Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1956-03-15

historian, recorded his opinion
that the English always won in
war but lost in peace. 1t is dis
couraging to learn that we be-
haved 500 years ago just as We
do today. There does not APP
pear TO be much hope now OF
getting rid of such deeply in
grained habits.
On the other hand. one can
look at it from the opposite
angle. If we have been behaving
like this for 500 years and are
still here today, perhaps the re-
suits of our present shortcomings
will not be as unfortunate as one
might suppose.
Our conscience does not per-
nit us to advocate violence. and
yet it must be admitted that the
use of force has certain advan-
tages. Gentlemen were much
more polite to one another in
Philippe's day. when a rude
ness was liable to be paid for by a
duel. Now, when even fisti-
cuffs are out of fashion, We can
be as ill-mannered as we like
with impunity.
The same thing applies to ma
tons and governments today
War Banned. But Not Hate
The United Nations has sue
ceeded in producing a world at
mosphere in which the most
abominable and heinous offense
is the use of force. I would not
dispute this thesis, but I can
not avoid the impression that
the results may well be far
reaching. and not always en-
tirely satisfactory.
For war is banned, but there
has been no reduction in the
amount of hate, greed and jeal
ousy in the world. Thus, gov
ernments inspired by lust or am
bition can now give free rein
to these passions without fear
of war The horrors of the hot
war, however, have not intro
duced the reign of peace. They
have given rise to the cold war.
The theory that nations are
either at war or at peace is
today little more than a relic
of the age of chivalry, and yet
I canot avoid the impression
that the people of Britain are
still under this impression. They
believe themselves to be at peace
today and seem to have little
idea of the intensity of the cold
war that is being waged against
them. Moreover, they still have
the impression that cold war
methods are not quite honorable.
Stick to Old Way
Her Majesty's government, as
a senior official recently in
formed me. are unwilling to de-
part from the conventional
methods of diplomacy. We do
not seem to realize that cold war
can threaten our existence as
much as hot war.
The principal weapon of the
cold war, in the Middle East at
least, is words. Britain is being
driven from the Middle East by
words-words to which, with
British impassivity, she refuses
to reply.
The most powerful instrument
Of the cold war in the Middle
East is radio broadcasting. The
Greek radio is invading Cyprus
more effectively than the Greek
Army ever could. The Egyptian
radio daily pours the bitterest
poison into the ears of millions
in the Arab countries, and nearly
everything it says is untrue. The
vast majority of the listeners are
utterly ignorant of the world.
and have no background against
which to judge the truth or
falsity of the statements made.
The same bitter diatribes and
violent slogans are poured out
day after day, hour after hour.
and there is no reply, no re-
Spouse, no counter propaganda.
When a foreign radio said that
British troops were bayoneting
babies, English people merely
laughed and said How ridicu-
lous." But millions of listeners
believed it.
Britain pays two-thirds of
Jordan's national budget. But
when Jordanians heard on the
radio that the British were suck
ing the life blood of their coun-
try, they believed it because no.
body took the trouble to explain
bllCH puuSCl W lIlSIIl.
We. who were to the best of
our ability devoting our lives to
the service of Jordan. were daily
the victims of the most violent
abuse from Egyptian radio sta
tions. Even Indictment to revolt
and murder were not omitted. A
direct invasion of Jordan by the
Egyptian army would have been
easy to deal with, because this
would have been an old-fash-.
toned war and we would have
shot back. But to streams of
subversive lies, we made no reply.
Foe Highly Efficient
There is, of course, a technique
In the war of broadcasting, that
many others have carried to a
high degree of efficiency But
Britain has not yet started.
If Britain were to take the ra-
do war seriously-and if she
does not, the outcome will be
disaster-it would not neces-
sarily be the British Broadcast
ing Corp. that would be affected.
Independent" radio stations
could be opened. which could
say what the diplomats cannot.
The British government could
not be held responsible-there is
free speech in England
A good way of dealing with