ABSTRACT
In July 1943 Owen Reed decided that his days with the BBC’s Middle East organization were numbered. Given his dissatisfaction with life in Cairo and with his status as a ‘base wallah’, all evident in his correspondence since March, it might well be asked why he remained there so long. There are several reasons. Firstly, he recovered from jaundice only very slowly: as late as June he was back in hospital for tests, although he eventually received a clean bill of health.1 Secondly, while the War in North Africa continued he managed to convince himself that the BBC’s contribution – in the form of news and propaganda – was of some importance, as was his personal role in their office, given the chronic shortage of staff and the atmosphere of crisis prevalent during the early months of the year.2 Thirdly, he had received an excessively pessimistic assessment of his future prospects in active service, which undoubtedly discouraged him from seeking alternative employment.3
