait for news from the non-Communist European audience relies largely countries. We wait for the on questioning the flow of re

the monitoring liberation of the Russian peo- fugees and

"Dear Friends

ple."

Red Jamming

DUSSIA started Jamining Reign rate in April, 1849,

amid a storm of protest in the United Nations,

Then lust December new _chain_of_stations_went_into_res_ tion, and for the Brst time Russin began trying to obliterate R.B.C. relays to n satellite nation- Poland.

Recently Finland found itself The first non-Communist country to have its news from London

interfered with.

Now there is experimental the service to jamming of Czechoslovakia, and the H.B.C. Russian plan to blot suspects a out its broadcasts to every Iron Curtain countrý.

Since the radio battle of wits began, the B.B.C. and the Voice of America bave broadcast to the East at the same time, jointly bringing such a barrage of trans- milters to bear that some usually through clearly or only slightly distorted.

get

British incendiaries of war."

Budapest calls it "a veritable refuse bin of all the low and ir- responsible calumnies."

Czechoslovakia hus the biggest B.B.C. audience about two- thirds of the country still fune

in regularly. A U.S. observer from Prague colled in, un- solicited, to tell the B.B.C.: "You have more listeners thun the Czech Radio."

The B.B.C, wartime reputa- tion for accuracy persists.

First ingredient of the Eastern European services is hard, fac- tunt news, followed by com- mentaries on international events designed

the world situa to put tion into proportion for nation spoon-fed with garbled news.

Features cover big events which typify the British way of

life.

Regrettable

can

Paris mont whore Eisenhower 860 in prestizo another of His hobbles- colding. (ke koe to grill his own steaks and buke an occa- slagal mon pie.)

Only 15 minutes" walk from miles west of Paris, is a the villa live Eisenhower's best tomas in France his Chief of man who many people con- Staff, General Gauenther and aider may be the next Mrs Gruenther.

His

personal President of the United physician, Major-General Ho- States. This is General ward Snyder, disu ves near by. Other neighbours include a per- Eisenhower, the Supreme anal wide, Colonel Schultz, and Commander of the North Mrs Schultz, and his batman, Atlantic Treaty Organisa- Sergeant Dry.

Eisenhower's. office is in the tion. He livog in squire-like

vast spread of prefabs on the style with his wife Mamie outskirts of Parls, which is Su- 40-room white-prone Hadquarters of the Allied Powers in Europe. It is 15 minutes' drive from the villa.

the

Painted Villa St Pierre.

that the O it is regrettable

B.B.C., faced with steeply rising costs and no extra grantin with which to meet them, can pledge only that, the daily 84 hours of truth it sends to Russin and the six satelikes will be carried on "as long as possible."

The villa, an early 19th two century building, storeys high, stands in a The audience remains stanuch park overlooking the village against the

worst Moscow can des Now, it is up to the polit-square. It is one of 18 villas clans,

within the park's boun- daries.

For less than an hour of war cost them in 1945-£000,000~~ they could assure that audience that the BBC, on which they so much rely for free news and not let them

Specially trained interrogators in Berlin, Austria and West, Germany meet refugees, ask which progranimes they heard, comment, would which

325C

considered

most

down.

'NO VERDICT' WAR

Tokyo

By RALPH WALLING

KOREA is bogged down have left the theatre have been unlikely to pol bases in North

by a military as well as political stalemate.

That is the considered opinion of allied Service and diplomatic experts here as the Communist and United Nations armies watch and worry each other across the frozen truce lines, and armistice talks drag on into the ninth month.

a

Many veterans of the first 18 churian bases to take part in a

get Korca while

bombers, nited American Sabre protected by

In jets, keep them out of use.

straight

147 aerial comba! MIGS and only 15 Sabres have been lost,

replaced by new and less ex- perienced men, Some of the older Chinese "volunteers" have been similarly replaced since MacArthur's day.

the

The allies' main strength lies

defence, in

and Long Toms howitzers are of a bigger calibre

than and longer range enomy's Soviet supplied heavy

British artillery, und the pounder is still the best medium gun in Korea.

25

The allled artillery, although THE ALLIES cannot launch

not so numerous as full-scale cut.tale without probably

the enemy's, is generally con- their peoples are losses which not prepared to accept while sidered to be superior. there is still a hope for however distant.

peace,

☆

Experts

recognise that allies no longo have supremacy. Without conalder- able reinforcements they could het hope materially to influence the military stalemate.

Shopping in Paris

He gets to the office at 7.30 each morning, usually at least on hour before his secretary. Ho lunchies with up to a dozen fel- low officers in his private dining- room cach weekday. His diet is carefully watched by his phy sician and the food is cooked by a Negro GI.

Eisenhower's house is easy to ark for its gates are guarded by United States and French troops and by Unibed Suites and French plain clothes dotcetives,

He worely takes wine with his and if he does it is usual- meals, The house, gleaming white, dy with his evening meal. Re stards in the shadow of oak and gularly at 5.30 p.m. he leaves chestnut trees. It is a prize won the office with brief-case full by Mra Eironhower by dint of et "homework," hard house hunting which jrevealed her as an unpretentious

The Eisenhowers never

accept

woman drac to her Middle West' Invitations to cocktail parties background. She prefers solid and nover give any themselves. comfort to glitter and splendour. Nor do they dine out. The only Parks rockal occasions at which they are to be seen are recep- tions given by the French Pre- sident.

'Oh, my!'

She was offerod the late Lady

Mrs Etrenhower is 55-sevin Mendl's house, the Villa Trianon years younger than Ike. She is She took one look at the prioc- slim, carefully and conservative less Louis XV and XVI furni- ly dressed, with brown wavy ture which crowded its rooms hair, dressed in a fringe, visits and exckimed: "Oh. my, I could Paris often for a day's shopping nover live among all those with Mirs Gruenther, Rarely

things. thing

At home

Why, there would be photographed, she can wonder nowhere to sit down of an even through Paris without being re- ing." Later she saw the Villa St, cognised. Pierre, whlen was in a consider able State of drepair. She liked the alt, and she decided that this was where she would set up home in the latest of countless house- 35 years as on moves in her enrny wife.

The French Government have If that stalemate exists, as ex-spont £25,000 on renovating the perts insist it does, why does villa. They hove discreetly the political stalemate also pressed on the Eisenhowers an

Aubusson carpet, Gobelin tapes exist?

trices, paintings and period furni ture from a national collection of objets d'art,

The Communists have 500 Nations Soviet tanks, all of World War

At home she looks forward to odcasional brkige panties with the Gruenthers-General Gruen-↓ ther being one of the most ex- port bridge players in the world,

The Eisenhowers are a devoted couple. A close friend once said: "To Boo Mamie is always 20 years old." Another has de- scribed them cryptically 05 1 "remidable team."

Is Mrs Eisenhower attracted

of doa

becoming

THE COMMUNISTS will not

General Ridgway, the United for fear that another spring The .B.C. alone sends its 90-

Supreme Commander, minutes-a-day to Russia over offensive like last year's will re-

The house stands in six aor more than 30 stations.

sult in another, and more disas II type, The British Centurions says the truce talks are in the

balance. Admiral Turner Joy, of ground. Mr. Eisenhower hak To the Russians. Moscow trous, Basco. So runs the experts' and American Shermans are his Number One delegate, finds laid down a vegetable plot and

powerful and better them trying.

and Van Fleet a putting green to cater for two by the Radio decrles the B.B.C. as "argument based on analysis of more tnetary of les, an agency, on the latest reports from Korea's handled.

frankly frustrating,

of her husband's favourite hob. America's First Lady? The only bies, gardening and golf. She comment sho allows herself on British territory, of the U.S.-twilight war and truce talks.

The allied infantrymen, by

»But neither constant patrolling and combat

they nor anyone has also installed a small toit- the matter ds: "What American training. are not softened up che cut here is convinced that ahen, on the ground floor away women wouldnt want her hus and they have practised what for all me. Less than a month

they are about to break down from the main one in the base band to be President?" to de if the air war scales were ga, say experts, the truce was What is the evidence for and turned against them.

in sight, against?

Could this happen? In the tr Thoy say The Reds have 800,000 troops, to date the allled Far East air knowledge

that in the full

of That is a third more than last forces have last 210 aircraft in rebuilding

that questions airfields during GD spring. Far fewer than half are trying to strangle the enemy's armistice and the voluntary or

dug in deep from the truce line supply system.

forced repatriation of prisoners as far back as 20 miles.

had not been settled by them.

erux of the stalemate the Com- which now exists, they maseri, making

WA

The Truth

WARSAW asks the people: "Why listen to these stations rging terror, muvier, sabotage and espionage? Only fools seek truth there..

For this heavy cost 30,000 Their positions are defensive Soviet trucks and railcars alone

The rest of the Red have been lost to positions, But the Poles still seek the horde is stretched

over North the

The

truth from London. Ironically, Korea in reserve garrisoning munists. The majority o is the question of was on the eve of the first country, guarding and repairing the ground on fire.

destroyed allied planes fell to Russia one of the neutral in

Jamming of the Polish services supply routes, bases and equip-

11

what it

Warsaw newspaper sur-ment wern away under seven prisingly carried an article which months of allied air and sca

gave a

a striking example of group bombardment, latening to the E.B.C.

The writer had been touring Numerically the British the agricultural areas and told Amerlean, and other allied of his visit to a peasant's cottage, troops are not as powerful.

Give me

The Communists have radar screens and radar controlled falt in blg numbers. They have 1,200 planes.

Eight hundred are Soviet MIG jet fighters, unable from Man-

BOOTA'S

for choice!!

encoting authorities-do · which the United Nations wil agree.

never

to

What they don't care predict is how long it will be Sefore the stalemate is broken,

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