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‘File 28/7 II War: Propaganda – Local Opinion’ [‎184r] (367/686)

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The record is made up of 1 file (341 folios). It was created in 12 Mar 1942-12 Aug 1944. It was written in English. The original is part of the British Library: India Office The department of the British Government to which the Government of India reported between 1858 and 1947. The successor to the Court of Directors. Records and Private Papers Documents collected in a private capacity. .

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)
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- 3 -
the Regia Aeronautica are pushed back into Italy itself. Moreover the
successful attacks on Italian shipping by British submarines around their
coasts is an indication that naval blockade is beginning to grip the
islands. It seems possible, therefore, that direct blows may be directed
against the heart of Italy across the Tyrhennian Sea and also up the
Adriatic.
Anything may happen in Italy at any time; but it should not be
forgotten that the Italian soldier usually fights most resolutely on his
own soil. "Viva II DuceJ", it is reported, is being rapidly superseded
by the cry "Vive II Re’" and there is no question that the prestige of
Mussolini and the Fascist Party has sunk to zero. Criticism of present
corruption and inefficiency and of the German alliance is now quite open.
What will Germany do ?
(a) The I talian Li ability:
There are at present no signs of German divisions being sent
to Italy’s aid. Italy, with her heavy demands on German coal and other
-v raw materials for factories, is a German liability, whereas the Balkans,
, with their oil, minerals and foodstuffs, are an important asset. If
Hitler decides to leave his ally to shift for herself and retires behind
the Brenner, he will conserve manpower and resources; but he will deal
a staggering blow to German prestige in the satellite countries; he will
be faced with the necessity of replacing some 10 to 12 Italian divisions
who have hitherto been doing police duty for him in the Balkans; and
German people in a hostile world will lose the moral support of an "Axis".
(b) Su mmer Campaign in Russia :
There is abundant evidence that the Germans are concentrating
very formidable forces, especially as regards heavy tanks, in the
Byelgorod sector of the Russian front, to north of Kharkov and against
Leningrad. The impending offensive will be extremely dangerous, for it
will be a desperate all-out effort to break through and cripnle the
Soviet army before major operations begin in the west. This*offensive
must have been planned several months ago when the Tunisian shield in the
south seemed reliable and when it seemed a reasonable assumption that
the German garrison in western Europe, some 50 divisions with limited
aid from a strategic reserve, could contain any Allied bridgehead until
the Russian front had been "neutralised".
C onclusion :
The speed and magnitude of the Tunisian debacle has fundamentally
^altered the situation. Whether the Allies decide to break into the outer
; defences of the German fortress or strike at his inner ramparts, the enemy’s
strength on the ground and in the air is going to be stretched to the
limit this summer to meet diverse and multiplying dangers. The more the
Allied forces succeed, the more desperate will German resistance be.
There is a hard road before us, but we have an initiative and flexibility
v/hich seemed scarcely possible a few weeks ago.
To:
E. B. Wakefield, Esquire, I.C.S.,
Political Agent A mid-ranking political representative (equivalent to a Consul) from the diplomatic corps of the Government of India or one of its subordinate provincial governments, in charge of a Political Agency. ,
Bahrain.

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Content

The file, a direct chronological continuation of ‘File 28/7 I War: Propaganda: local opinion’ (IOR/R/15/2/687), comprises reports and correspondence concerning: the dissemination of pro-British and Allied propaganda in Bahrain and the wider Persian Gulf The historical term used to describe the body of water between the Arabian Peninsula and Iran. region, as prepared and coordinated by the Publicity Office in Bahrain; the reception and impact of propaganda (Allied and Axis) on local public opinion in Bahrain. The propaganda covers events from Germany’s advances in Russia and Japan’s advances in the Indian Ocean in early 1942, to the Allied Landings in Normandy in June 1944. The principal correspondents in the file are: the Public Relations Officer in the Persian Gulf The historical term used to describe the body of water between the Arabian Peninsula and Iran. (Bertram Sidney Thomas); the Political Agent A mid-ranking political representative (equivalent to a Consul) from the diplomatic corps of the Government of India or one of its subordinate provincial governments, in charge of a Political Agency. at Bahrain (Major Reginald George Evelin William Alban; Edward Birkbeck Wakefield; Major Tom Hickinbotham); and the Political Resident A senior ranking political representative (equivalent to a Consul General) from the diplomatic corps of the Government of India or one of its subordinate provincial governments, in charge of a Political Residency. in the Persian Gulf The historical term used to describe the body of water between the Arabian Peninsula and Iran. (Lieutenant-Colonel Charles Geoffrey Prior).

The file includes:

Extent and format
1 file (341 folios)
Arrangement

The file’s contents are arranged in approximate chronological order, from the earliest item at the front to the latest at the end. The file notes at the end of the file (ff 315-342) mirror the chronological arrangement.

Physical characteristics

Foliation: the main foliation sequence (used for referencing) commences at the front cover with 1, and terminates at the inside back cover with 343; these numbers are written in pencil, are circled, and are located in the top right corner of the recto The front of a sheet of paper or leaf, often abbreviated to 'r'. side of each folio. An additional foliation sequence is present in parallel between ff 2-314; these numbers are also written in pencil, but are not circled, and are located in the same position as the main sequence. An additional mixed foliation/pagination sequence is also present in parallel between ff 315-342.

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English in Latin script
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‘File 28/7 II War: Propaganda – Local Opinion’ [‎184r] (367/686), British Library: India Office Records and Private Papers, IOR/R/15/2/688, in Qatar Digital Library <https://www.qdl.qa/archive/81055/vdc_100025481968.0x0000a8> [accessed 29 March 2024]

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