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PRELIMINARY SURVEY

for a suggested propaganda campaign designed to increase the anger felt by the British people towards the Germans and Germany with the purpose of ensuring maximum determination to see this war through to victory and to react with the highest possible morale to every intensification of the enemy's attack.

THE PEOPLE with whom we are primarily concerned are the great MASS of the British people. The ordinary people in town and countryside, the millions of people in the little homes on which fall the full day-after-day strains of this war - the violent disruptions of peaceful lives, the violent shattering of family plans, the sudden changing of jobs, the closing-down of businesses, the problems of evacuation, black-out restrictions, rationing, the calling-up of family bread-winners, husbands and sons, the waiting for news from the front, the anxious scanning of casualty lists, the news of friends and neighbours killed and wounded, the worry over the children, their schooling and safety, the local activities of A.R.P. and A.F.S, the talk of invasion, the increased calls on munitions-workers, the news of air-raids and the discussing of precautions, the hour-by-hour exchanging of speculations, comment and rumours.

THE BRITISH PEOPLE, patient, long-suffering, slow to anger, slower still to hate, slowest of all to be shaken in their deep-seated conviction that, come what may, the British always win. Even to-day, harbouring little sense of real personal animus against the average German man or woman, accepting with amazing phlegm bitter reverses without overmuch recrimination - taking such “let-downs” almost as trials to be expected, but nearing the end of their patience. Determined irrevocably that the war must go on until it is won because NAZISM stands for all they most detest, because it THREATENS:-

Their creed : At heart a deeply religious people but translating their implicit Christian faith in terms of liberty, kindliness, fair-dealing and hatred of oppression.

Their personal freedom and ambitions.

Their sense of the respect due to the individual l and their hatred of cruelty .

Their children's futures .

Their love of their country, their pride of race .

Their belief in “Live and Let Live” as the golden rule of civilised existence .

GENERAL ATTACK AND SPECIALISED ATTACKS

The above are the general characteristics which control the British people's attitude towards this war. To make the suggested campaign fully effective however, we must approach the public not only in the general mass but in SPECIALISED CLASSES. In many cases we can heighten anger most easily from particular and personal sources of anger, which vary somewhat from class to class.

To make this clear there is analysed in the next section SIX SOURCES OF ANGER at present operating. Some of these sources apply to every class in the community. Others appeal more strongly to one class than to another. Before therefore we consider some of the major well-defined groupings of the community in detail, these various sources of anger are worth studying.

MAIN SOURCES OF PRESENT ANGER AGAINST GERMANY

The anger that already exists against Germany is a steady smouldering anger based on these roots:-

1. Anger at the fact that war, with all its stupid senseless waste and its dislocation of peaceful lives and of all that has so carefully been built up is here again forced on us for the second time in our lives - through the Germans ‘ fault .

2. Anger at the inherent insanity of a race that seems never to learn better, never to be happy except when it is plunging the world into turmoil.

3. Anger at the wanton flouting of civilised and Christian ideals that enable the nations to live at peace.

4. Anger at the idea that this evil passion for war is being fostered as a creed - a perverted race created which constitutes a recurring menace to our children and our children's children.

5. Anger at the way the Germans make war, because of (a) its cruelty, (b) its treachery.

6. Anger at the thought of the fate with which this present war directly threatens each individual, our private possessions, our children, our religion and our cherished institutions.

These six separate sources of present anger against Germany are not very likely to be increased in number. But they CAN each be greatly increased in intensity. They can be given a sharper “edge” with corresponding increase in the “fighting temper” of the public. We can make them more potent sources of war enthusiasm by:-

(a) Bringing home more vividly to every member of the public the facts that arouse, justify and intensify anger of each kind.

(b) By tackling the people class by class and concentrating on the points which appeal most strongly to each class.

(c) By countering and crushing the German-inspired ideas, still being spread in this country, which seek to smother these well-springs of anger with specious and misleading arguments.

This last point is mentioned particularly because it is still being done wholesale, often by well-meaning but mistaken people. As it is a separate but very important part of a campaign such as is here contemplated, it is treated in greater detail in another part of this report.

Summing up the above analysis of the various sources of anger it is clear that material is provided for:-

(a) the main theme of the campaign as a whole: i.e. addressed to the public in general.

(b) specific appeals to sectional classes of the community.

(c) subsidiary and supporting ideas that arise out of the main campaign.

THE MAIN THEME OF THE CAMPAIGN

Anger In Action

The Germans are by race and nature a nation of bullies . They are and have always been the gangsters of Europe . Always they have been the same, treacherous swaggering race - overbearing in triumph, whining when defeated. Five wars they have caused in a few score years, and this shall be their last!

The only way to deal with a bully is to face up to him and fight him, This German bully who much prefers beating-up helpless little nations now has to tackle us . But we have smashed him before by standing up to him and we will smash him again in the same way .

Nothing else is possible. This treacherous cowardly bully will not leave one single country or one single generation to live in peace. Our lives, our children's lives will not be worth living whilst Nazi Germany stands.

British men and women! Life shall be clean and bright again for you and yours and for all the world. Steel your hearts - nerve your sinews - keep your chins up - and together we shall hit this Nazi beast so hard that it will never rise again.

That, it is suggested, is the principal line round which the campaign should be built. It is based primarily on the second of the six sources of anger examined. - anger at the insensate bullying nature of the German character.

It may be defined as “Anger in Action” since it associates healthy anger against a bully with the instinctive urge to hit him hard.

THE RELATION OF ANGER TO FEAR - SPECIAL NOTE

This raises a very important point. One of the biggest difficulties that any general morale campaign has to face is the difficulty between fostering undue fear of the Germans on the one hand and of underestimating them and of engendering over-confidence on the other.

This is the reason for the insistence on

GERMANY - THE TREACHEROUS BULLY

A bully angers everyone. The moment it is felt that there is any chance that the bully is not really as confident as he seems someone will take the plunge and stand up to him. A bully who has to descend to treachery - and moreover one who has been licked before - is worth tackling if the alternative is sufficiently grim.

This therefore means handling the “bully” part of the story carefully and adjectives such as “ferocious” “ruthless” “barbaric” must be deliberately avoided. In general it should be said that :-

At no time should evidence of the German bully's strength or savagery be put forward without putting forward alongside it evidence of the bully's vulnerability: i.e. if we show a picture of a bombed village we should show alongside it pictures of a smashed German bomber .

This gives a clear line as to the handling of atrocity material. It is too valuable not to use but it should never be used where its outstanding effect will be to leave the reader with too live a respect for German ruthlessness.

In handling atrocity material care should be taken to see that the incidents do not strike too near home (i.e. show sea atrocities to landsmen etc.) unless immediate evidence can be presented either of the triumphant courage of the victims (such as the woman in Bruges in 1914 who slaughtered two Germans who had killed her little son) or of immediate retribution.

On the other hand it will be noted that the suggested main theme does not make the mistake of overestimating the ease with which the bully can be stopped. It simply recalls that he has always proved a whining coward in defeat and has been defeated when apparently just as cocksure of victory as now. Also it suggests that the alternative of submission is the most awful fate of all.

Once the main theme is agreed upon it is easy to see the lines that must be followed to build it up. These are dealt with in detail under “Detailed Material and Media”.

THE CLASS-BY-CLASS APPEAL

It is also immediately apparent that whilst the Main Theme is based largely on the second and probably most universal of the six sources of anger, i.e. anger at the unchanging German character, expressed in various ways to suit the various social classes all the other points can be grouped round this theme in general propaganda whilst in class-by-class propaganda some of these other points become of exceptional interest.

The following list is not intended to be comprehensive but indicative:-

WOMEN

Probably the most important single classification because of its size (approximately 20 millions) and because of the potent influence every woman exerts in her family circle. The Main Theme is effective here but so also will be Source No.1 - The Irritations of the War which is Germany's Fault. Women are most nearly concerned 189 - 6 -with the annoying details of war restrictions on food prices, etc. and if the war is seen clearly as Germany's fault their exasperation finds its proper goal. To women, stories of German cruelty are important but need handling carefully for fear of arousing fear. Less obvious forms of cruelty, such as refugee babies left without food are no less effective in rousing women's indignation and have not the same reaction of physical fear.

TRADE UNIONISTS

Fear of the loss of hard-won liberties will equal the Main Theme in importance. The fate of the working- classes in German-conquered territory needs to be emphasised. They must be reminded of the liberties - too often taken for granted - that they are in danger of losing.

PROFESSIONAL CLASSES

Anger at the war in the sense of the interruption to civilised progress means a lot here. They can be made more angry by being reminded what fine progress was being made in building, in the arts, education etc. The threat to their savings and personal liberty is hardly believed in as yet and needs making more real. Very large numbers of this class have been badly hit and they need reminding that this war is Germany's fault. They are also concerned about the postwar future.

Note : In our propaganda so far it is felt that undue reliance has been placed on appeals to this class confined only to the moral or social argument - the outraging of civilised ideas. This almost inevitably wears thin under the impact of one invasion after another. Its effectiveness is greatest amongst the idealist and religious groups.

RELIGIOUS DENOMINATIONS

See above. Also especially susceptible to religious persecution material. The proof of Germany's guilt needs endless reiteration here.

FREEMASONS, ROTARIANS AND OTHER LODGE ORGANISATIONS

These total an enormous number, mostly professional men. The idealistic factors ( loss of liberties , future freedom) count a great deal. The same applies on a different social level to Oddfellows, Foresters.

EX-SERVICE MEN

The fullest use should be made of Ex-Service Men's organisations. These are men who know the German character and the idea that “They do not change” is the strongest appeal here.

MEN AND WOMEN IN HOME DEFENCE FORCES

It is particularly important to develop the right view point here because these people can act as a disciplined “lacing” of the public as a whole. They must be shown that the German although a tough nut is not invincible .

MEN AWAITING THEIR CALL-UP

The same applies with great force to those and some way might be found of addressing a special series of messages to them.

SOLDIERS, SAILORS AND AIRMEN

Doubtless outside the scope of this scheme, except to suggest that the Services should provide material in line with that issued to the civil population.

BUSINESS CLASSES

Very influential and extremely concerned about what they have got to lose - savings, businesses, etc.

TEACHERS are a very influential group - particularly concerned at the moral issue and the future of the children.

WAR WORKERS can well receive special attention - they will react best to practical details of loss of liberties etc. under Nazi rule.

THE DETAILED APPEAL PLAN: From the foregoing it is clear that the total intensity of anger against the Germans can be increased not only by general propaganda but by localised and specialised efforts. The following is a table of the dozen examples considered above and the points that can most effectively be used (numbered in order of importance).

It is obvious that this list of classifications could be greatly extended and these groups further subdivided, as Women into Mothers, Service Men's Wives, etc.

Enough has, however, been said to show the possible ramifications of a campaign really designed to “get under people's skins” and make them fighting mad against the Germans.

THE APPEAL TO PRIDE

Very closely allied to anger that “la patrie est en danger” is ingrained pride of race. A Britisher believes in his heart of hearts that he can lick anyone if he is really put to it. But just as anger needs to be kept hot so does this slumbering pride of race - this innate belief in his power to win against all odds - need to be ROUSED. This is borne in mind in the detailed recommendations that follow. These two influences are the most powerful forces that can fuse in the human mind to produce individual fearlessness in a civilian population and the real fighting temper that it is the purpose of this campaign to heighten.

Concluding Notes

THE “TOTAL” ATTACK

In case there is any likelihood of the foregoing being regarded as too detailed an attack upon the problem it may not be amiss to point out here that it is exactly upon these intensive lines that propaganda has succeeded in creating the militant Germany of today from a battered, hopeless nation. It works because it does not leave a single stone unturned. It talks to every individual in the community in terms’ of enemy threats to his self-interest and, at the same time it raises pride of race to a point where the individual - between anger and pride - overcomes fear. Today, of course, in Germany it has the further advantage of utterly controlling every means of expression but it succeeded before this was the case. Nor does it have to be based on untruths except when, as in the Nazis’ case, the truth is unusable. It is the modern art of total propaganda - all-pervasive, subtle, and persistent. It is the only way in which a problem of the magnitude of the one here presented can be successfully approached.

It follows from this that a complete outline of the hundreds of channels and the dozens of different detailed themes that would be employed can hardly be set down in full in an outline such as the one that follows. What is intended however is to show the general plan of attack. We are, after all, trying to change the attitude of the most stolid and unvengeful people in the world. Short of a world-shocking atrocity of the first magnitude it is not likely to be changed by one lightning campaign but only by a relentless detailed drive from every angle.

THE USE OF HITLER

It cannot be too strongly emphasised that Hitler's success is engendering a legend of infallibility which is immensely powerful. Even over here one hears constantly - “You've got to hand it to him” etc. THIS LEGEND MUST BE DEFEATED. It must be made clear that the little countries Hitler has invaded were lying defenceless at Germany's door for generations. Even in France he is only making headway 192 - 9 -“by sheer weight of metal”. Hitler is personally fallible, despicable, cowardly. His behaviour at the Ludendorff putsch, his shooting of Roehm etc., his hysterical outbursts, proclaim him anything but an invincible genius. He is a sleepwalker and it is time we made him wake up. He is important only as the embodiment of the German lust for power in the most evil guise it has yet taken.

THE NEED FOR ACTION

Anger is very difficult to maintain “in suspense”. It demands an outlet. Moreover anger allied to discipline is effective and less likely to become fear.

Therefore the more the anger campaign is rounded off with definite instructions on what to DO the better.

Everyone has a part to play. We should, therefore, wherever possible harness the anger campaign to Home Defence, Savings, Speeding-up Munitions, etc.

This will he particularly essential if, as the campaign develops, the time arrives to use PRESS ADVERTISING. A press campaign designed to do nothing but make people angry will not ring true. But if it is applied ostensibly to rouse enthusiasm, for example, for the Ironsides, A.R.P. Home Protection, A.F.S. or Dig for Victory, etc. it can still put over material calculated to create a general heightening of anger throughout the community in a most effective way.

This idea of using anger-arousing material in the course of securing specific action for the various patriotic activities is dealt with more fully in the Detailed Recommendations that follow.