Reds Recognize Western Propaganda
BROMKE, ADAM
Reds Recognize Western Propaganda By Adam Bromke Satellites bothered by broadcasts, balloons The Communist technique for dealing with Western propaganda has recently undergone a drastic change....
...Certain shortcomings of life in contemporary Poland are conceded, and criticism of Western countries is less aggressive than in the past...
...At the same time, they must recognize that the new Communist propaganda shrewdness calls for equal shrewdness on their part...
...Previously, the Communists had been largely ignoring it...
...The current Communist shift in tactics, largely compelled by the effectiveness of Radio Free Europe...
...Since the Communist regime can harly count on winning back more than a negligible proportion of the latter, it may be that Radio Kraj is primarily a device to cope with Western propaganda within the country without officially admitting the fact...
...Numerous articles have appeared in the Polish press stressing the need for more objective and interesting reporting...
...The real objective of the new Communist technique is not to widen freedom of thought behind the Iron Curtain, but quite the reverse...
...propaganda balloons...
...By renouncing narrow dogmatism and seeking more convincing arguments, the Communists hope to win public opinion to their side...
...Thus, the Polish daily Zycie Warszawy (Warsaw Life) wrote: "It is a shame that Poles know so little about what is going on in the world...
...This was made very clear in a series of articles last January in the Warsaw Przeglad Kulturalny (Cultural Review...
...this is mostly the fault of our press, which forces those who are eager to get information to listen to the 'Free Europe' broadcasts...
...It is significant that these broadcasts can be heard in Poland as well as by emigres abroad...
...K. Dziewanowski expounded this theme in the official organ of the Association of Polish Journalists: "Some cautious persons ...claim that it is better not to write about painful, controversial or irritating matters because in that way we supply the enemy with a weapon...
...Western propaganda agencies have a right to he encouraged by recent developments...
...On the contrary, it carries grave potential hazards for the West...
...Other publications have gone even further, calling for the discussion of critical issues which had long been taboo behind the Iron Curtain...
...Several papers even polled their readers on the subject...
...Even more than our balloons, however, Western radio propaganda upsets the Communist rulers' composure...
...Serious issues are discussed, and every effort is made to present them as objectively as possible...
...In them, Jerzy Putrament, Vice-Chairman of the Association of Polish Writers, set forth the new line: "The practice of culling from America only shortcomings and abominations, the practice of showing everything black, actually not only did not strengthen our society against what is hostile and dangerous in America but, on the contrary, drowned these darkest sides in a flood of vague generalities...
...An interesting experiment in psychological warfare was recently initiated by the Polish Communist regime when it set up a new radio station, Radio Kraj (Homeland), as part of its campaign to repatriate Polish exiles now living in the West...
...It has been known for some time now that the policy of ignoring those events brought very poor results, since they were even more eagerly commented upon by the enemy, who explained our silence as a sign of weakness...
...The Radio Kraj broadcasts represent a complete departure from the former approach...
...In some cases, the latter cautiously commented on favorable aspects of life in the West, and a few were even frank enough to suggest less adulatory reports on the Soviet Union...
...One illustration was the recent Communist campaign against U.S...
...rather, they had suddenly become a menace to air transport and to the safety of the population...
...now they apparently have been forced by its effectiveness to counterattack...
...The Soviet Union and a number of satellites lodged carefully synchronized official protests with Washington: Nothing was said, of course, about the propaganda carried by the balloons...
...Satellite newspapers and radio programs are now being criticized officially for failing to provide sufficient interesting and convincing material to draw their audience away from the foreign misleaders...
...we turned our readers' attention from the true disgrace of America anti-Negro, barbarian racism: the true danger of America-the omnipotence of capital ; the true threat of America her alliance with the German reranchiste forces...
...With modern technological advances, jamming can no longer be wholly effective, and the Communists are now facing the fact that their people do listen to broadcasts from the West...
...Their basic aims remain, but their methods are being improved...
...BBC and other Western radio stations, should not be interpreted chiefly as a sign of weakness...
...In attacking with a savage cry unimportant details like Coca-Cola, boogie-woogie, chewing gum, etc...
Vol. 39 • June 1956 • No. 23
