Aeschylus? Philip Snowden? Ethel Annakin? Samuel Johnson? Anne MacVicar Grant? E. D. Morel? W. T. Foster? Agnes Maude Royden? Hiram Johnson? Arthur Ponsonby? Anonymous?
Question for Quote Investigator: The participants in a violent conflict often engage in crude propaganda and advocacy. Here are four versions of a pertinent saying:
- Truth is the first casualty in war.
- The first casualty of war is truth.
- When war is declared, truth is the first victim.
- In war, truth is the first casualty.
This adage has been credited to Aeschylus, Hiram Johnson, Arthur Ponsonby, and others. Would you please explore this topic?
Reply from Quote Investigator: The earliest close match known to QI appeared in “The San Diego Union” newspaper of California in July 1915 within an article about a speech delivered by Ethel Annakin who was the wife of the British politician Philip Snowden. Annakin employed the saying while denouncing the ongoing conflict between the United Kingdom and Germany. She disclaimed credit by providing an anonymous attribution. Boldface added to excerpts by QI:[1] 1915 July 19, The San Diego Union, War Cause Crime Laid Bare By Wife Of English Peer, Quote Page 4, Column 4, San Diego, California. (GenealogyBank)
“Someone has said that ‘truth is the first casualty of warfare,’” she continued, “and this has been proved by the appalling misconceptions that have been spread broadcast since the war began.”
Here are additional selected citations in chronological order.
Continue reading “Truth Is the First Casualty in War”
References
↑1 | 1915 July 19, The San Diego Union, War Cause Crime Laid Bare By Wife Of English Peer, Quote Page 4, Column 4, San Diego, California. (GenealogyBank) |
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