ABSTRACT
This chapter evaluates how important the threats really were and how the French government and the army campaigned against them. The French and the Germans not only had large propaganda units, made up of experts and communication specialists, but also financial and political support. At the front, enemy psychological warfare was not the only problem; communism was also a worry for the military and for civilian society. The Etat-Major (EM), firmly convinced that the communist threat was real, launched a campaign of counter-propaganda in October 1939. Communist propaganda was uncommon on the frontline in winter but became more frequent during spring 1940. Censorship reports and unit commanders agreed that German propaganda had only a small impact. The process of checking on potential revolutionary soldiers was not made easier by subaltern officers, who had direct contacts and plenty of opportunities to debate with suspected communists.
