The daily worker. [volume] (Chicago, Ill.) 1924-1958, 1931-08-05
Why II Officers Broke with the
German FasCists

NEW YoRK-German fascism. a tool Of the
Bruening government and international CAPT.
talism in attempting to keep back the revolu-
ton Of the German workingclass is rapidly be-
ing exposed on the inside of its own ranks as
well as by its actions The Daily Worker has
Just received a remarkable statement of eleven
high officers Of the National Socialist (Fascst)
Party Of Germany who quit the Fascists and
asked admission into the ranks of the Commu-
mist Party. This movement on top is Indicative
of a mass movement away from fascism to
Communism on the bottom, that is, among the
ranks of the workers who were misled into the
fascist ranks by promises of fight against the
Young Plan.
Recent action of the Fascists again exposed
them in the eyes of the masses. When the
Communist Party demanded a referendum for
dissolution of the Prussian Diet, the Nationalist
and National Socialists Cboth fascists) took part
in the referendum. Since this endangered the
Bruening government, the fascists quickly with
drew. Commenting on this public exposure of
the fake program of the fascsts the New York
Times remarked that the Fascists welcomed
the opportunity to back out by declaring they
are unwilling to stand on the same front with
the Communists"
The first break in the top ranks of the Fas-
cists towards the Communists came with the
dramatic case of Lieut.. Scheringer.
Lieut.. Scheringer was the leader of a group
of Reichswehr Republican Army officers who
were arrested and condemned in September,
1890, to serve eighteen months in a fortress for
spreading national socialist propaganda and
forming Fascist groups within the Rechswehr
Hitler played this case up all over Germany
and Scheringer became known throughout the
Fascist movement as some one whose example
should be copied.
On the 10th of March of this year Comrade
Kippenberger Of the German Communist Party,
read statement on the floor of the Reichstag
in which Lieut. Scheringer announced his resig-
nation from the Nazi and his desire to Join the
Communist Party. In this statement Scheringer
stated:
He who today compares the real policies of
the National Socialist leaders with their radical
phrases recognizes that their actions are the
direct opposite Of that which they speak and
write Of and that which we expect from them"
Lieut. Scheringers statement gave a number
OF concrete instances of fakery of the fascists
and concluded with his asking to be received
into the ranks Of the Communist Party Sche-
ringer said:
"There is no longer any Doubt Freedom only
stands alongside Of the revolutionary workers,
peasants and soldiers. Here is the place for all
honest fighters, not in the garden of reaction!"
The recent statement of the II fascist officers
which shows the wide drift Of the disillusioned
ranks Of the petty-bougeois to the revolution
airy proletarat as the only solution of the crisis
in Germany is as follows
Fellow Germans In this historical hour we.
former officers Of the German Army and leaders
OF nationalist organizations, address ourselves
TO you. The misery of the people is steadily in
creasing New masses are being plunged into
need and impoverishment by the capitalist sys-
tenn. 100000 peasants have been driven from
their land and wander from farm to farm in