§ 72. Mr. J. Johnsonasked the Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs if he is aware of the intensity of anti-British propaganda spread by Radio Cairo in East Africa and particularly Zanzibar; and what he is doing in this matter.
§ Mr. Ian HarveyMy right hon. and learned Friend is aware of the broadcasts and their contents, which are characteristic of Cairo Radio. But I think people are now becoming so accustomed to these dishonest outpourings that their effectiveness is steadily diminishing. My right hon. Friend the Secretary of State for the Colonies informs me that the Colonial Governments in question are not seriously perturbed by the effects of these broadcasts, although they are watching them carefully.
Meanwhile, the House will be aware that at the instance of the Foreign Office the British Broadcasting Corporation's broadcasts in Arabic, which can reach the Arabic-speaking populations in East Africa, were increased from 4½ to 9½ hours a day with effect from 1st April.1957