Evening star., 1933-09-10
BY EDGAR ANsEL MOWRER.
r ONDON. - Concentration camps
for refractory Christians Is the
Jotect throat of Hitlerite Ger

Y ONDON. - Concentration camps
for refractory Christians Is the
latest threat of Hitlerite Ger
IL many. The Germans them
selves are not allowed to know
this. They are not told that the lead
ers Of the so-called German or Hitler
Christians consider prison the proper
place for those German Lutherans who
cannot quite see their way clear to
hoisting the swastika beside the Cross.
But Germans are not allowed to know
much about what is going on in Ger
many.
When, therefore, perfectly honest and
simple Germans issue fiery protests
against foreign "atrocity fairy tales"
about their country, this does not mean
that they are conscious liars or that
foreigners have not depicted the sit
uation with accuracy. 1t merely means
that the smoke screen of completely
controlled press, radio and propaganda
machine is doing its work.
Events Unknown.
Simple, honest Germans-the vast
majority of them-have not the slight
est notion of what has gone on in
their country in the last seven months.
And if they were told they would find
it easier and preferable not to believe
the truth
Particularly in the matter of con-
centration camps. For these consti-
tute the most striking feature of Chan
cellor Adolf Hitler's regime. Striking
not in that any one need be conscious
of their presence. Quite the contrary,
it is hard to find them and they are
mentioned only in whispers. Striking,
because never before in recorded his
<<. l,oe ,aI
SO many of its citizens under similar
circumstances without trial and with
out shadow of opposition.
Exact information about all the
camps is impossible, since the gov
ernment will not give it and no one
else knows. Apparently in all Ger
many there are about 80 of them.
Each can house anywhere from 500
to 1,500 prisoners and probably there
Is no lack of tenants.
$4,000 Estimate.
1t is possible that 10000 persons are
confined in such places in Germany to-
day. Add an estimated 10000 political
prisoners in regular jails. prisons and
penitentiaries, it is likely that you come
close to the complete number Of politi-
cal victims Of what is called Germany'S
awakening
This does not mean that it is any
thing like the total number who have
been imprisoned in the last six months.
So many have been released that the
total number Of those who have done
time without trial or examination is
possibly two and a half times this
figure.
In theory. concentration camps are
not really much different from those in
which war prisoners were tucked away
during the late steel bath" In prac-
tice, the difference is enormous. War
prisoners were left alone Political
prisoners in Nazi Germany are in proc
ess of what their captors call education.
Groups Put in Jail.
This education is remarkable in the
history Of civilization. In three camps,
which are most spoken of-Oranien-
burg. near Berlin; Dachau. near
Munich. and Durrgoy, near Breslau-
it is something as> follows:
tDurrgoy is reported temporarily
clCged, while its former" inmates are
Dong convict labor near Osnabruck)
Prisoners are recruited from the fol-
loH ing sorts of persons in order of their
rcputed iniquity-Pacifists, Communists,
Socialists, Jews. Republicans and. oc-
casionally. Catholics and Nationalists.
Recently the Prussian authorities broke
up a secret camp in which brown
shirts were imprisoning members of
the Steel Helmet organization of the
Nationalists
Fully half the people in the camps
are not what they are supposed to be,
but have been arrested following pri-
Vate denunciation from motives of per-
sonal revenge. As there is no exami-
nation or trial, they have no recourse
Suicide Often Preferred.
In the camps they are divided into
three classes, which may be called the
Harmless" the convertible" and "un-
convertible" The first, the harmless.
are reasonably well treated The second
the convertible. are occasionally beaten