Mr. Harold Nicolson's warning to the British people to be prepared for more bad news in the future is a sign of Allied confidence. The British people are not afraid to face the facts; they prefer facts, however unpleasant, to balder dash. Bad news will be taken with the same' calmness as good news, and the Government can rest assured of the wholehearted support of the Empire so long as reverses, provided they do not give the enemy valuable information, are acknowledged as well as victories. The opposite is the case in Germany. Hitler cannot afford to tell the German people the truth, except about his victories, His loss: s, which have been terrific, must be minimized. But how long can he keep them dark? How long can the thousands of German mothers who must sooner or later receive the official infor-motion of the death of their sons, be prevented from comparing notes. They have been given io understand that this war is a foregone conclusion for the Nazis. But will they be prepared to stand the cost, when they know at last what that cost has so far been, and will be in the future? The policy of the British Government in concealing nothing that might not assist the enemy has prepared the British public for whatever might happen. If the developments of the next few days prove to be better than was yesterday anticipated, the British public will be cheered, not disheartened. Whereas the German public, led to believe that all is over bar the shouting, will learn only slowly and by devious means of the disappointment of their High Command. The Allies, judging from the statement made by the Minister of Information in the House of Commons, are prepared to see that the real news reach: s the German people by one means or another. This can be the only interpretation of Mr. Duff-Coopers mention of the section of German public opinion which does not agree with Hitler and the Nazis and believes that this war was from the beginning unnecessary. Work such as this is not "fifth column"; it is simply letting the facts speak for themselves:
Text read from the printed page and cleaned; old type leaves the occasional error.