Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1931-01-24
Latter Fear Invasion and Or
ganize Local Defensive
Forces for Reich.
GOVERNMENTS OF BOTH
NATIONS REMAIN CALM
Rumors Caused Steel Helmet Lead.
ers to Consider Mobilizing $780,
600 Men on Frontier.
BY EDGAR ANSEL MOWRER.

BY EDGAR ANSEL MOWER.
By Gable to The Star.
BERLIN, Germany, January 24.-Con-
ditions along the German-Polish frontier
have become so ticklish that in all
Soberness 1 dare state that they con-
Stitute danger to European peace.
Nor is this opinion limited to a few
foreigners.
Neither the Polish nor the German
government harbors the slightest bellig-
erent intention. The statesmen in Ber-
lin and Warsaw are cold but calm.
But thousands of serious Germans, in
Guiding almost the entire population in
the frontier zone, believe that it is only
matter of time until the Poles at
tack them.
Hardly week elapSes without some
sort of frontier incident. The worst
was the famous Neuhofen espionage
case, which ended in a. battle with
rifles between the rival frontier guards.
While Chancellor Heinrich Bruening
was recently in the town of Oppelin in
Upper Silesia, Polish airmen few over
the town. One, forced to descend, was
arrested
Invasion Is Charged.
Only two days ago German National
1Stic newspapers announced that Polish
infantry had invaded Germany, where
byt it was meant that a small detach-
ment OF Polish soldiers had stepped
over the frontier by few feet. The
German government has entered
formal protest.
Ef1f DC
that constitutes the danger; it is what
the population, including many local
officials, imagineS may happen. So sure
are frontier Germans of a coming
Polish invasion there is hardly village
within 40 miles of Poland without its
organization of volunteers to protect
the fatherland against the Poles
Such state of mind is in itself dan
gerous. Something of the populations
contagion inevitably extends to the
German Army, particularly the 3rd
Division, with headquarters in Berlin.
but garrisons chiefly along the Polish
frontier, extending southwark to Upper
Silesia.
Move Near Frontier.
After the Polish election in mid
November, in which the Germans be-
lieved that their minority was brutally
mlshandled, portions of the Silesian
garrisons moved nearer to the Polish
frontier and such movements excited
the inhabitants to an even wilder ap-
prehension.
But the culmination-a elimination
which might we'll have led to war-oc-
CURED in the early part of this month
or all the German Semi-military or
CARNATIONS, the Steel Helmet, of which
President Hindenburg is honorary presi-
dent, is closest to the Reichswehr.
The chief of the intelligence service"
of the Steel Helmet organization is Col
Nikolai, former head of the German
military intelligence during the World
War. Early in January, Col. Nikolai
claimed to have intercepted absolutely
reliable news that the long-expe cted
Polish attack on Upper Silesia was
planned for the end of January. Col
Nikolai was SO impressed that he noti-
fed his old friends of the German
Army. The Reichswehr took the news
seriously enough to order a closer con-
centration Of troops along the Silesian
frontier and the hasty construction of
trenches and emplacements along the
Oder River.
Called Berlin Farley.
Meanwhile Col Nikolai summoned
the Steel Helmet leaders to Berlin and
they came from all parts of the Reich
Col. Nikolai informed them how serious
the situation was and offered for de-
bate the problem whether 100000 Steel
Helmet men should Immediately mob
ilize and entrain for the danger spot,
or wait for further confirmation. The
decision session lasted the entire night
and only with dawn was it decided to
await further information.
Meanwhile the Reichswehr author
tiles sought desperately for other re-
Inducements. OF the Steel Helmet
members they were sure. What of the
so-called storm attachments of the Ma
tional Socialist Party. A letter was ad-
dressed to the party headquarters in
Munich asking whether it could if
necessary count on young men to assist
the troops in defense of German soil
The National Socialists, still smart
ing from the Leipzig trial, In which
ReichSwehr officers were condemned for
sympathiZing and associating with Ma
tional Socialists, refused. Thereupon
they received second letter from the
German army, informing them that the
Reichswehr would be disposed to modify
its hostile attitude to the party. Again
the National Socialists refused, criticiz-
ing any idea of an adventure along the
Polish frontier as dangerous.
Days passed and nothing happened
Inquiry at the Steel Helmet headquar-
tiers revealed the fact that Col Niko-
lai had disappeared. After two weeks
the Steel Helmet members stated that
the planned invasion must have been
an insidious plot of Franco-Polish SYM
pathizers to induce the Steel Helmet
into rash adventure on the Polish
border and thereby prejudice the Ger
man case before the Council of the
League of Nations at Geneva.
The danger of such situation needs
no comment. 1t is apparent to all who
care to examine it. Had the Steel
Helmet gone in mass to Upper Silesia,
war might have followed.
Copyright. 1879