tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-32570460.post2074544312252065982..comments2024-03-13T07:34:24.149+00:00Comments on The Age of Uncertainty: A Letter From the Ministry of InformationSteerforthhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07627936539372313828noreply@blogger.comBlogger7125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-32570460.post-7224925753030152002014-06-16T21:46:36.917+00:002014-06-16T21:46:36.917+00:00Lucy - In the pre-internet age, it must have been ...Lucy - In the pre-internet age, it must have been fascinating to track the origins of a rumour and determine the etiology (I think that's the right word). I used to also wonder how quickly jokes - the ones too tasteles to be broadcast - spread. <br /><br />Thank God there was no Twitter in WW2.Steerforthhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/07627936539372313828noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-32570460.post-86261771192796608672014-06-16T21:22:34.917+00:002014-06-16T21:22:34.917+00:00But surely you don't believe for a minute that...But surely you don't believe for a minute that the MoI were telling Mr Eddington the truth? They ran their own rumour department - spreading rumours in Germany but also spreading rumours in the UK to study how, and how far and how fast, they spread. Plus they spread "positive" rumours.<br /><br />Source an attention-seeking neurotic = We can't find out who's spreading these rumours. Lucy R. Fisherhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/08632983296994349550noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-32570460.post-14590425339448110822014-06-14T22:07:59.501+00:002014-06-14T22:07:59.501+00:00Camilla - I've just Googled Snopes and can see...Camilla - I've just Googled Snopes and can see several lost hours ahead of me while I visit their website.<br /><br />Roger - It's extraordinary, but not surprising. I must pinch the next volume of Harold Nicolson diaries that comes my way and have a read. <br /><br />I read somewhere that we toyed with the idea of dropping really obscene pornographic material over Germany, to demoralise that populace, but decided that it might be counter-productive. I tried to find out more, but ended up with this amusing list:<br /><br />http://listverse.com/2013/11/05/10-hilariously-childish-weapons-we-used-against-the-nazis/Steerforthhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/07627936539372313828noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-32570460.post-29071338945554952352014-06-14T19:50:25.049+00:002014-06-14T19:50:25.049+00:00Reading this interesting letter, Steerforth, I str...Reading this interesting letter, Steerforth, I struggled to recall where I'd seen the comment about the Ministry of Information now reproduced below. I finally remembered that it was from the diary of Harold Nicolson - such a great chronicler of his times.It was written just after we went to war with Germany on September 14, 1939:-<br />"The Opposition are getting somewhat restive, especially about the Ministry of Information. The latter has been staffed by duds at the top and all the good people are in the most subordinate positions. The rage and fury of the newspapermen passes all bounds. John Gunther, for instance, told me that he had asked one of the censors for the text of our leaflet which we dropped over Germany. The request was refused. He asked why. The answer was 'We are not allowed to disclose information which might be of value to the enemy.' When Gunther pointed out that two million of these leaflets had been dropped over Germany, the man blinked and said, 'Yes, something must be wrong there.'" Roger Chttps://www.blogger.com/profile/14162453304943857974noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-32570460.post-36627694741798374942014-06-12T18:26:02.745+00:002014-06-12T18:26:02.745+00:00"This Ministry has, from time to time, tried ..."This Ministry has, from time to time, tried to run these rumours down to their ultimate origin in order to find out whether enemy agents are responsible for starting them."<br /><br />This sounds very much like the work of modern-day Snopes!<br /><br />CamillaCamillahttps://www.blogger.com/profile/11672776221279283290noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-32570460.post-23029000127687712092014-06-12T14:47:27.320+00:002014-06-12T14:47:27.320+00:00Looks like a handy property. You wake up in the mo...Looks like a handy property. You wake up in the morning, brush your teeth and only have to walk three feet to work. I'll keep a note in case Mrs Steerforth ever kicks me out.Steerforthhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/07627936539372313828noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-32570460.post-82852351664903815222014-06-12T06:33:48.409+00:002014-06-12T06:33:48.409+00:00Absolutely fascinating! We won the war and had to ...Absolutely fascinating! We won the war and had to battle a fifth column of disgruntled citizens with inferiority complexes!<br />I wonder if Mr Pot and Kettle traded from her:<br />http://www.rightmove.co.uk/property-to-rent/property-46351883.htmlRoghttps://www.blogger.com/profile/09430706557035189147noreply@blogger.com