1984

           times14.2.84miniplentymalquotedchocolaterectify 

           times3.12.83reportingbbdayorderdoubleplusungoodrefsunpersonsrewritefullwiseupsubantefiling 

           WithafaintfeelingofsatisfactionWinstonlaidthefourthmessageaside. Itwasanintricateandresponsiblejobandhadbetterbedealtwithlast. Theotherthreewereroutinematters,thoughthesecondonewouldprobablymeansometediouswadingthroughlistsoffigures. 

           Winstondialled‘backnumbers’onthetelescreenandcalledfortheappropriateissuesof‘TheTimes’,whichslidoutofthepneumatictubeafteronlyafewminutes’delay. Themessageshehadreceivedreferredtoarticlesornewsitemswhichforonereasonoranotheritwasthoughtnecessarytoalter,or,astheofficialphrasehadit,torectify. Forexample,itappearedfrom‘TheTimes’oftheseventeenthofMarchthatBigBrother,inhisspeechofthepreviousday, hadpredictedthattheSouthIndianfrontwouldremainquietbutthataEurasianoffensivewouldshortlybelaunchedinNorthAfrica. Asithappened,theEurasianHigherCommandhadlauncheditsoffensiveinSouthIndiaandleftNorthAfricaalone. ItwasthereforenecessarytorewriteaparagraphofBigBrother’sspeech,insuchawayastomakehimpredictthethingthathadactuallyhappened. Oragain,‘TheTimes’ofthenineteenthofDecemberhadpublishedtheofficialforecastsoftheoutputofvariousclassesofconsumptiongoodsinthefourthquarterof1983,whichwasalsothesixthquarteroftheNinthThree-YearPlan. Today’sissuecontainedastatementoftheactualoutput, fromwhichitappearedthattheforecastswereineveryinstancegrosslywrong. Winston’sjobwastorectifytheoriginalfiguresbymakingthemagreewiththelaterones.