Evening star., 1938-09-26
CONF FUS|ON SAID
s.. TO GRIP GERMANS
Awaiting Hitler Speech to
Clear Conflict in
Recent Events.
BY WALLACE r, DEUEL.,

By WALLACE II. DEUEL.,
ChieaEo Daily News FOREIGN Correspondent.
BERLIN, Sept. rs (By Radio).-
With Europe on the brink of war and
with his own country Mortified by the
prospect and confused as to its causes,
Reichsfuehrer Adolf Hitler goes to
the people" in a dramatic and possibly
decisive speech he is delivering here
tonight. and which is being heard over
the radio by virtually every adult
human being in the Reich and by
millions in other countries
1t is to an appalled, and bewildered
German people that Hitler is speaking
to tonight. a people fearful of the
danger of war which hangs over them
and unable to understand how the
danger has suddenly risen to such an
asonizing pitch in the past 4s hours
after peace had seemed definitely Sc
cure.
: Spurred by Propaganda.
The gigantic Nazi propaganda ma
chine has been unable to prevent this
fear and confusion from growing dur
ing the past two days-and in fact,
propaganda has in a sense helped its
.erowth-and one of Hitler's chief
purposes in speaking tonight is to
bolster the nations morale.
The picture Of the situation which
the man in the street here had up
until this week end was clear-quite
apart from the question whether the
man in the street in other countries
had the same picture Nazi propa-
eanda had painted this picture with
bold and smashing colors and Nazi
censorship had effectively prevented
other propaganda from adding any
thing to this picture or from depict
ing anything from it.
The situation. as the average Ger
man saw it, was that Hitler had de-
manded the separation of the Sudeten
Germans from Czechoslovakia and
their union with Germany. and tha
abandonment by Prague of its alli-
ances with Paris and Moscow as we'll
as other but less important things
The British, the French, and finally
even the Czechs had agreed to these
demands. Prime Minister Neville
Chamberlain went to Godesberg with
the acceptance of Hitlers terms, the
methods for carrying out the chancel-
lor's terms were agreed upon, and
Chamberlain returned to London with
4 hnal settlement, the man in the
street here was told and believed.
So the average man heaved a deep
sigh Of relief, assumed that the dan
ger was over. rejoiced at the winning
OF another smashing victory for the
Fatherland. and prepared to 60 about
his business
Change Of Attitude.
But precisely at this moment the
whole picture began to dissolve before
his very eyes. Prague ordered a gen.
.eral mobilization. Why. if the Czecns
had already accepted the plan?
Because Prague was trying to re-
pudiate the plan. Nazi propaganda
said. Czech mobilization is a stab in
both Hitler's and Chamberlain's back.
the German press and radio said, and
they assured the people again that
IAN agreement had been reached with
England and France and that it was
only the Czechs who were making
trouble.
But hour after hour passed and
the whole day passed without any
sign from London or Paris that an
agreement really had been reached.
The man in the street grew more
and more uneasy Surely this did noe
eound like an agreement. If Cham
herlain and Hitler were agreed and
France and Czechoslovakia had ac-
cepted Germany's terms, then why
we're they acting like this?
Some Of the people began to sus-
pect that the French, English and
Czechs had accepted the plan origin
ally only to repudiate it almost imme-
diately But official propaganda was
silent on this point. What was the
average man to believe? He simply
did not know, and his uncertainty
grew with every hour
What really was agreed on at Codes
berg? Having obtained what he asked
! the first time, had Hitler then gone
son and demanded more? The public
.was confused by the answers it got
ito these questions.
. Then came a new element of con-
sf,ision, for Nazi propaganda began to
insist that Hitler had not laid any
shew terms before Chamberlain Ger
smany has made no new demands" one
sof this afternoons papers says fatty.
ssAnd now the average man is more
sbevildered than ever.
The vast majority of the German
speople will doubtless accept the ver-
ssion Of events which Hitler gives them
..tonight.
T. (Copyrisht, 1889