dumbfoundry

[...] The propaganda battle over neutrality began in earnest when Ireland refused to lease back its ports to Britain during the Battle of the Atlantic. As the idea began to take hold in Britain that neutrality was a wilful act of hostility against the allies, John Betjeman was drafted in to the Ministry of Information to help calm the situation. Betjeman divided his Irish targets into the following categories:

1) pro-British with relations fighting, but above everything pro-Irish

2) pro-Irish and not caring who wins, so long as Ireland survives as a united nation

3) pro-Irish and anti-British, but also anti-German

4) pro-Irish and pro-German

But it doesn't really matter what they think. One friend gained for England is one enemy for Germany and that is my job.

The British media were swamped with propaganda stories against neutrality - German submarine crews were being entertained in remote villages in the west of Ireland, wireless transmitters up in the mountains were at the heart of a vast espionage system against Britain - and Betjeman did his best to rein them in. Luckily for future Anglo-Irish relations, he managed to put a stop to the ministry's plan to disseminate propaganda leaflets in packets of tea, soap and toilet paper. [...]

This entry was posted by eeksypeeksy on Friday, March 23, 2007 at 10:22 AM. You can skip to the end and leave a response.