Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1942-11-13
OWIlsLickingA Axis
Propaganda War
In Middle East
Agency Spreads Story
Of Americas GROWING
Military Strength
By DON WHITEHEAD,

ny DUN WHITEHEAD.
Associated Press War Correspondent.
CAIRO, Egypt Delayed Elmer
Davis boys are meeting the enemy
IN the Middle East and giving them
. licking in the first round of a
great propaganda battle.
In less than six months time. a
little band of American pioneers
from the Office of War Information
has splashed the story of Uncle
Sans growing military might from
one end of Africa to the other.
through Palestine, Syria, Turkey,
Iran, 1raq and India.
Millions of people saturated by
three years of Axis propaganda are
hearing for the first time the real
story of America.
Unlike the desert fighting, there
are no lulls in this scrap. It's being
Waged day and night by radio, news
papers, posters, pamphlets, movies
and word of mouth. Hitler's IA
vorlte weapon is being turned
against him.
Vital Defense Move.
1t provides a strange background
Tor the actual fighting but it's vital
to the United Nations in defeating
Axis attempts to drive a wedge be-
tween the Allies and almost half a
billion non belligerents in this part
of the world.
The Axis still is following the line
OF stirring up fears and hatreds to
divide the people and turn them
against the United Nations
For example, in Palestine they
play on the old enmity of Jews and
Arabs. They tell the Arabs they are
being robbed of their lands and that
as soon as we take Alexandria We'll
let you kill all the JEWS if YOU
wish"
The American policy is to spread
iactual information on what the
United States and her Allies are ac-
comprising, while driving home the
lesson that the people of the Middle
East can expect from the Axis only
the miseries of Greece, Czechoslova-
kla, Poland and the other occupied
countries
Cairo Key owl Station.
Cairo is the key Owl station in
this part of the world and the man
running the show here is Paul West,
former assistant publisher of Time
Magazine. He came to Cairo last
March to get the ball rolling on the
dissemination of American news.
Already he's causing the Axis uneas-
mess. The enemy radio is saying
the American hand is beginning
to reach out" 1t is reaching out
and it's reaching far.
Energetic and capable, Mr.. West
pushed through maze of difficult
ties to get his Office into action.
Ordinarily it takes two months to
get a telephone installed in Cairo.
He did it in two days. He rounded
up a staff including Nick Parrino,
formerly of the Cleveland Plain
Dealer, Elmer Lower, former Asso-
clated Press newsphoto editor in
New York, and George Rentz of
Berkeley, Calf.
Dramatic simplicity and direct
ness are the most effective points in
the Owl releases. They are directed
not only at the educated classes but
at the masses of illiterates.
If an Egyptian peasant is shown
pictures of masses of ships, planes,
tanks, guns and munitions as we
are turning them out, then he gets
the picture of American production
and what it means" Mr.. West says.
Results Are Good.
I'VE know we are getting good
results from the reports of our
agents scattered throughout the
Middle East. And the best medium
is by word Of mouth The people
talk to their friends and neighbors
in the bazaars and coffee houses
and our story is spread through
every class
: The Owl Is pouring thousands of
words and scores of pictures into
English, Arabic and French Ian
guage newspapers. Not a penny is
being spent to substitute the press.
The editors are glad to get the news
from America.
An Egyptian editor called Mr..
West the other day. You can't do
this to me-" he laughed. Forty
two per cent of my news today came
out of your Office"
And there are other Owl distrib-
uting points in Turkey, Syria, India,
China, and South Africa.
That's how the Owl is moving in
to tell the story of America, story
symbolized by poster showing
Hitler with his fingers to his ears
while American-made planes dive
on him from all directions.
mo use. Adolf" the caption says.
"You can't shut out that roar"