Evening star., 1927-04-18
RADIO BOARD SENT
ADVICE BY 5000
Fear of Red Propaganda and
Effect of Ether Waves
Considered.

Fantastic theories ranging from
suggestions that possible electrical
discords from broadcasting stations in
the United States constitute the main
reason for the unusual number Of
crimes without motive and crimes
Of youth, to a theory that if American
broadcast receivers rearrange their
sets to receive short waves this nation
will be exposed to Russian propa ganda
broadcast direct from Moscow. are
among the hundreds of extr1vagant
and unusual views laid before Tie Fed
eral Radio Commission since it's ap-
pointment late in February.
While a group of Gloucester fish
ermen write the commission of the
worth and merit of their local broad
casting station in the fishing city
near Cape Ann, listener in far-of
Borneo eXpoundS his theories of
electric dissonances Another in
Connecticut holds that short waves
constitute a most effective method of
transmitting propaganda across un-
limited space, and that words of wis
dom direct from the Soviet capital
might find their way into American
receiving sets were they equipped to
receive short waves. The technically
sound and public minded members of
the commission receive these hum
dreds of mail hints from radio bugs, :"
answer them Courteously and file them
away. Needless to say, scarcely any
of the weird theories will receive
more than passing notice.
Fears Radio Epidemy."
Declaring "radio-epidemy" to be a
real danger to the United States, a
writer who signs himself =. Gribodof
sends the following letter from Borneo:
Sometimes / have an opportunity to
read American newspapers and al
ways / am astonished by two phe-
nomena; the great number of heavy
crimes without a serious motive and
the great consumption of narcotics.
Both of these phenomena are a
bright sign of an unsteady state Of
nervous system of the population. AS
these phenomena are familiar not in Il
special district, the cause must be in
general conditions of life of the Amer
lean people during the past five years.
"A great development of radio-tele-
phone and telegraph changed the cleo
trio state of the atmosphere over the
United States, and the general influ-
ence of radio service on health is a
theme worthy of the attention of the
most experienced specialists. There is
in radio service q special feature very
harmful, no doubt, for the health of
the population, and this feature may
be removed by authority of your Gov
ernment.
'As you know, the science revealed
the secret of musical conSonanceS
taccords) and dissonances. If you
have. for example, three musical in
fc ep{xy inc nSpii.
lations per second, their simultaneous
action will produce a consonance
(accord), agreeable for our ears and
nervous system But if another group
of three instruments produce, for eX-
ample, 400, 613 and S31 oscillations,
they will give a dissonance very dis
agreeable for our ears. Let a man
with good health hear for several
hours daily musical dissonances and
soon his nervous system win be very
compromised, some months later he
will be a victim of serious nervous
illness.
F0resees Harmful Effect.
'I fear that permanent action of
electrical dissonances may be. very
harmful, for the activity of the human
brain and nervous system is series
of delicate chemical electric processes
l hope you will not laugh about this
theory but will invite your specialists
to pay serious attention to the phe-
nomenon of the electric dissonances
There is another very important
reason to do all possible for keeping
the nervous system OF young men in
good state There are now in your
country plenty of bolshevik agents
very avidious of depravity of the
young generation. Their propaganda
will not be so successful if the nervous
system Of young Americans will be in
good state"
From the vice president of a ma
tionally known insurance company
comes the theory of the possibility of
Russian propaganda finding its way
into American homes via the short
wave route. The one outstanding
fear which we may have about con.
ditions which provide practically
worldwide transmission of the human
voice. he says, will be, beyond ques-
ton. a practice of transmitting prop
aganda by this most effective method.
As an example, suppose Russia should
wish to place some of its peculiar
propaganda into the homes of the
American people. About the only way
in which it could be practically ac-
complished would be by means or
short transmission. Ii your
commission should consider the extern
sion of the broadcasting band into the
shorter waves, you would, by that
conclusion, change the manufacturers,
practice to such an extent that re-
ceiying sets would of necessity be
furnished to the people at large