BROADCASTS TO BAHRAIN (Hansard, 19 December 1956)

LORD RENNELL
My Lords, I beg to ask the Question which stands in my name on the Order Paper.

THE MINISTER OF STATE FOR FOREIGN AFFAIRS (THE MARQUESS OF READING)
My Lords, I cannot accept the noble Lord's statement that the only effective broadcast services at Bahrain emanate from Moscow and Cairo. Bahrain receives the B.B.C. and the Voice of Britain on both short and medium waves from Cyprus. Of these broadcasts, 4¾ hours are given to B.B.C. programmes and l0¼ hours to the Voice of Britain. The B.B.C. Arabic services arc also clearly heard direct from the United Kingdom. Reports indicate that they are widely listened to. The Bahrain Government maintains its own radio station with excellent reception locally. The Voice of America's Arabic Service from Tangiers is also listened to.
Apart from the radio, there is a daily distribution of London Press Service bulletins to clubs and other key points. British Information Office hand-outs are distributed in the streets several times a week. British newspapers, which arrive in Bahrain one day after publication, are bought by many educated Arabs, and they are always available in the British reading rooms.

§ EARL HOWE
My Lords, may I ask the noble Marquess whether he considers that the Voice of Britain can be compared in its efficiency with Cairo Radio, observing that there have been reports that Cairo Radio is infinitely better suited to the Arab population?

THE MARQUESS OF READING
We can do no more than give a choice of programmes to these people. As I say, it may be that Cairo Radio which, shall I say, putting it mildly, gives itself rather more scope and rather more flexibility in handling the truth than do our programmes, may certainly appeal to some of the population. At the same time, my information is genuinely that the B.B.C. and the Voice of Britain are very considerably listened to in Bahrain.

LORD RENNELL
I thank the noble Marquess for his Answer. May I inquire whether any of those many hours employed by the Voice of Britain and the B.B.C. were employed in replying to the incitement by Moscow Radio at 1240 the beginning of this month, the text of which I have before me? My information is that no attempt was made to reply to this incitement to violence.

THE MARQUESS OF READING
My Lords, without seeing the specific item in the Moscow programme to which the noble Lord refers, and which he tells us that he has in his possession, I cannot, of course, say whether any reply has been made to it. If he is willing to let me have the item in question, I will certainly have the matter looked into and will let him know whether a reply was made.

§ THE EARL OF SWINTON
Can the noble Marquess tell us whether Moscow and Cairo Radios are regularly monitored?

THE MARQUESS OF READING
I am not quite sure whether monitoring is done regularly, but a pretty careful watch is kept on them. I think I am right in saying that monitoring is done regularly.

§ EARL HOWE
My Lords, the Government have appointed the Postmaster General as their chief of publicity. May I ask the noble Marquess whether the answer he has just given and the effects in regard to the Government can be referred to the Postmaster General for careful consideration, to see whether something further might not be possible in order to improve the Voice of Britain?

THE MARQUESS OF READING
My Lords, the whole of that aspect is being carefully looked into, and I can tell the noble Earl that that would be within the field of the Postmaster General's inquiries.

§ LORD KILLEARN
My Lords, could the noble Marquess say—because I am not quite clear—whether in fact these Moscow and Cairo broadcasts are monitored or not?

THE MARQUESS OF READING
My Lords, the noble Earl, Lord Swinton, just asked me that question. I said at first that I was not quite sure, but on information conveyed to me by one of my colleagues, I then added that I thought it was right to say that they were regularly monitored.