Omaha daily bee., 1920-02-15
B0L LSHEv|SM
TIL R { A EN- S
ALL NATIONS
SAYS GENERAL
Harsh Terms of Versailles
Treaty Breaks Germany's
BulWark Against Radical
ism, Says Ludendorff.
By KARL H. Won WIEGAND.
Universal Service staff Correspondent.
Special Cable Dispaten
Copyright. 1920, by Universal Service,

| 'opHr'sh. INV, U! t"Nerea service
Berlin. Feb. t4-Gen. Erich
Ludendorff, in an exclusive inter
| view today told me his views on
| what he sees as the bolshevist men
ace to conquer the world. 1t was
the first time in a year the former
army chict consented to speak for
publication on this all-absorbing
subject.
! after my return to Berlin in
| March Of last year" he said. when
! | was visited by many politicians
and sought out by numerous journ-
alists, pointed to the great danger
| which Russian bolshevism presented
| from the political social, economic
and military viewpoints.
AT that time my warning was in
4 lterpreted as we'll meant journal
Fistic attempt to influence the peace
negotiations. and | was represented
i'll the usual guise of the rigid mill
| tarist.
| "However, bolshevism has.
| throughout the year 1919, proved
victorious on all its fronts and to-
day threatens Germany. and through
it all Europe and fear America
as well, in most positive man
| ner'
An Offensive Power.
! "Bolshevism is an offensive power
| thicll aims to bring about world
revolution. 1t must either conquer
the world or crumble to pieces.
For this reason alone | consider
lasting peace with the soviet repub
lie impossible: We made peace
with her. bit she has fought us ever
since. Will not the world take Our
lesson to heart?'
an Asia-that is, in Persia,
Aighanistar. Turkestan and India
boshevism mas assumed the cloak
Of pan-Islamism. In Europe, on.
the other hand, it propagates conf
The bolshevist armv is real
menace. and this ever-present
danger becomes more threatening as
it finds communist allies in every
country it invades. We must con
slider bolshevism an elemental force
which, like the mongols OF central
Asia in former times, threatens to
overwhelm Europe.
Germany the Breakwater.
Germany has been repeatedly
in history the breakwater against
which the food from the east dashed
itself to pieces. Should Germany
be unable to hold it up this time,
then the consequences will be dis
astrous.
The world soon will see the I
conquences of the peace of Yer
sailles. In any event, should Ger
many fulfill the terms of the treaty.
it will be so impoverished from the
economic viewpoint and so power
less i'll a military sense that it will
be unable to resist the pressure OF
bolshevist attacks particularly in
asmuch as in addition to the ex-
teynal forces OF bolshevism, it has
an enemy within its gates.
Bolshevism Yields Propaganda.
The danger to Germany and the
world is the more real and more
serious III that We would require
many months before we could mus
ter AL army, lacking as we do every
equipment. America knows this
! from It's own experiences IN the
world war
The war has taught us what a
powerful agent the work of propa-
ganda il Bo1shevism uses this
weapon to the utmost and it wields
If with deNterity.
The conditions that exist in Ger
many today have developed under
the influence OF this propaganda.
France, it must be emphasized, in
stigated the support of revolutionary
propaganda i'll Germany, as Herr
Helm, the Prussian minister OF the
interior, declared few days ago. |
have reasons which l think, justify
me III saying that England, too, is
active in this sense.
"On the other hand, I recognize
that the United States policy toward
the soviet republic neglects the eco
nomlc reconstruction of Russia and
leaves her loonhoe for revolution
airy propaganda throughout the
world
Many Aids to Success.
The internal conditions of Ger
many, poverty, food shortage and
general chaos, provide many aids TO
the success of this propaganda, the
more so as our people, and primarily
the working classes. do not know,
and consequently do not recognize,
the object: bolshevist terrorism
through the complete cnslavement
OF individual"
Asked how. in view OF his ad-
missions OF the tremendous power
OF bolshevist aggression. he believed
resistance to the lredS possible, Cen
eral Ludendorf said Realization
OF The common danger should unite
all non-bo'shevist nations, and thus
alone can they ward off the external
and internal menace of bolshevism.
The civilized nations should at last
bury their mutual distrust, recognize
their common enemy, and unite in a
concerted effort of self protection
Germany can become a bulwark
against bolshevism only if her right
of self determination is restored
without delay and the world is
freed of the harsh terms OF the Ner-
sailles treaty, which arc so iull of
danger to the future peace OF the
world
"Germany's interests in this one
question are identical with those OF
the whole world. and this couvic-
tlon should at last become the COM