Evening star., 1938-02-13
BY CONSTANTINE BROWN.
Dy CV1>S1AN11NE OHVWN.
. HE European war fever has gone up
several degrees as q result of Chan

several degrees as result of Chan
cellor Hitler's purge of the more
4 conservative generals and diplomats.
Field Marshal Werner Won Blomberg
Col. Gen. Werner Won Fritsch and is other
army corps and divisional commanders
have been removed from the active service
list. Their places have been filled with
ohicers who "obey orders and do not dis
cuss them"
Gen. Wilhelm Keitel, new head of the
supreme command of the armed forces, is
neither strategist, a tactician nor a man
conversant with politics, national or in
ternational. Until Hitler brought him into
the limelight he was what the German
line officers call ''the commander of the
army's pots and pans"-head of the Wehr-
machtsamt (the department of supplies
and administrator. But he is a good
organizer who will Aye, SIR" every COM
mand OF the new supreme war lord, Adolf
Hitler.
Col. Gen. Won Brauchitsch, the new COM
mander in chief of the army, is an able
general heretofore unknown outside Ger
many. Until two weeks ago he headed
the important fourth army group desig-
mated to play an important role in the
event OF an aggression toward the East.
Blomberg and Fritsch Conservative.
Won Blomberg and Won Fritsch had out
lived their usefulness They contributed
greatly to the reorganization of the German
Army as the most powerful military ma
chine in Europe and were accorded due
credit from Hitler upon their retirement.
But both these men and the chief of staff,
aoie Gen. Won Beck-who Is being tenn
porarily maintained on his job-were con-
servatives. They believed in a powerful
army as means of extorting from the
weak and flabbergasted democracies what
Germany wanted, but they favored slow
process of pressure and were opposed TO
any warlike adventure-unless it was forced
upon the Reich. They supported, too, the
old religious traditions which had been
scrupulously followed in the German Army.
Larlbasting Of religion and priests or min
listers was taboo in the army. 1t was
commonly said in the Reich that il a
man desired freedom Of worship, the only
safe place for him was in the ranks of
the Reichswehr. There he was immune
from the persecution of Hitlers youthful
neo-pagan enthusiasts.
But while the removal of the army
chieftains will unity the neo-paganism of
the Reich, the principal purpose is, with
out doubt the preparation Of q more active
and aggressive foreign policy.
- The old-school diplomats have also been
removed, some of them with honors, Fora
eign Minister KonstAntin Won Neurath was
too much Of a gentleman of the Old
school," Though he did not carry much
weight in the major decisions of the Reicl,s.
fuehrer, his quiet and persuasive manner
and his undoubted experience in European
affairs frequently headed of Der Fuehrer
from impulsive decisions
Kept Bombing Secret.
1t was Won Neurath, it is alleged. who
Tor 40 hours kept the news of the bombing
of the battleship Deutschland by Spanish
Nationalist flyers from Der Fuehrer. The
foreign minister feared that Hitler would
do something very rash" If he heard the
news before German warships had pun
ished the Republican Spanish government
by nombarding loyalist ports. The two
pieces of information were communicated
simultaneously when it was too late for
the Reichsfuehrer to go on the warpath.
The three ousted Ambassadors Won
Papen in Vienna, Won Hassell in Rome
and Won Dirksen in Toxic were useful,
too, while Hitler was preparing the Reich
for "the day" Their conciliatory tone, their
moderation of views was an important
camouflage.
The new foreign minister, Joachim Won
Ribbentrop, is pugnacious man. The son
Of an army officer, he became a close friend
OF Der Fuehrer in 1928 and supplied his
present chief with much needed funds.
Young and good-looking, Ribbentrop mar
ried the daughter of the wealthy manu.
facturer of Germany's most popular cham
payne, Hinckel Trocken. Through his
father-in-law - Industrialist Hinckel he
obtained the support of many other finan-
cial moguls for Hitler's cause Won Rib
bentrop sees eye to eye with Der Fuehrer
on almost every important question OF in
ternational affairs.
Hitler, Goering and the other satraps
OF Nazi-ism (neither Won Neurath nor Won
Blomberg nor Fritsch was Nazi originality
believe they have pussyfooted long enough.
They are convinced that they have played
into the hands of the Western democracies
by accepting invitations to attend con-
ferences. Mussolini's visit to Berlin con-
hrmed the impression that every day of
delay in the fulf,llment of the principles
laid down in Germany's new bible, Mein
kampf, strengthens the democracies. The
rearmament plans of Great Britain, France
and the United States are progressing
more rapidly than was expected. Germany
and Italy have reached = degree of pre-
pare6ness which cannot be much i'm
proved-by comparison with the powerful
armaments the demoeracies are building.
Hence the time to strike, If striking Is
necessary, is now; otherwise the totalitarian
states will be at disadvantage.
Axis Has Comprehensive Plan.
The face slapping Of John Allison. Amer
lean Consul at Nanking, the sinking Of
the two British steamers along the Span
ish coast and the seizure Of the chief Of
the American freighter Nantucket 10 miles
outside spain's territorial waters are seq
ments Of comprehensive plan Of the
Berlin Rome Toxic axis.
> The renewed activities of the pirate SUBJ
marines and the pirate bombers in the
Mediterranean Is regarded in ofllcial quar-