Fr. Drinkwater's Credibility Test
Si.—My credibility test fur Spanish war-news is a simple one. When an English correspondent of a reputable English Daily tells, over his own name, that. he has witnessed this, or been told that, or feels he can vouch for the other, then I believe his words as far as they go. I would feel similar confidence in a French or American correspondent.
information from a news-agency (except in so far as it may occasionally approach the above standard) is on a much lower level; and every other kind of report is just propaganda, all of which I begin by disbelieving or doubting. Still, one can often arrive at somc truth by comparing reports or by reading between the lines.
If it will comfort your correspondents at all the newspaper delivered every day at my door is the Morning Post.
But as for Guernica, I think there was never any reasonable doubt about it and if there was it could not survive Mr. Noel Monk's article in the Daily Express of May 11.
F. H. DRINKWATER.
763, Coventry Road, Birmingham.
[Fr. Drinkwater has not dealt with the specific instances of tho acceptance by the world generally of Madril propa.gated news which has in proved to be false or hopelessly exaggerated. In regard to Guerniea, Fr. Driultwater's naive trust in " eyewitnesses " may he slightly affected hy the interview we publish this week. -Entroad