Propaganda in the Press and the Formation of Public Opinion: Polit- Ical and Wartime Goals of the Ustasha Government and The
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Alan Labus: PROPAGANDA IN THE PRESS AND THE FORMATION OF PUBLIC OPINION: POLITICAL AND WARTIME GOALS OF THE USTASHA GOVERNMENT AND THE THIRD REICH IN THE PRESS OF THE INDEPENDENT STATE OF CROA- TIA AT THE END OF WORLD WAR 2 Informatol. 47, 2014., 2-3, 100-114 100 INFO- 2110 UDK: 32.019.5:355.4:007 Primljeno / Received: 2013-05-14 Izvorni znanstveni rad/Original Scientific Paper PROPAGANDA IN THE PRESS AND THE FORMATION OF PUBLIC OPINION: POLIT- ICAL AND WARTIME GOALS OF THE USTASHA GOVERNMENT AND THE THIRD REICH IN THE PRESS OF THE INDEPENDENT STATE OF CROATIA AT THE END OF WORLD WAR 2 NOVINSKA PROMIDŽBA I FORMIRANJE JAVNOG MNIJENJA: POLITIČKI I RATNI CILJEVI USTAŠKIH VLASTI I TREĆEG REICHA U TISKU NEZAVISNE DRŽAVE HRVATSKE NA KRAJU DRUGOG SVJETSKOG RATA Alan Labus B A Krčelić College of Business and Management, Zaprešić, Croatia Visoka škola za poslovanje i upravljanje, s pravom javnosti "Baltazar Adam Krčelić", Zaprešić, Hrvatska Abstract Sažetak Based on the primary documentary sources of the Na temelju izvorne građe fondova Ministarstva Croatian State Archives (CSA), the Fonds of the For- vanjski poslova Nezavisne Države Hrvatske (NDH) i eign Ministry of the Independent State of Croatia Hrvatskog dojavnog ureda „Croatia“ kao i novinske (ISC) and the Croatian Information Bureau “Croa- građe dnevnih i periodičnih izdanja s kraja 1944 i tia”, as well as information found in daily and peri- prvih pet mjeseci 1945., autor analizira sadržaj vanj- odical newspapers printed from late 1944 to May skopolitičkih, unutrašnjopolitičkih i ratnih tema u 1945, the author analyzes the content of the ISC press tisku NDH. Povezujući naputke ustaških vlasti s regarding foreign and domestic politics and war većim brojem članaka u novinama i stvarnu situaciju issues. Comparing political orders and dictations to na brojnim europski bojištima, autor zaključuje kako newspaper editors with a large number of articles je ustaška promidžba, potpomognuta njemačkom and the actual situation at the European battlefronts imala značajan utjecaj na formiranje javnog mnijenja of that time, the author concludes that Ustasha prop- u NDH na kraju Drugog svjetskog rata. Iz autoru aganda, supported by the Third Reich, significantly dostupne građe razvidno je da je većini građana influenced the formation of public opinion in the ISC NDH bilo jasno kako je Treći Reich, a onda i njeni at the end of World War II. From the sources availa- sateliti, izgubio rat, no flagrantno stvarana atmosfera ble, it is now obvious that the majority of the ISC straha od komunističke odmazde doprinijela je ma- population was fully aware that the Third Reich, as sovnom egzodusu hrvatskih građana u svibnju 1945. well as its satellite states, had lost the war but the atmosphere which was deliberately created by the Ustasha authorities in the ISC caused a mass exodus in early May 1945 nevertheless. Introduction gative and Propaganda Bureau (Državni In the period between the Battle of Stalingrad izvještajni i promičbeni ured – DIPU), the Head (1942-1943) and the fall of Berlin on 2 May 1945, Office for Propaganda (Glavno ravnateljstvo za which marked the end of World War II in Europe, promičbu – GRP), the Press Department of the the ISC press served the political and war goals of Foreign Ministry and the Home Supervisory Ser- Germans and the Ustashas. A unified model of vice (Unutrašnja nadzorna služba – UNS). Follow- circulating information in the ISC was supported ing the guidelines of the DIPU/GRP Press De- by a complex political control of the media, espe- partment, war and foreign policy topics were cially the newspapers, through the State Investi- allotted as many as five pages per issue by the ISSN 1330-0067 Coden: IORME7 Alan Labus: PROPAGANDA IN THE PRESS AND THE FORMATION OF PUBLIC OPINION: POLITICAL AND WARTIME Alan Labus: PROPAGANDA IN THE PRESS AND THE FORMATION OF PUBLIC OPINION: POLITICAL AND WARTIME GOALS OF THE USTASHA GOVERNMENT AND THE THIRD REICH IN THE PRESS OF THE INDEPENDENT STATE OF CROA- GOALS OF THE USTASHA GOVERNMENT AND THE THIRD REICH IN THE PRESS OF THE INDEPENDENT STATE OF CROA- TIA AT THE END OF WORLD WAR 2 TIA AT THE END OF WORLD WAR 2 Informatol. 47, 2014., 2-3, 100-114 101 Informatol. 47, 2014., 2-3, 100-114 most influential daily newspapers – Hrvatski narod referred to the principles delineated in the Atlan- INFO- 2110 UDK: 32.019.5:355.4:007 (The Croatian People) Nova Hrvatska (The New tic Charter when criticizing the policies of the Primljeno / Received: 2013-05-14 Izvorni znanstveni rad/Original Scientific Paper Croatia), Hrvatski list (The Croatian Post) and Novi Allies. list from Sarajevo (The New Post); two or three Unlike other newspapers in the ISC, PROPAGANDA IN THE PRESS AND THE FORMATION OF PUBLIC OPINION: POLIT- pages were dedicated to these issues by the week- Spremnost adopted a more benevolent view of ICAL AND WARTIME GOALS OF THE USTASHA GOVERNMENT AND THE THIRD lies Spremnost (The Willingness) and Novine (The Western democracies after the Tehran conference, REICH IN THE PRESS OF THE INDEPENDENT STATE OF CROATIA AT THE END OF Newspapers), as well as cartoons on the front which corresponded with the political shifts in the WORLD WAR 2 pages of the humorous weeklies Vrabac (The Spar- ISC. This was especially prominent in the editori- row) and Šilo (The Awl). als of Spremnost from summer and autumn issues War reports in the ISC newspapers used of 1944 – when a part of Ustasha leadership was NOVINSKA PROMIDŽBA I FORMIRANJE JAVNOG MNIJENJA: POLITIČKI I RATNI to contain only the information approved by the weighing the option of the ISC leaning towards CILJEVI USTAŠKIH VLASTI I TREĆEG REICHA U TISKU NEZAVISNE DRŽAVE German press agency DNB, while news about the the United Kingdom and the USA – and those HRVATSKE NA KRAJU DRUGOG SVJETSKOG RATA Allies were a selection of German, Italian, French, from the spring of 1945, when the highest state Bulgarian, Romanian and Finnish press releases. officials planned go into exile and surrender to the With the aim of increasing the credibility of Western Allies, as far from Tito’s Partisans as Alan Labus newspapers, a selection of politically appropriate possible. The plans of the Ustasha leadership were B A Krčelić College of Business and Management, Zaprešić, Croatia news was not infrequently made from the news- revealed on 6 May 1945, the day German troops Visoka škola za poslovanje i upravljanje, s pravom javnosti "Baltazar Adam Krčelić", Zaprešić, Hrvatska papers of both neutral countries – such as Switzer- retreated from Zagreb, in articles printed by Abstract Sažetak land, Sweden, Spain, Turkey, or Portugal – and Spremnost, Hrvatski narod and Nova Hrvatska. Based on the primary documentary sources of the Na temelju izvorne građe fondova Ministarstva the enemy ones, such as the United Kingdom, the Therein, similar to the Memorandum sent by the Croatian State Archives (CSA), the Fonds of the For- vanjski poslova Nezavisne Države Hrvatske (NDH) i United States and the Soviet Union. Foreign con- ISC government to the Western Allies, the ISC eign Ministry of the Independent State of Croatia Hrvatskog dojavnog ureda „Croatia“ kao i novinske tent of the ISC press largely reflected the Ustasha was included among the democratic states. (ISC) and the Croatian Information Bureau “Croa- građe dnevnih i periodičnih izdanja s kraja 1944 i views of the Allies, of the relation between the tia”, as well as information found in daily and peri- prvih pet mjeseci 1945., autor analizira sadržaj vanj- Allies and the People’s Liberation Movement odical newspapers printed from late 1944 to May skopolitičkih, unutrašnjopolitičkih i ratnih tema u (Narodnooslobodilački pokret – NOP), and of the 1945, the author analyzes the content of the ISC press tisku NDH. Povezujući naputke ustaških vlasti s consequences that agreements between the “Big regarding foreign and domestic politics and war većim brojem članaka u novinama i stvarnu situaciju Three” had on the ISC and the Axis forces. Edi- issues. Comparing political orders and dictations to na brojnim europski bojištima, autor zaključuje kako tors-in-chief, newspaper directors and columnists newspaper editors with a large number of articles je ustaška promidžba, potpomognuta njemačkom for Spremnost, Hrvatski narod and Nova Hrvatska – and the actual situation at the European battlefronts imala značajan utjecaj na formiranje javnog mnijenja Ivo Bogdan, Tijas Mortigi, Milivoj Magdić, Franjo of that time, the author concludes that Ustasha prop- u NDH na kraju Drugog svjetskog rata. Iz autoru Nevistić, Petar Bareza, Vilko Rieger, Ivo Vučičević aganda, supported by the Third Reich, significantly dostupne građe razvidno je da je većini građana and others – attempted to prove the necessity of influenced the formation of public opinion in the ISC NDH bilo jasno kako je Treći Reich, a onda i njeni the military and political alliance between the at the end of World War II. From the sources availa- sateliti, izgubio rat, no flagrantno stvarana atmosfera Ustashas and Germany. They also tried to present ble, it is now obvious that the majority of the ISC straha od komunističke odmazde doprinijela je ma- the Ustasha “revolution” as the struggle for a population was fully aware that the Third Reich, as sovnom egzodusu hrvatskih građana u svibnju 1945. Croatian state, and the NOP as the Greater Serbia well as its satellite states, had lost the war but the rebellion against it, allegedly led by communists atmosphere which was deliberately created by the with Soviet support. The alliance between the Soviet Union, Ustasha authorities in the ISC caused a mass exodus in early May 1945 nevertheless. the United Kingdom and the United States in the Figure 1: An example of how the Ustasha Publishing ISC press was defined as an unnatural collabora- House influenced the choice of content for Šilo, a hu- tion of plutocracy and communism.