Evening star., 1941-08-03
Workings Of Propaganda Play
Major Role in Modern Warfare
Its Great Force, However, May Tend to Lead
Nation Away From Important Duty
of ong.Range Thinking
By Felix Morley.

BY FeHa
A state of war habitually means con-
dition in which long-range- political
thinking is actively discouraged. This is
because such thinking difficult enough
at best, is likely to be at variance with
the unquestioning prosecution of hostil-
tiles.
The all-out effort necessary to wage
modern war demands that the purpose
of the enemy be painted as completely
black. while that of ones own side must
be depicted as at least predominantly
white. AS war develops from a profess
sional to totalitarian undertaking, the
difficulty of examining its purpose and
manifestations dispassionately therefore
becomes more pronounced. This does not
mean that men have come to value free
dom of thought and expression less, but
merely that they have become increas-
ingly subject to governmental controls.
Propaganda thus becomes an essential
part of modern warfare, a by-product of
the condition which it is idle to criticize.
But, fortunately for civilization, war
propaganda by its very excesses tends to
build up resistance qualities in the aver
age human being. He is ready and anx-
ious to do his bit for his country but he
is not so easily persuaded that other
human beings in the opposite camp are
all thorough paced brutes and flends.
This skepticism on the part of the av-
erage man is being denounced in this
country at the present time. as apathy,
wrongheadedness or even downright in
difference to moral values. Possibly all
these characteristics are present. But
fundamentally it is probable that re-
sistance to propaganda about the 'bestial
Hun and so forth is rooted in the
Christian ethic which has so firm a hold
on the American people.
Strong Vein of Common Sense.
Those who seek to practice, as well as
to profess, Christianity cannot easily be
persuaded mat the brand of Cain is
peculiar prerogatiye of certain sections of
the human race. And side by side with
the substratum of Christianity in the
average American is a strong vein of
practical Yankee common sense. This
argues that if the Germans, or the jap
anese. or the Vichy French. are as black
as painted, then the war should logically
be fought until their cities are Tazed,
their children starved, their countries
irrevocably ruined
But since this Is rather large order
it seems best not to get too excited about
the utter perfidy of peoples with whom.
eventually, some sort of workable peace
must be constructed.
The reason for the confusion now so
painfully evident in American thinking
Is that while we have become belligerent
so far as the propaganda aspects of the
war are concerned, we still maintain
precarious neutrality with regard to
physical participation. Broadly speak
ing, our national policy assumes that
the objectives of the Axis are foul and
loathsome, but does not yet assume that
they should be countered by armed force.
National Unity More Desirable.
The obvious shortcoming of this uneasy
compromise is that it satisfies nobody
In consequence, those who seek actual
belligerency ladle out propaganda in
ever heavier doses and those who seek
to maintain peace become increasingly
resenttul of pressure tactics as insist
emily applied by a self-righteous minor
ity. The issue is rapidly undermining
party lines and creating new cleavages,
as recently demonstrated by the sharp
personal clash between Republican Mr..
StimSon. serving as President Roosevelts
Secretary of War, and Democratic Sem
ator Wheeler, now actual leader of the
congressional opposition to the adminis-
tration's foreign policy.
To speak of national unity in this
situation is to close ones eyes to realities.
No objective is more desirable, and in
support for tho defense program as
such it has been almost completely
obtained. But this degree of unity serves
only to emphasize the chasm which sepa-
rates those who want shooting war"
and those who believe the country
should stay out. 1t is a chasm still un-
bridged by the necessarily hypothetical
argument that if the United States does
not voluntarily make war, then war will
be forced on it.
So far the argument is obvious. What