The Washington herald., 1921-01-02
CHANGE In VIEW
HITS LUDENDORFF
German Now Convinced That
Soviet Government of Rus
sia Will Collapse.
By S. b. CONGER.

BERLIN, Jan. 1.-Gen. Ludendorff
for many months Germany's prize
prophet of evil in every discussion
Of the possibilities of the Bolshevists
Overrunning Europe-has changed
his mind, or at least his public ex-
preston of opinion on Bolsheyism.
He now is filled with great optim-
ism" in regard to Russia, convinced
that the Soviet government soon
will fall and be succeeded with
stable, constitutional government
with which Germany can and must
go hand in hand. Cooperation be-
tween Germany and such a Russia
he believes a vital necessity not only
to both countries, but also to Euro
pean construction.
The new Ludendorffian views,
which were expressed in an inter-
view given a South American jour
nalist, show that the former army
leader has learned in the school of
war to adjust his political opinions,
as we'll as his military plans, to the
changing strategical situation. a
few months ago he was convinced
that nothing could prevent the Boil
shevist conquest Of Poland, that
nothing could check a wave of Boil
SueNlELS > " GtpAh6 ONGl iCA AAAfAAAy S1AAN
the rest of Europe, destroying Eu-
ropean civilization.
Revised Views InOppOrtune.
You will be sorry then" was the
unvarying tone of his remarks on
the entente's poor judgment in dis
arming and weak ening Germany as
the bulwark against the Bolshevists.
Now he is convinced that the Boil
shevists are finished and the pub
Iication Of his revised views comes
at a most inopportune moment for
his former comrades in the army
who have based this weeks note.
demanding the right to retain the
full armaments Of the Eastern for
tresses, on the probability of a Boil
shevist invasion next spring.
Gen. Ludendorff's indignation was
awakened by a reference of his in
terviewer to a legend current
abroad last summer that Ludendorff
was directing the BOlshevist cam
paign against Warsaw. The general
declared himself opposed even to
political cooperation with Boil
shevism-a malign influence on Eu-
ropean politics and negation of
intelligence and creative power-to
say IOA4AAAS VI yO4AAAlAo AoAANS "AS@-
the Soviet in a military alliance.
Attractive to the German ma
tionalists as the idea of overthrow
ing the treaty of Versailles by
Russo-German alliance may be, Gen.
Ludendorff declared that he did not
know a single advocate of such an
alliance with the Bolshevists among
former prominent German military
leaders. He said the alliance, from
a military standpoint, would be a
mistake because the combination
would be helpless against the en-
tente since modern war had changed
absolutely from the NapoleOniC
type. War machinery cannot be
improvised, he pointed out. TrotZky.
thought to be an absolute genius"
in Improvisation and able to dis
pose of unlimited reserves of men.
had not been able to remedy the
deficiency of war material nor pre-
vent disastrous defeat by the Poles
owing to their superiority in this
regard. Accordingly, he asserted,
Germany could not hope to put up
a successful fight without artillery,
airplanes and fleet, of which she
had been deprived by the ''treach-
cry" Of the revolution and that the
first word of n military alliance
between Germany and Russia would
start an entente invasion of western
Germany without even the for
mality. Of an ultimatum or a dec
laration of war.
Publication of that interview in
Germany, unfortunately for the Ger