| Abstrakt: |
At the beginning of the First World War, Robert Saudek was part of a relatively small group of intellectuals who, although they kept their distance from the war hysteria, got involved in war propaganda by the force of circumstances, simply because the only alternative was the much worse option of serving at the front. It was undoubtedly a schizophrenic experience, but there was no escaping it. Robert Saudek’s response was to move into the more or less technical and rather neutral field of gathering intelligence. He was not one of the blatant purveyors of Austro-Hungarian or German war propaganda; instead, he excelled in acquiring, collecting, analysing, and distributing news and information. The ossified Austro-Hungarian propaganda machine failed to appreciate his contribution, and Robert Saudek continually struggled with it. With his ambitious nature, he did not hesitate to pretend to own the Dutch news agency Hollandsch Niewsbureau in order to strengthen his position vis-à-vis the Viennese authorities. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR] |
