Evening star., 1934-07-03
The Terror in Germany.


Goering, with no immediate prospect
that their stranglehold can be broken
The chancellor's grip on the strife
torn Reich is undoubtedly strength
ened by the support he has received
from President Won Hindenburg. The
venerable executive, telegraphing
from his supposed bed of grave i'll
ness, felicitated Hitler on his sue
cess in crushing "traitorous machina-
tions" and said that his energetic
and courageous action" had res
cued the German people from a great
danger"
Coincident with Won Hindenburgs
approval of the "purging" program
is the report that the President has
called upon the government to guar
antee that no harm shall come to his
friend and protege, Vice Chancellor
Won Papen, who has been under
private arrest. The old field marshal.
too, is also said to have made the
Reichswehr, the national army, re-
sponslble for Col. Won Papen's safety.
So little of authentic nature is
permitted to become known amid the
roar of the firing squads guns that
Germans themselves are left in a
battling Quandary as to what portendS
in their distracted country. On the
face OF things. Hitler has consoli-
dated his position. He has "liquidat-
ed" rebellious elements not only
within his storm troops by wholesale
killings. where these have not been
obviated by suicides, but also among
opposition elements outside OF the
Nazi private army. The deaths OF
former Chancellor Gen. Won Schlei-
cher. of one-time NaZi Chieftalns like
Gregor StraSser. and OF personal aides
and friends Of Col. Won Papen. all
indicate that Hitler has meant to
make a clean sweep of his foes, in
whatever camps they we're supposed
to be traitors" "reaCtionarieS," con-
servatives." and all the rest of them.
After such an eruption it is i'm
possible to foreshadow the next phase
of the tragic situation. Its imme-
diate causes for the moment remain
almost as obscure The upheaval set
in with discovery by the Hitler high
command of alleged evidences OF
mutiny and treason in the upper
ranks of the Storm Troop leadership.
involving in particular Capt. ernst
Roehm. chief of staff and the chan
cellors close personal friend. 1t was
further alleged that the faithless
elements were acting in colluSlon with
some unnamed foreign power" bent
upon overthrowing the Hitler govern
ment All these events following on
Papen's recent public attack on the
NaZi regime, he was naturally aSSo-
ciated with them by the authorities.
and his arrest was ordered at the
same time that more drastic punish
ment was being meted out to Storm
Troop conSpirators, including the
execution of Capt Roehm, under Hit
ler's personal direction.
Underlying the crisis is the nations
notoriously growing discomfort with
the plight into which Nazi policies
have plunged it. Germany is isolated,
discredited and mistrusted abroad.
Hitlers dream of anneXing Austria
has been frustrated. The economic
and financial structure is tottering.
The ReichSbank's gold reserve has
vanished. Export trade is disappear
ing. The wherewithal for import of
vital raw materials no longer exists
In all directions there is progressive
misery. Such is the background of
the sanguinary German history
written since last Saturday. On top
of it all is the mountain of hostility
and opposition generated among the
religious organizations and the liberal
and labor classes by ruthless suppress
sion and RECOMMENDATION. Adding still
more fuel to the flame is the restless
ambition OF the old militarist-royalist
element to restore its ancient predom-
nance by establishment either of
the Hohenzollerns or monarchy
under some other auspices.
Fast-marching events will develop
what is to come out OF the turmoil.
Civil war is a possibility that obviously
cannot be excluded. There are late
reports of truce between Hitler and
Won Papen, which would indicate that
President Won Hindenburg's influence
is a factor with which the Hitler
Goering oligarchy feels it wise to
reckon. The army is accounted loyal
to its venerated World War leader
If the Nazt system is to emerge trium-
phant at the end Of it all, the outside
world can only hope that the result
will be a species OF government more
in keeping with modern civilization
than anything Hitlerism has so tar
produced and IN consonance with the
rights and needs of a great people
like the Germans.