Tuesday, 18 March 1913

This post is part of a series post-blogging the phantom airship scare of 1913. See here for an introduction to the series, and here for a conclusion.

Liverpool Echo, 18 March 1913, 3

The Liberal Daily Chronicle's parliamentary correspondent, as reported in today's Liverpool Echo (above; p. 3), has used the phantom airship scare to attack the Conservative press in the harshest terms, on the basis that they have made the British people look ridiculous in the eyes of Europe:

A distinguished private member [of Parliament], who has just returned from Italy, tells me that he found in various parts of the Continent that an impression very unfavourable to this country had been created by the scare articles in some British newspapers in regard to the so-called mysterious movements of alleged airships. 'These foolish alarmist articles,' said the hon. member in question, 'convey the idea that we have lost our nerve and sangfroid, and our prestige on the Continent suffers accordingly.' The Yellow Press of this country has much to answer for. It is unpatriotic to the core.

This is a bit unfair of Europe, since in recent weeks mystery aircraft have also been seen in (possibly) France, Belgium, Romania, Austria-Hungary, and Germany. Then again, perhaps they didn't become the press sensation in those countries that they did in Britain.

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