The Washington times., 1937-03-08
u. 5. CRAMPED
IN SPREADING
POLICIES
European Broadcasts
Now BIanketing
South America
BY EARL GOODWIN

LIE dAH4OAAAOAoV "A'O
is trying to make go of the
Good Neighbor" policy admits he
has a tough time trying to do with
a phrase what the up-and doing
governments of Europe are doing
with q Short wave" radio policy.
Just now the flareup in Ger
many over Mayor LaGuardia's re-
marks about Leader Hitler is max
ing some Of the Administration
leaders vince bit; especially be-
cause they nave hard going
enough as it is on the Good
Neighbor" program.
Down deep in the matter Is the
fact that Mr.. Hitler doesn't like
President Roosevelt anyhow;
doesn't like mis- yelled hints against
the Nazi ideals. And in retalia-
ton Germany Is just one more ma
ton pouring entertaining pro-Ger-
man propaganda all through
South America. In other words,
Germany is broadcasting their
own Good Neighbor' stuff while
the u. S. A. is simply thinking
about it.
Champing at Bit
The administration, the Presl'
dent included, is champing at the
bit, "raring and raring to CO." try
ing to get in on the worldwide
short wave broadcasts which are
selling the British empire, the Ger
man nation, the French and Ital-
ian countries to all the world by
radio-even selling them to this
country and doing swell job OF 1t
from a radio programming stand
point. And the U. S. A. is doing SO
little as to be doing nothing at all
in contrast
The matter is mixed up with dip
lomacy, finances. policy, business
and engineering. But the United
States Government wants to have
the same chance to sell the U. S. A.
and its ideas and products that
other countries have had for some
time The State Department rue
fully admits (When it speaks the
language of the human being) that
Germany and the British Empire
and all their wares and products
are as well known in South Amer
lea as Amos and Andy or Oracle
Allen in the average United States
home.
i. And by putting on 10000
hour-a-day program that stands up
and is interesting during every one
of those hours, these various coun-
tries are making friend after
friend. That's the kind of propa-
ganda that is making it hard for
the American Good Neighbor pol
icy to expand without help.
Good Entertainment
In a word, European countries,
through their governments, have
gone into the entertaining broad
cast business; and it is good enter
tainment, it is not the drool and
drivel of the soap box orator and
Would-be propagandiStS; it Is GOOD
entertainment in the language Of
the country where the short wave
beam hits.
This world short wave
stuff can be aimed right straight
at one country or another and
land on the bulrs-eye. Portuguese
programs can be piped by this mys'
terious short wave right straight to
everybody in Brazil; Spanish pro-
grams to everybody else in South
and Central America. So the peo-
pie Of those countries, turning on
radios and getting really hot stuff
from an entertainment standpoint
are beginning to have friendly
feeling for Germany.
England is doing good job sell
ing the British Empire, also. 1t
has a splendid technical service
which has perfected short wave
broadcasting-and they catch the
people around the world with pro-
grams arranged to be presented at
the time the recipients are up and
awake And British manufac-
turers are reaping the harvest.
Those countries are not asking
South America or anyone else to
buy a thing, but when the British
or German manufacturer starts
selling campaign they find a magic
carpet of goodwill almost anywhere
in the world. Germany hits South
America deliberately and with
great gusto, and South Americans
apparently know it.
May Do Something
The President is said to have
realized it when he took his re-
cent trip to South America; one
of the vice presidents of one OF
the big broadcasting systems
caught on to the implications OF
the situation while he was in
South America at the same time
President Roosevelt was there;
and there is evidence that possibly
one or both the large systems
will begin to do something about
the use of the short waves to
which this country is entitled by
international treaty.
The State Department wants
to see the Short-waves used for
good will and good neighborlineSS,
but the State Department is con-
fronted with this fact: Other
countries are broadcasting by gov
ernment owned or controlled
broadcasting systems; such as the
British Broadcasting System. This
Government prefers to let the job
be done by the privately owned