Old Newspapers

Trevor Leggett was head of the Japanese Department of the BBC.

This is one of his broadcasts to Japan

Zubari: Old Newspapers

Hello listeners!

This is the summer period when some of us make a visit to another place to visit friends or relatives, and we take out some suitcases in which to pack a few clothes. Sometimes we find in the suitcases old newspapers from perhaps a year ago. Usually we throw them away, but it is interesting to put them aside, and look at them. We see how the newspapers, one year ago, expected the future to be.

Even a 3-month-old newspaper can be very interesting. I recently found one published shortly before the recent General Election in Britain. The Conservative Mrs. Thatcher won by a big majority, but this newspaper featured a speech by the Labour Leader Mr. Kinnock, saying that his Party would win a “landslide victory”. Not just a victory, but a crushing victory. The newspaper agreed with him that it was likely.

How completely wrong they were! I remember reading this speech at the time. But I had forgotten about it. It was good to read it again – because it makes one realise again how little we humans can predict the future.

Even in the important matters, the best-informed people can only guess. And they often guess wrong.

In 1945, General De Gaulle, who had led the French Government in exile during the war, retired to the country He had hoped to become President of France, but was decisively rejected. For fifteen years, he lived alone in the country, still hoping to be brought back to power in politics. The French Press went to interview him each year. They published the interviews with sarcastic headlines like: THE OLD MAN WAITING FOR NOTHING.

Not a single commentator or journalist imagined that he had any future. Yet in 1958, he was suddenly called to return and become President. He saved France from an economic collapse.

I recommend all young people to keep the New Year’s Day newspaper each year. This is the paper which looks forward to the future. then re-read them each New Year’s Day in future. You will be surprised! It will protect against being over-impressed by prophecies which seem absolutely confident, but are in fact only guesses!

© Trevor Leggett