BBC v. Ballyhoo

A large portrait of Winston Churchill, which has long decorated the British Broadcasting Corp.'s Manhattan office, was discreetly out of sight last week. Abroad no less than at home, as Britain's general election campaign roared down the home stretch, the BBC maintained its traditional policy of strict political neutrality.

To give each party a fair whack at radio time, BBC (in agreement with Parliament politicos) had allotted ten airings of 30 minutes each to Conservatives and Laborites, four airings to Liberals. By U.S. standards this added up to no radio campaign at all, but to those who like their politics straight, it made good sense.

Nightly, just after the 9 o'clock news, the ballyhoo-shunning BBC quietly introduces a speaker chosen by his party. Aside from these 30-minute talks, mention of political personalities or the campaign is taboo. Not even Churchill, who last week toured the hinterlands (see FOREIGN NEWS) , gets so much as a passing reference.

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